Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

I texted the number at the end of the TV advert for a catalogue. I got an immediate text back thanking me for my interest and saying they would contact me soon for address details. Five days later and I’ve still heard nothing.

I wonder how CPC Farnell measure the return on investment from their TV advertising? It may be by the increase in market share of their competitors…I’ve just got what I needed from Screwfix.

My hat goes off to Robert Carlyle; he walks and talks for over five minutes in the new Diageo/Johnnie Walker advert, “The Man Who Walked Around the World“. It’s one of those continuous shot scenes that is over five minutes long. Mind you, there were around forty takes. 

Have a look at the advert, it really is an excellent example of a great story selling a product. Well done to the Bartle Bogle Hegarty team as well. 

And check out the timing of the props on the walk. Excellent.

Then my final plaudit to the camera man who managed, apparently, to not fall over.

Don’t get me started on car salespeople! I now know where some of the excess staff went when the world of estate agency contracted.

But look at bit deeper at the commercial world of the motor industry and there are some excellent examples of high quality marketing. One of my favourite recent poster campaigns, in fact it is current, is the one for VW BlueMotion: crisp, clear, on message and very much on brand.

There are several posters in the advertising campaign that reveal lengthy copy describing the benefits and efficiency of the brand’s BlueMotion technology. The text has either been crossed through or highlighted to leave just a simple statement. Click on the image here to see an example.

I think this advert would have been good five years ago, but it seems especially relevant today in our age of tag clouds and similar things.

For reference:

Format: Press and poster
Agency: DDB London  
Advertiser: Volkswagen 
Project title: Volkswagen Efficiency
Brief: Communicate that Volkswagen offers a range of technologies that lead to improved fuel efficiency.
Copywriter: Hunter Somerville
Art director: Graeme Hall
Designer: Pete Mould, DDB
Media agency: MediaCom

How on earth would you advertise your services if you were offering circumcisions? This is a synopsis of a Facebook conversation. 

POST: Circumcision leaflets through your door as junk mail, welcome to London, E1. 

POST: Are they advertising that they come at a snip of the price! 

POST: 20% off if you buy before the end of June. 

POST: Don’t even joke – there is one of those little clip-art stars in the corner with the caption “Bookings being taken for this summer”. Seriously, who decides to be circumcised because of a leaflet through your door? 

POST: They have to advertise via leaflets as getting product placement on daytime TV is a little tricky. 

POST: It would probably do very well after the money saving section on GMTV! 

Well, it all made me wonder. What other obscure services do you think are difficult to market?

Volvo, at the recommendation of their agency Mindshare, have started a campaign to annoy potential customers right across Europe. Well done.

I say this based on my experience. The essence of the campaign is a Quick Response (QR) mechanism. This uses a 2D barcode on print advertising.

The Swedish car maker’s Ice White campaign has been built around the theme “open up and come alive”, and uses the print ads to provide readers with instant access to additional web content on their mobile. >>> more

My experience of Volvo QR: text the number on the page, download a reader, do it again as it didn’t run, do it yet again as it didn’t run, then get told my phone ( a 12 month old BlackBerry…hardly a Nokia 3310!) was not compatible.

So I have no idea what I would have been told if Volvo had been using technology that was accessible from my phone. Perhaps when they do an agency review I may find out.

I remember Punk, that is the Punk music of 1976. I was living in London and witnessed dollops of it first hand. Consequently I smiled at this article on FT.com:

Johnny Rotten boosts Dairy Crest sales

Dairy Crest said using John Lydon, the frontman of punk band the Sex Pistols, in Country Life adverts had helped to boost annual sales of the butter by more than a quarter.

The TV advertising campaign, which first aired in October and features the one-time anarchist also known as Johnny Rotten, has had a “very positive impact on sales”, said Mark Allen, chief executive.

So the next time someone tells you their finite views and how they will never change…just think Johnny Rotten. Time can change most things.

If you have any interest in the history of radio advertising in the UK, I would recommend the Brian Hayes presented programme titled “Radio Sales.” You can catch it on BBC iPlayer for the next few days.

My favourite ad was the one for the Imperial War Museum. An excellent example of the medium being used to it’s best.

For bad advertising listen to the last example at the end of the programme.