Kevin Harrington // marketing // blog

Posts Tagged ‘advertising’

The Tories said they would cut back spending on advertising by 40 per cent, as well as introducing new rules to measure its effectiveness.

Then in May we were told, “The coalition government is to freeze its £540m-a-year advertising budget, except on what are deemed to be ‘essential’ campaigns, ahead of implementing plans to axe marketing and advertising spend by up to 50%.

Now they are in (a shared) office what progress are they making? Was all this just puff and PR around the subject of advertising? It may well be judging by the full back page colour advert in my local paper encouraging me to sign up to flood alerts.

Note: the weather forecasters are talking to us about droughts at the moment.

Is Lord Digby Jones right when he says, “The last thing in the world we need is the younger generation thinking they don’t have to work.”

Well, of course I agree with the above raw statement. But in context, on the BBC website, he seems to make the link from Glaceau Vitamin Water consumers to young people to days off sick. Now that seems a bit unfair to me.

Anyway, my experience is that questionable employee sickness is not the preserve of any particular age group.

Of course a major part of the BBC news item was Digby Jones moaning about Coke’s use of humour in advertising. Personally I think we need more Coke humour and less Digby Jones concern.

But the great thing about it all is we are allowed our opinion. In fact I’ve been out to vote today as part of my democratic rights. Marvellous.

It must be seen as really bad luck when you say ‘yes’ to your creative agency and get a TV ad delivered that uses exactly the same concept as another advert hitting the UK television screens.

The ads I’m talking of here are Age Concern featuring Brain Cox and that one with Keeley Hawes for Boots No7. They both use an actors image with changing voices. Spooky that they should both be on air at the same time.

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?