Advertising closer to the public

It's funny to see how brands are fighting for a place in customers' minds through very expensive advertising campaigns and prime time media channels. They still don't realize the power of being relevant and going out directly to the customer. It's not that complicated, you just have to stand out from the crowd and build relationships.

Here is the kind of Adverting that I love. It has a clear message, it's closer to the customer, it's useful, memorable and it has the power to drive word of mouth. It's Guerrilla Marketing! Storyline: 1,500 little red boxes installed around Paris, each of them containing one red rose with the message: "In case of love at first sight, break glass". Therefore, for Valentine's Day you should give flowers to the one you love. The campaign is made by the agency Kingsday in Amsterdam for their client: Flower Council of Holland.

Martin Lindstrom: Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy

Like it or not, 90% of our consumer behavior is unconscious and most of it is based on emotional instincts. So, as much as we want to cut down the spending, our irrational brain comes bursting with emotions and crying for the latest gadget. The bad part is that when asked, we might not be aware of our actual desires or we would just rather hide them away – hoping that the temptation is not that powerful. Anyhow, we should not blame ourselves 100% for our irrational behavior. Brands and the marketers behind them have their own part of the fault. 

Here comes Martin’s role in explaining and proving how we react to brands’ activities and what the logic behind our irrational behavior is. Moreover, he reveals some of the tricks behind brands in making us buy thing that we don’t really need. After this you might think that Martin Lindstrom is taking the side of the poor consumers who cannot resist in front of marketers’ strategies. In fact, Martin is concerned about the fact that what people say and how they really feel are not the same and the results of the current marketing research methods could be misleading in some cases. Therefore, he is promoting MRI as an efficient tool in analyzing the real effects of advertising on consumers.

Cons:

After the first few pages I had huge expectations, but soon I lowered them down, not to be disappointed at the end. I was hoping to read more about the findings of his research, but he kept the content quite easy to read and commercial – accessible to all types of readers. Sometimes I had the impression that he just presented other people’s work without any personal input.

Pros:

When I am reading a marketing book I love to look for examples where brands used certain tricks to fool us into buying products or services. Well, in this book, Martin gives a plethora of examples from the branding world and I enjoyed very much reading about them. Despite his powerful ego, which I could feel here and there throughout the book, I liked his open and informal writing style – I felt like he was directly speaking to me.

Overall, the book is an interesting read for both professionals and nonprofessionals. It is captivating, but sometimes I felt lost in technical details. However, for the ones interested in neuromarketing, Buyology would be a must read to deepen their knowledge.

Here are some quotes from Buyology:

Lindstrom, Martin, "Buyology: Truth and lies about why we buy", Crown Publishing Group, 2010

“If marketers want the naked truth, unplugged and uncensored about what causes us to buy – they have to interview our brains.” Page 22

“Emotions are the way in which our brains encode things of value. A brand that engages emotionally – will win every single time.” Page 27

“Most of the brain is dominated by automatic processes, rather than deliberate thinking. A lot of what happens in the brain is emotional not cognitive.” Page 28

“Neuromarketing research has found out that consumers’ memory of a product is the most relevant, reliable measure of an ad’s effectiveness.” Page 48

“In order for a product placement to work, the product has to make sense within the show’s narrative. So if a product isn’t a good match with the movie or TV show in which appears, [..] viewers will tune it right out.” Page 51

“We calculate purchase based on how they might bring us social status – and status is linked with reproductive success.” Page 64

“We assess snazzy stuff – iPhones, Harleys, and such – largely in terms of their capacity to enhance our social status.” Page 64

“The future of advertising isn’t smoke and mirror – it’s mirror neurons. And they will prove even more powerful in driving our loyalty, our minds, our wallets, and our Buyology than even the marketers themselves could have anticipated.” Page 67

“Smiling faces can subconsciously get us buy more stuff, suggesting that store managers who instruct their employees to smile are on the right track.” Page 76

“Rituals help us form emotional connections with brands and products” (egg. Oreo). Page 89 

“If people are willing to pay sums, large and small – for things like dirt and water – that they believe have religious or spiritual significance, then clearly spirituality and branding are inextricably linked.” Page 111

“… despite their differences, almost every leading religion has 10 common pillars underlying its foundation: a sense of belonging, a clear vision, power over enemies, sensory appeal, storytelling, grandeur, evangelism, symbols, mystery and rituals.” Page 111

“Whether you’re in love with Nike, Neutrogena, Absolut, or Harley-Davidson, chances are you feel a sense of belonging among other users of that brand – it’s like being a member of a not so exclusive club. The sense of belonging is a profound influence on our behavior.” Page 112

“Having an identifiable enemy gives us the chance not only to articulate and showcase our faith, but also to unite ourselves with our fellow believers. This kind of us vs. them strategy attracts fans, incite controversy, creates loyalty, and gets us thinking & arguing – and of course, buying.” Page 113

“There was no discernible difference between the way the subjects’ brains reacted to powerful brands and the way they reacted to religious icons and figures.” Page 124

“Smell is very closely tied to how we experience brands or products.” Page 151

“Irrationally, we conclude that the tinier and lighter our digital camera or tape recorder is, the more intricate and cutting age the technology inside must be […] also, the heavier the product, the better its quality.” Page 152

“When people make subconscious judgments about a person, environment, or product within ninety seconds, between 62% and 90 % of that assessment is based on color alone.” Page 155

“How we say we feel about a product can never truly predict how we behave – market research is largely unreliable and can at times seriously mislead a company.” Page 169

“Traditional market research will gradually take on a smaller and smaller role, and neuromarketing will become the primary too companies use to predict the success or failure of products.” Page 176

“Sex does not sell anything other than itself.” Page 181

“Sex hijacks our attention away from the crucial information in an advertisement, so, too can extreme beauty or celebrity.” Page 186

“Celebrities can overshadow what an ad is trying to communicate.” Page 186

“90% of our consumer behavior is unconscious.” Page 195

“The higher price of a product enhances our enjoyment of it. […] We enjoy our purchase because we paid more” – Antonio Rangel. Page 197

“The fewer choices and selections we are confronted with, the easier it is to make a choice, so the likely we are to buy something.” Page 216

McDonalds - A strategic location

I recently visited London in the Easter period, which I don't recommend you to do because despite the religious holiday people do travel to London and the city is very crowded. However, besides enjoying the British weather, food, culture and museums, I payed attention to outdoor advertising because, of course, I love advertising! 

What caught my attention was to see how McDonalds was promoting it's restaurant near the London Eye. The restaurant's location is advertised even in Westminster's tube station across the bridge. When you exit the station you can see some posters recommending you to follow your hunger and cross the bridge because in 5 minutes you'll reach a McDonalds restaurant! The same thing happens also on the Chicheley street, in the nearby of the London Eye, which is even closer to the restaurant. Here I could see a man standing on the sidewalk with a big board, advertising McDonalds. 

When I went inside the restaurant I was amazed how big and crowded it was. Afterwards I realized what a strategical position it has. It is close to several tourist attractions as London Eye, The Dungeon, or the London Aquarium and no important competition in the area. These attractions are very successful among the tourists and usually you have to wait in queue between 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the attraction and the period of the day, and each tour would be of a minimum half an hour. However, after finishing visiting any of these attractions you are hungry! Where to eat? McDonalds, of course! Mainly because you can feel the smell of their french fries when you pass by and it's your only cheap option!

                                                                                 (I don't have the credits for the picture)

I am not a big fan of this or any fast food brand, but I do enjoy from time to time their fries and wraps. This is also what I did during my stay in London. After hours spent visiting the attractions in the nearby, I could not resist the smell and I had to grab a bite in the restaurant.

Being AdConscious

What is McDonalds exactly doing in the situation described above? Well, as a branding or marketing rule, you have to place your brand or product in a strategic location. A place where you can be seen by as many people as possible. Therefore, McDonalds has a perfect location, close to several tourist attractions which generates a large number of new visitors and new potential customers. They are new because they are tourists and everyday you will see new faces entering the restaurant. 

Another marketing rule is that acquiring new customers is more expensive than making your current ones loyal. Obviously, McDonalds cannot fully apply this strategy as their customers are constantly changing and extra efforts to promote the location are needed. Therefore, the brand has to continuously acquire new customers, as tourists might not repeat their visit to the same restaurant during their short stay in London. However, I truly believe that this restaurant can easily survive even without the extra advertising efforts, as the location is a huge advantage for the business. 

Suggestions

If you are not that lucky to afford a good placement for your business, I strongly recommend the following idea! It is creative, interactive and efficient! I think that this type of advertisement motivates customers to make an extra effort to try to find your new location. The bacon slices in the picture can easily open one's appetite and the free sandwich is an incentive to take action! However, I think that these posters would  work better if they are placed in areas which are around 5 minutes close to your location. On the other hand,  to place this advertisement all around the city would also be quite interesting! Good luck, and let me know how it's working for you!

(I don't have the credits for the picture)

Le Trèfle - Toilet paper brand

I kept my promise and I am back on the 26th, every three months! This time, I am staying away from air conditioners as here in Denmark is still winter and it seems we will not see the summer too soon. Therefore I would like to introduce you to a product that is useful all year round: toilet paper! More exactly, a french brand of toilet paper Le Trèfle.

Le Trèfle - Brand

Le Trèfle comes from France and is positioned as being a high class brand of toilet paper. The brand is described as being customer oriented and having premium and original products. Indeed, they are focused on enhancing customers' experience with their products. Therefore we can choose from different types of softness, colors, perfumes, or resistance. Their products are for people that are very exigent when it comes to their well being and comfort!

Le Trèfle - Emma or Paper vs tablet

The latest ad for Le Trèfle is from March 2013 and is made by Leo Burnett Paris. To be honest, I love this commercial because is so different from how toilet paper brands promote themselves. The ad draws us away from the usual characteristics of a premium toilet paper, which are the ones mentioned above, and shows another side of the toilet paper characteristics: its indispensability in our lives.

Everything is developing so fast around us and sometimes is hard to keep up with all the changes. Some people do adapt very quickly and embrace new technologies quite easily but they start to undervalue the old ones, such as having paper around. Therefore, they start to replace all the paper usage with tablets, which is very admirable as they spare a lot of trees, but up to a point! There is though a usage that we really really need paper, and its quality is quite important in this case.

However, the commercial has a very high quality humor. I love the fact that you cannot predict from the beginning the product that they are advertising. You are not bombarded with toilet paper roles and details on how good and different their product is as other commercials do. Anyway, how can you differentiate yourself just through your product's characteristics, when the market is so competitive in reaching high quality and comfort standards for their products? Try a new perspective on your product! This is also what BGH is doing. Enjoy the hilarious commercial below.

Toilet paper competition

As you could see, the message is clear: "toilet paper has a great future" as technology cannot replace its functionality. However, I have a few comments on that as I recently went to a business exhibition and I encountered an interesting toilet that can save a lot of trees. More exactly, I am talking about the new electronic toilet seats that are equipped with a water jet and a dryer. However, I believe that toilet paper brands are still safe as the new toilet seat is quite expensive, but not for long! Below is a demonstration on how these things work, just for your curiosity.

Le Trèfle - Partout

Here is an older commercial for Le Trèfle toilet paper. The video resembles very much with a quality skin care product commercial. Enjoy the ad below.

BGH - Air conditioners trilogy campaigns

It seems that I have something with the date of 26th but it's a pure coincidence. However, I do have something with BGH. No, it's not a passion for its products but instead I have a passion for its campaigns. I admire their courage to be different and to accept this kind of creative works from Del Campo NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi. Or maybe ... I just love this agency's work!!

In my previous post I was focussed on their campaign "Dads in briefs" which introduced me to BGH brand. Back then I made a quick research and I discovered an older campaign "Big Noses". Despite the fact that I found it very catchy I still decided to talk about the other one. Now, after seeing the latest campaign I can see a connection between all three of them.

BGH - Big Noses

This campaign promotes the new BGH air conditioner with five stages of filtered air. The "Big Noses" campaign presents a problem: filthy air; a targeted audience: people with big noses "people who need clean air the most"; and gives a solution: air conditioners with five stages of filtered aired. More exactly, it's an interactive campaign that asks customers to measure their noses with "nose-o-meter" and if it is big enough, they would receive a 25% discount for their purchase. So that was a pretty good deal just for having a big nose! To quote the commercial: "there are loser noses and there are noses with a discount". I think it's a clever campaign that clearly sends out its message "the purest air on the market" and "for those who need it most". I just love the idea and the way it was implemented. More details about the campaign below.

BGH - Dads in briefs

As I already went through this campaign once, I will be very short. The campaign presents the problem: dads in briefs - which are not a delight for anybody's eyes; targeted audience: the family of the father; the solution: BGH's air conditioners. More details in my post BGH's campaign - Dads in briefs or you can watch the ads below.

BGH - Summer hater

The latest campaign reminds Argentinian customers that summer came again (there in Argentina) with its hot temperatures and of course a new problem: the "summer hater" character. This commercial is a creation of  Del Campo NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi just like the previous two campaigns, but unlike those ones, the summer hater ad looks a bit too aggressive to me. I have to admit, I really appreciate their courage to come public with this ad, and the creative idea behind but still it's too dramatic. Sometimes, in order to catch customers' attention you have to go to the extremes, and this is the direction where BGH brand is heading to with the new ad's black humor.

With the climate changes and rising temperatures, more and more people start to dislike summer and this is the exact idea that Del Campo NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi wants to depict in the ad. They created the summer hater character to represent any person who is not very fond of summer. Of course, the character is exaggerated, making it look more like a psychopath: very dangerous, hating "stinky people",  "exhibitionists" or "pathetic tans" and with maniacal ideas on how to exterminate them all. BGS is again coming with a solution to avoid the disaster that this character could cause: the new energy efficient air conditioner from BGH. To further understand, I made a quick research.

According to fastcocreate.com creative directors Maxi Itzkoff and Mariano Serkin say that "in Argentina electricity is very expensive, which is why during the summer, people only turn their AC on for short periods of time when they really can’t take the heat anymore, then turn it off when the house has cooled down. They don’t leave it on all day long". But no worries, BGH is now able to promis that their air conditioners can keep the psychopat inside because he can afford the electricity bills with the new BGH energy efficient air conditioner!! But don't forget, the psychopath could represent each one of us! However, as long as I am happy with my electricity bill and the temperature in my house, I don't mind. Enjoy the Sumer hater ad below.

Product: BGH Silent Air

Agency: Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi

Creative Directors: Maxi Itzkoff / Mariano Serkin 

Production House: MJZ

Director: Juan Cabral

BGH's campaign - Dads in briefs

At the beginning of the summer 2012 I came across a very interesting commercial for BGH's air conditioners from Del Campo NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi. I know that now it's a bit off season to talk about air conditioners as it's already autumn but I find BGH's campaigns to be very interesting. Therefore I would like to talk about their latest campaign "Dads in briefs" which consists of 3 commercials: 1. "Dads in Briefs" 2. "Friends" 3. "No Signal". 

Campaign idea
As the title of the campaign is clearly saying, you will see fathers in their underwear. The stories presented there show the common behavior during the summertime when men walk around the house in their briefs - no matter who is around. This behavior is put under a negative light pointing out the embarrassment of the family and the disgust of the others at the view of those scenes. The conclusion of the campaign is that you can get the men dressed and get rid of the unpleasant situations with the acquisition of an air conditioner. Now let's see what it is hiding under the funny scenes and of course under the brand BGH brand. 

Being AdConscious
The main objective of any ad is to generate sales on the short or long term. What a commercial does is to create in consumers' minds an idea or image of a brand or product and eventually to persuade them into buying the product. If the brand or product resonates with you (your needs, perceptions and aspirations) then you will be very likely to make a purchase. 

   Campaign

The Del Campo NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi commercials for BGH air conditioners present some daily life situations where you feel uncomfortable - so the ads are meant to reach the customers through negative emotions. The chances that you already experienced some situations from the three ads are quite high and I can imagine that many of you felt a bit awkward. Sure, the commercials are a bit exaggerated but I would say that this has an important part in the campaign. More exactly this makes the humor of the commercials and gives a reason to laugh - in this way the initial negative emotions are not that powerful anymore. However the structure for each of the ads is as follows:

daily life Problem + Negative emotions + Exaggeration + Solution => BGH campaign

   Target

As the men are in the center of attention representing the problem I would suppose that they are not the main target. Keeping in mind that air conditioners are used in households and even the commercial is presenting family life situations, the ads address to families. As the men are already excluded from the target and children don't have an important financial power (just an important opinion) in a family, the only member left is mom. That's right, I would say that the main target on the campaign are women. So Del Campo NAZCA Saatchi & Saatchi made the campaign for the Argentinean women. However the purchase decision might be a common agreed one within the family but from my point of view, the most affected by the situations presented in the ads are women - the resonance between the ad and women is considerable high. 

   Brand
The objective of the campaign was to promote the new air conditioner Silent Air from BGH, which is more silent and has a lower level of energy consumption. You could notice that none of products' characteristics are mentioned in the campaign and in my opinion this  is a smart decision - air conditioners are quite boring products as they only give cooler air. Of course, the technology inside is also important but maybe an ordinary person could not be persuaded to make this kind of purchase based on technical characteristics. Moreover, these products don't differ too much from brand to brand so that the consumer could make a rational purchase decision. 

What BGH's campaign does, is that it sends a reminder that the summer is coming and it gives a more personal reason to buy the product, no mater its secondary characteristics, besides cooler air during the hot summer. In this way it creates a closer emotional relationship with the viewer, and it makes him/her aware of his/hers actual or potential problem. The purchase decision would be now an emotional one. 

   Criticism

I believe that BGH's campaign is brilliant and I think that many of you have the same opinion. However, the negative side of it is that these ads might make viewers more aware of their problem and purchase any air conditioner as a solution. Therefore, I would expect an increase of sales for several brands of air conditioners besides BGH's Silent Air. 

Have a look at all 3 ads here: 

1. "Dads in Briefs" 2. "Friends" 3. "No Signal" 

Client: BGH 
Agency: Del Campo,NAZCA, Saatchi & Saatchi 

Director: Nico & Martin 
Country: Argentina