And clutter there is with consumers exposed to thousands of marketing messages each day they have become very adept and filtering them out. Even before the remote control enabled us to mute ads or flick channels with ease, television ad breaks provided a convenient time to go to the bathroom or grab a cuppa. The introduction of technologies such as TiVo will make ads even easier to avoid.
Of course, it its not just TV ads that are being screened and consumers have become so immune to marketing communications that they can filter out “irrelevant” messages without the support of technology.
Product Placement
In recent years there has been much growth in (and discussion of) the concept of “product placement” whereby a company pays to have its product appear “naturally” as part of a film, television show and the like. Whilst this isn’t a new concept – early radio shows were called “Soap Operas” as they were indeed underwritten by manufacturers of soap – these days it seems that there is hardly a major blockbuster film that doesn’t have at least one such deal associated.
Putting aside the ethical issues of blurring advertising with content (is it deceitful or reasonably expected by consumers?) this kind of promotion can suffer from either being too blatant – and therefore unbelievable – or so subtle that the consumer doesn’t get the message. Did you notice all the Sony products in the 2006 remake of Casino Royale? If you did, does the fact that a fictional character uses Sony make you more inclined to buy their products?
The other major issue with product placement is that it has limited application for brands that are not global or with mass appeal.
Topical Cut-Through
By extending the definition of “medium” to include context, savvy marketers are able to leverage a short term event, feeling or mood prevalent in a particular community to achieve topical cut through.
The most obvious and simple examples of this are the retailer who places a sign promoting “Cold Drinks” on a sweltering hot day or the umbrella vendors that appear on the pavements of many large cities at the first sign of rain. A hot thirsty consumer or harried office worker who didn’t see the weather forecast will see (and likely respond) to these promotions as they are immediately relevant to their current context.
Quick thinking in response to a news item or event that resonates with your audience can provide great tactical opportunities.
I recall an ad for a travel company that specialised in tours to Australia that appeared in UK newspapers the day after it was announced that Sydney had won the bid for the 2000 Olympics. It showed a line drawing of an Olympic cauldron (that was shaped a little like a Weber Bar-B-Q) with the line “Come on over, we’re having a Barbie”).
Another example was an ad for a boutique beer called Redback that ran just after the coup that attempted to overthrow then leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. The ads showed an image of Gorbachev (with his prominent birthmark replaced by the beer company’s trademark splash of red paint logo) and the line “It’s good to have a Red back”.
Whilst the longevity of such tactical ads is, by their very nature, short. If they can create a resonance with the audience they will be talked about creating a larger reach than the media that carries them.
Right Time, Right Place
Waiting for the right weather condition or a suitable world event, whilst potentially tactically effective, clearly cannot form the basis of a sustained communications strategy. Nevertheless, by thinking about where and when a consumer will receive your message, smart marketers can avoid the consumers’ filters.
Ironically, this is achieved by taking a contrarian view to the traditional advertising model. That is, don’t disrupt the consumer but rather, integrate your message to the context in which they are receiving it. Unlike product placement, this approach is transparent as to the fact that you are delivering a marketing message (so shouldn’t be too subtle) and enables you to deliver a specific on strategy message. Execute it well and in an entertaining fashion and the audience will not only choose not to filter your message, they may well acknowledge the cleverness and – in the case of really clever campaigns – actually actively seek out other executions.
A good example of this was a Foxtel campaign not long after pay-TV launched in Australia. The proposition was “more choice”. Foxtel placed billboards at suburban train stations within a certain radius of the city (eg Turramurra) with the headline “More stations than from Turramurra to Central”. The concept only worked because of the location of the media and the local reference made it contextually relevant to railway commuters from Turramurra.
Another more recent and sustained campaign that does this well is the brand campaign for The Australian Financial Review. [Author’s declaration: I have been directly involved in the development and evolution of this campaign for some years].
This long running campaign is focussed around the brand essence of “Success”. The Financial Review headlines have included “Business Upgrade” and “Arrive Ahead of Schedule” in airport concourses; “Going Up?” and “Make Sure The Doors Open For You” in elevators; “Stimulate Your Career” and “Morning Wake Up Call” on coffee cups to name a few. In each case the ad does not clash with but rather complements the environment providing an little bit of entertainment in a relevant context and in so doing reinforces the consistent brand message.
In summary, if marketers treat the media that they use as more than simply a vehicle for message delivery but as an integral part of the message the potential for cut through and relevance is increased. Consider other environmental factors and you may discover even more opportunities for meaningful engagement.
Just make sure that the “clever” use of context enhances rather than detracts from your core message. There’s no point getting cut-through of a message that isn’t on strategy and isn’t immediately associated with your brand.
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