Good advertising is a driver for conversation, tells a story, and elicits strong reactions – whether it makes you laugh or it just gets your attention. With the rise of social media, there was a shift away from good advertising, and a focus turned towards user generated content (UGC), and placing the creation of brand engagement assets into the hands of consumers. Can UGC make good advertising? In some cases it can be. We all remember how exciting the Diet Coke and Mentos video was to watch, and with 12.5 million YouTube views and however many media segments that aired on broadcast news talking about the video – this was a paradigm shift in 2006. A piece of content created by someone other than the brand can create awareness while saving millions of dollars in production and media buying costs for the marketer. But we all know that this is like winning the marketing lottery. How many times in the last four years have agencies been approached by brands to create the low-cost viral video meant to be the next YouTube hit?
Last week I was talking with a mentor of mine, and we were agreeing on how the tide seems to be changing back. I think there is no substitute for the creative that originates from the mind of an imaginative professional trained in unfolding 30-second TV spots that entertain, or beautifully executed online video ad units that draw you into the exploration of a product.
From my perspective, the story behind “I’d Like to Buy The World a Coke” is the story of what true creative professionals – in touch with the world around them, can create. Again, telling a story, eliciting strong reactions and driving conversation. Take that example, and consider what the possibilities are today for a spot like that to yield high brand engagement in social media? It’s about people and bringing them together with something good. Sure, one might argue that it has high-fructose corn syrup and how can it be good?. But what it does – product or not - is it connects people on an emotional-level, and regardless of medium, people want to connect to each other in this way.
In some ways, we can say that Old Spice Guy is the mark of an advertising renaissance; with 20 million YouTube views and how many more impressions from TV placements, in addition to the hundreds of consumer responses to the ad. This is why advertising and social media need each other: It’s the sweet spot where brand and consumer have fun together with the value proposition while engaging each other in playful ways; having a cultural dialog. It’s not to say that now there is a new formula and as marketers, it’s time to run out and mimic this case. But what it stands for is the potential for brands to take advantage of the talented industry of creative professionals coupled with the technology and an audience that is open to engagement in new and interesting ways; halleluiah, we’re still in business and good advertising has a home on the social Web.
Now if we could only bring jingles back… because frankly, “Weebles Wobble but they don’t Fall Down” still resonated in my mind nearly 30-something years later, when I bought Weebles for my daughter a few weeks ago. Now that is ROI.
What’s your favorite advertising spot?
