A great ad can entertain and inspire by tickling us with its producers’ creativity. Advertising makes some of my favorite things free (pretty much all my favorite sites on the internet, and also radio) but it certainly can be overdone by front-loading $12 per-ticket movies with too many previews. But a worse offense is to launch an advertising campaign devoid of creativity or innovation. A great ad campaign can move us emotionally. It can make us laugh or cry or bring color and humor to an otherwise mundane city bus.
But I learned a new rule of advertising recently that discourages creativity. Turns out that many ad campaigns are purposefully meant to be uncreative and simple in order to persuade the viewer even more effectively. Ever wonder why with all the funny, creative television ads you see, there still seems to be some dumb paper towel or toothpaste ad that makes you groan? Turns out, that groan may be purposeful on the part of the ad agency. According to Malcom Gladwell, in his book Blink, viewers are more likely to “Let their guards down” when viewing an ad that they think is unclever, blatant advertising. According to the theory, when you’re evaluating whether you’re being advertised to or not, you’re less likely to be receptive and persuaded by an advertising message. Your mind is on-guard thinking “Is this an ad? It’s so creative, I like it. But wait, don’t be convinced by it…remember, it’s an ad.” However, when you make a snap-judgement and label advertising as silly and blatant, “Brawny soaks up 10x the amount of moisture as other leading brands!!” you let down your guard, groan, and the message seeps into your brain where it’s far more likely to influence your next purchasing decision. Who knew? Turns out the big brands do…
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Wow bro! I’ve been thinking about these paradoxes for a while now, and have wondered if statistics would prove it.
I usually wonder this when I see the old crappy commercials on TV that look like they came from 1984. And then I think to myself, “Well, it sticks out at least.”
I think that’s the same principle you’re talking about. I was also thinking about this the other day in terms of Social Media marketing. Someone criticized me for having all my profiles called “Facey Spacey” instead of James Gillmore. I told them this: “Hey, I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’m a self-proclaimed social media expert myself. I’m aware of conversational marketing. But, hey, everyone else is doing that. I think my comments stick out with my company title and my Pink spaceship logo. And coupled with the fact that my comments are far from spam, I’m willing to bet I’m getting noticed and RECOGNIZED by more people than people who comment with their real name.”
This social media space is so packed with myriad self-proclaimed Web 2.0 experts that the only way to stick out is to reverse it on everyone and pretend to be a big brand penetrating the space.
It’s a lot like the stock market…But either way, the point is just to be different whatever that is, and to be ahead of the curve when the paradigm is changing. I do also think that you’re talking about another simpler point, which is that people can actually connect more with a straightforward add. On this topic, it’s almost like all these crazy ads that are less straightforward have something to hide. If you’re product is good, why all the glitter? It’s that sort of thing. And moreover, the viewers of the ad automatically partition the ad into another place in their mind not for fun goofy stuff, but for utilitarian needs. So when that person goes to the supermarket, the proper associations for daily needs pop into his mind and there he sees an image of bald Mr. Clean in his mind.
The point is different methods will work for different products. Utilitarian survival-oriented things will work better with this paradigm as the partition of the buyers mind that correspond to it is not labeled “fun stuff” or “goofy entertainment.” However, when that same person is planning his trip to Disney Land, Bush Gardens, etc, it’s gonna be a different story.
The real point is to tap into extremely nuanced memes of the inner-workings of the human mind. The
Go to my site and go to the about page: http://FaceySpacey.com/about & when you get there, click the flying spaceship. You’ll see what I mean. I’m pretty sure the essence of my company will be pinged to its precise receptor in your mind.
Anyway, sorry for the long comment. Just had to do it!
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