Beyond the Product: Crafting Emotional Connections with Bigger Picture Advertising

In a crowded world, packed with marketing messages and distraction, making your brand stand out has become a major challenge.

By describing your offerings or what your company does, you are directly competing with every other company in your industry. However, there is a way to elevate your brand and create a unique narrative that appeals to a broader audience.

How can you achieve this? One timeless example is the San Miguel 'rich list' campaign. Instead of focusing on the product, the advertisement poses the question, "What does it mean to be rich?" The entire ad revolves around this question, never explicitly mentioning beer.

The ad features a gravelly voiceover paired with reflective music and escapist visuals – people swimming with whales, riding horses on the beach, and so on. The conclusion invites viewers to "View the San Miguel Rich List at www.sanmiguel.com."

On the campaign website, 60-second films showcase people from around the world discussing their exciting lifestyles and professions. The site is also branded with the rich list campaign slogan. The end title states, "San Miguel: Exploring the world since 1890." When I saw this in the cinema, I was awestruck. The advert was created by the award winning London-based agency Pablo.

This approach bypasses typical comparisons customers make between products, such as taste, value, or alcohol content. Since most beers are brewed using similar ingredients and methods, it's challenging to convey a truly unique selling point.

An average campaign might discuss generic features like high-quality ingredients, being the best beer in the world, or its refreshing taste. In contrast, an exceptional campaign associates people's hopes, dreams, aspirations, and emotions with the product, creating a shared narrative that resonates deeply with consumers.

This strategy, known as "bigger picture advertising," has been adopted by numerous leading brands. It touches people's hearts by telling compelling stories, thus avoiding direct comparisons with similar products. Consumers buy into a lifestyle, dream, or ethos because your message connects with them on a deeper level than merely the product itself.

Here are other notable examples of 'bigger picture' campaigns:

1: Apple's "Think Different" campaign above: Apple's iconic campaign celebrated the revolutionary thinkers and doers of the world, connecting their products with those who challenge the status quo and embrace innovation.

2: Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign: This campaign redefined beauty standards by featuring women of various shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, breaking the stereotype of the "perfect" body. Dove's message empowered women and associated their products with self-confidence and acceptance.

3: Nike's "Just Do It" campaign: Nike's legendary slogan has transcended the world of sports apparel and footwear. Their campaigns often showcase inspiring stories of athletes overcoming challenges, evoking emotions and encouraging people to pursue their passions and dreams.

Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign: This personalised campaign allowed consumers to find their names or those of friends and family on Coke bottles, creating an emotional connection to the brand and promoting a sense of unity and togetherness.

These stunning campaigns demonstrate that 'bigger picture' advertising is not limited to large multinational corporations with substantial budgets. Smaller companies can also adopt this approach to engage customers on a more profound level.

To see an example of a 'Bigger Picture' advert, check out the video I wrote one coffee fuelled night and edited using stock footage paired with a Morgan Freeman soundalike for my own company at www.mediamerge.co.uk/yourstory.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this insightful!