A good commercial should be BORING...
What an absurd piece of advice, right? No one in their right mind would ever approach a brand by saying “we’re going to make something so boring that nobody will watch it, and if they DO, they won’t remember what the commercial was even for”.
But everyone can relate to that feeling of seeing an #ad that doesn’t engage in any meaningful way. We often find ourselves wondering (or, in my case, saying out loud for the thousandth time to my uninterested wife) “What was that ad even for?”.
So why do so many of these types of ads exist? Two reasons: It's always been done that way, and it’s safe.
Less Commercial, More Comedy
We, as a society of savvy consumers, have been bludgeoned by the same style of 30-second conversion ads since 1941, when Bulova aired the first-ever TV commercial during a Brooklyn Dodgers game. And while conversion rates continue to fall, we still see brands dumping the entirety of their marketing budget into this kind of played-out tactic.
But every once in a while a brand breaks through the noise with something clever, bombastic, and compelling that gets people talking. And all of these campaigns start with the same first step: trying something new.
Take GEICO for example. In the late 90s, Geico made a decision to start putting entertainment-first advertising out into the world. As they crested the new millennium they introduced the “So Easy a Caveman Could Do It” campaign. Those ads were so popular that they even spun off into a TV show. Sure, the TV show was canceled after 1 season but the ad hype was there.
Entertaining ads build a bond between the consumer and the brand. They don’t worry about converting in the moment. But their entertaining ads keep them top-of-mind when it’s time for a purchasing decision. If you’re looking for car or home insurance three brands immediately come to mind: GEICO, Progressive Insurance, and State Farm. Three brands that push #humor and #entertainment in their ads.
Who says musicals are lame?
Another great example of a creative, out-of-the-box marketing tactic comes from everybody’s favorite flavorful rainbow: Skittles. In 2019 they forwent the astronomical cost of a #Superbowl ad and, instead, threw that chunk of change into creating a Broadway show.
The show itself was a musical all about #advertising… and how it “ruins everything”. It was, in a word, genius. And best of all, they activated their audience members to film the show from their phones. Organic, #usergeneratedcontent that was sure to reach more people and have a longer shelf life than a typical Superbowl ad.
#Brands win when they put their marketing focus on providing entertainment to their would-be-consumers, rather than beat them over the head with the same feature-listing, CTA-ridden ads they see thousands of times a day. That’s not an exaggeration, by the way. A 2022 study revealed that the average person is exposed to 4000-10000 ads per day. Of course, those aren’t ALL video advertisements but you get the point.
Want to stand out? Stop making traditional conversion ads and instead, make #ADtainment.
The Video Brothers have been working alongside #legacybrands over the past three years to introduce ADtainment to the masses across social platforms, #streaming networks, TV, and movies.
Be on the lookout for major moves from some of the most iconic brands as we work together to change the landscape of the #advertisingagency forever.
To meet the Video Brothers and understand ADtainment a little more, schedule a quick call on our site, we’d love to meet you.