New advertising is old advertising at heart

I have been rambling about how the fundamentals of good, effective advertising will not change in a million years because they are based on human nature – which will remain the same for millions of years more. So to say that everything about the advertising of today is new is a bit of an exaggeration. There is a ‘shiny new toy’ syndrome in marketing & advertising circles leading to a check list approach with brand presence on every new platform – from Twitter to apps to Vine without considering their merit & relevance for the brand. In today’s post, I will touch upon a few timeless ‘guidelines’ of good advertising and how they have executed then and now.

Focus on a product feature and tell a compelling story

The days of genuine USP are long gone but it makes for compelling viewing if there is focus on a single-minded benefit. It is always tempting to list out all the features of a product but it helps to dramatise a benefit if it is single-minded. A simple 60-secinder which did that decades ago:

Today, we have Volvo demonstrating the featuresof their vehicles through a series of ‘Live tests’ – made for the YouTube generation.

 Be of some value.

Being of value has moved on from simply announcing or claiming to be of use, to be entertaining taking advantage of a platform’s unique features or offering a service of real use. But this is not a new discovery. Remember Michelin Guides? Started by Michelin tyres, it is the oldest European hotel and restaurant reference guide, which awards ‘Michelin stars’ for excellence to a select few establishments. Not only was it of genuine benefit to consumers, there was some link back to the category of tyres. The Bournvita Quiz Contest, Limca Book of Records are couple of other examples. Today this approach manifests in brands being of some value in myriad ways – from apps to smart use of media. Here are a few examples:

L’Oréal Makeup Genius App

Audi – Swedish Snow Rescuers

Sometimes ‘being of value’ could be mere entertainment. A boring category like correction fluid saw some fantastic work in the form of Tipp-Ex Hunter And Bear’s 2012 Birthday Party. ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ and the social media campaigns around the brand were pure entertainment. A brand can be of value when it sorts out customer service issues on Twitter or offers beauty tips or recipes on social media. There are many ways a brand can be of value nowadays.

Good advertising evokes an emotional reaction.

There are countless ads which have brought tears to our eyes. I have watched this ad a million times and it always makes me teary eyed. Today, we have several brands telling emotional, compelling stories – simply as long format films or as brand gestures. The principle at work is the same.

Communication must meet a business objective.

While a lot of the advertising is simply done to ‘create awareness’ (especially in FMCG) a lot of the time, they are used to address specific marketing or business problems. What has changed is simply the medium and use of a ‘language’ familiar to the audience. Fastback’s recent advertising was specifically meant to address the business issue arising from fakes. The films created were not regular ads but seemed more like Vine videos familiar to that target audience.

Stories with a ‘twist in the tale’ stand a better chance of audience involvement.

Whether it was a simple 35-second film or a YouTube video, the principle is the same – engage the audience and deliver a twist in the end.

Every medium has its advantages. Exploit them.

While most of the radio spots are dumbed down conversations between two characters, the memorable ones exploit the medium to their advantage. Ditto with outdoor – which is essentially a fleeting medium. In today’s context, it manifests in using a platform’s characteristics to your advantage – be it on Instagram or Periscope.

Advertising today is about using relevant media, feeding off each other to be of some value, taking advantage of the unique nature of each medium. Doesn’t that sound pretty much like how it always was?

 First published here.