As with every week (well, almost) I present a short compilation of ads which caught my eye. This week: more moment marketing, quirky ad for Visit Oslo among others.
Visit Oslo: is it even a city?
Selling a destination – be it a city or country is not comparable to selling a consume product or durable. First, consumers seek an experience visiting a new tourist spot. That may not always be the case with other categories. Second, the decision to visit a destination is usually a collective one (unless one is a solo traveller) and hence the buy-in has to happen from all stake holders. Third, the perception about a destination (and hence the choice) is driven by factors beyond advertising. If there is political turmoil, security concerns or poor creature comfort expectations then no amount of advertising can make a difference. Hence, the primary task is about getting into a definite consideration set – so that the option is not ruled out.
In that context, a European city like Oslo ‘competes’ with popular destinations like Paris or Rome in the region. A new ad to promote Oslo has chosen an interesting technique to create some affinity towards the brand. While most tourism ads are about visually attracting the prospect through glorious scenes of nature and landmarks, the Oslo ad takes a self-deprecating tone by ‘de-selling’ its attractions through a ‘resident’ of Oslo. The deadpan delivery and matter-of-showcasing of the city’s ‘negative’ points actually sell the benefits well – less crowded, intimate city with attractions similar to the well-known popular ones.
Agency: NewsLab
ITV: Euro 2024
Sports attracts a huge fan base who wear their emotions on their sleeves. So, capturing the emotions of live sports is a brief any creative team would love. A set of image driven outdoor & kiosk creatives for ITV’s coverage of Euro 2024 do a great job of conveying the message.
Agency: In-house
WSJ: making it your choice
A new outdoor campaign for WSJ is a great example of the creative and the media idea working together to enhance the impact. Instead of conventional billboards, these ‘contextual’ messages use the medium very well to deliver a ‘bespoke’ message that fits the context.
Agency: Mother
Verizon: now film
‘Can you hear me now?’ was the theme of a popular commercial from Verizon years ago, highlighting the strength of network coverage. A new brand film (timed along with a logo change) begins with that reference but segues into a pun on ‘now’. The format of montage of situations held together by that theme is not new but works well as the situations (‘save me now’) bring a smile.
Liquid Death: electrolytes
It’s amazing how Liquid Death has strung together their idea of ‘punk rock’ and alcohol-like advertising across their product range – with water as their flagship product. In a new spot to promote electrolytes as add-on to water, we have Ozzy Osbourne imagining the ‘additive’ to be something he’s familiar with. Good fun.
Moment Marketing: a treadmill one cannot get off
A major sporting event – the ICC Cricket World Cup is just over. As always, brand have attempted to ride piggyback on the event. In my view, most of the ads were a force fit trying desperately find some connect with the brand or the category. In some cases, the execution is downright awful. For premium brands such efforts harm the brand. In a 2016 post, I had said ‘over use of social media can dim the halo around iconic brands‘.
Premium brands ought to convey an air of exclusivity. The decision to stay away from every ‘moment marketing’ opportunity is important in that context. Also the execution – when pressured to meet a deadline can be shoddy and cheap. Or looks cheap. This can harm the brand when all the other elements scream ‘super premium’.
At the core of the decision to take part in the meme fest of a news event is the link to the product. It’s not always possible. And of course, the creative idea has to be effortless, credible and engaging. But as with every other kind of advertising, a majority of such ads go unnoticed, uncared for. Is the effort really worth it? But it seems to be a treadmill brands cannot get off.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.