Dove’s spots are causing ripples. If a 30 second spot or couple minutes of video can get people talking about a brand, then, the brand has won. People talk about Dove. Chat rooms, news casts, forums, and social networks have covered the Dove spots. Evolution caused a stir—world wide.
Dove’s success, or really any big brands’ success can lead to other brand’s being creatively influenced. Of course, the creative concept has to be spectacular enough to cause a stir in the first place. I’m a fan of “creative influenced” spots because I think they are effective. References to successful* campaigns give the brain a memory jolt which is perfect for sneaking a new brand’s message into the brain. Whether it’s publicly, preferably any media outlet with decent volume and/or traffic would be great, in “the break room”, or through the social life of the internet, these are all brand connections. On any scale. Five new people exposed to a brand is five more than they had before.
Spend a lot of time at work? Me, too. “The break room” is the best place for people to talk about brands. There’s always a break room, or social gathering hub where there’s high traffic, coffee, and the beauty of social interaction between mixed demographics. Face to face. Imagine how many times people talk about something they saw the night before or a video someone sent them to watch five minutes ago. The consumer took an action step. That’s a successful brand connection. They might not have gone to the website, or bought anything at all, but they remembered the brand and had a grassroots campaign just fly out of their mouth to coworker Joe and coworker Susie. Funny. Scary. Disgusting. Racy. Inspiring. Something drove them to talk.
For advertising to be effective, remembering the brand is key. Repetition was thought to work by just saying phrases three magical times to get people to remember. (Head-On, apply directly to the head.) It’s not how many times a spot says or shows the brand, it’s the entire message. One fluid brand voice. Common sense, right? I’m not saying repetition doesn’t work, because it does. It helps consumers memorize a brand though, not remember it. Remembering leads to discussion. Discussion increases awareness. Eventually, leading to recognition, then reaction, and finally brand marriage. “I will” buy this, or “I do” need this.
Coworker Joe standing in isle three at his local grocery store and sees the brand Susie mentioned to him, he should recognize it on the shelf and (hopefully) have a reaction, like picking it up. Then maybe he’ll drop that box in his cart and say, “I do need this INSERT BRAND medicated foot lotion.” NOTE: Hope your packing is great by the way. Advertising can only lead them, it can’t make them drink. Good design can practically jump off a shelf.
Joe’s new brand bride all started with a creative concept. A wicked storyboard brought to life. The funny video Susie forwarded to Joe at work. Spoofs, parodies, and imitations of effective, popular advertising get noticed, discussed, and forwarded. Please remember this, the parodying brand has to be appropriate or at least the message has to convince the consumer it is. In other words, it has to be good to be effective. No pressure though.
Here’s some of those ripples I was talking about. Good. Bad. You decide.
Greenpeace: Dove Onslaught(er)
Foster Farms: Transformations
Ugly Betty Promotion
Tuffsheet.com
French Blog
Russian Dating Site
Be proud, Creative originals. Parody is the sincerest form of flattery. Cheers and good job!
