If you haven't seen the Old Spice Ads on YouTube - you NEED to know about these - this is the ULTIMATE example of the power of social media. Enjoy!!!
Less than 12 months ago even my Grandad had stopped using Old Spice. It was one of the tackiest brands around. But, just shows you the power of the media - and in particular new media. And - they made a video to tell us how they did it! Want to better understand new media and marketing - this is one of the best examples you'll ever find.
So, response time! Does it freak you out just a little that a whole brand can be recreated and people's ideas of what they hate/like changed over night by some guy who is paid to tell you a product is good??? What do you think? Tell me about it? Is there anywhere we aren't safe from advertising? Do you think you succumb easily to advertising campaigns or do you think that you are independent and just do your own thing! What about these ads that are interacting with us - is that ok?
What are your responses to this?
I believe that the Old Spice campaign is a perfect example of existing non-tech companies utilizing new tools to receive the consumer's permission to market a product to them.
ReplyDeleteSeth Godin's book "Permission Marketing" argues that the Internet is enabling a new kind of marketing - it is no longer about interrupting the consumer to give them a message about a product. Nowadays, through the Internet, companies need to actively seek the consumer's permission to market them a product - and the result is that consumers will take much better notice.
The whole campaign, with the video responses, was based around raising awareness of Old Spice along with creating interaction with customers. No consumers received a message from Old Spice unless they gave them permission by clicking a link to view a video, or sending them a tweet to be the topic of a video.
While the campaign saw incredible results and the structure could be emulated, other companies need to ensure that they are not in any way directly copying Old Spice's approach. Consumers will stray away from companies that are directly copying another companies campaign.
That's an interesting point you raise about companies in the future having to stay away from other campaigns - customers want fresh thinking and ideas - not copy-cat.
ReplyDeleteI am still thinking though, that even though the consumer was aware they were being marketed to, they were convinced to all of a sudden go and buy a brand that they only days/weeks earlier wouldn't have looked twice at. Just because some guy in a towel told them to!!! It amazes me how much power the guy in the towel has over us!
I really do enjoy these ads! I think there's something ironic about them too. Like they're so superficial but people still love them because of their pace. We see a kind of montage of incredibly superficially scenes but so quickly that it's hilarious. I don't know if I agree with Toni's point which states that no one likes a copy cat. I think people enjoy re-makes of big campaigns because they can relate to them but of course there has to be a twist. Like an Old Spice type ad but selling hammers or something.
ReplyDeleteIt's still all about the unobvious but ever-present power of the people with money who control the media that we should be concerned about. Because it's the context (and editing/style) behind the man in the towel that sells and NOT the man himself I think...maybe.