What makes a good ad and how can it be more successful?
All great ads have a few things in common – They aren’t just creative in selling a product or service. They’re smart, insightful and tell a story that speaks to the brand’s benefit or positioning exceptionally well.
The most successful ads keep the audience’s attention because they are less about getting sales and more about customer loyalty and keeping your brand top of mind.
Audiences tune out when they are being coaxed into buying something, but when you build a relationship with them and engage them – they will become long-term consumers.
To illustrate the effectiveness of creativity vs hard sell, I used to write great radio ads for this French car brand. The rule was always 20 seconds for creativity and 10 seconds of a guy speaking superfast about all the great features and T’s & C’s. That was the golden recipe.
But those 20 seconds upfront was what people remembered about the cars. Nobody bothered to listen to the final 10 seconds. They tuned out. There was no point in hoping the 20 excellent seconds would convince one to listen attentively to the 10 seconds, because consumers take what they’re happy with and discard what doesn’t interest them anymore.
Once our client noticed this, she decided to try something new and gave us free rein on the next radio spot as long as we spoke to the car’s brand positioning. It quickly became her favourite ad and the most talked about spot for the time it was flighting.
How can ads be more successful?
Advertising has always been about storytelling, so ask yourself, what story do you want your brand to tell? Coke tells the story of happiness, Castle Lager brings people together, and Apple speaks to innovation.
Discover your story, let your advertising agency be creative with it and ask them these questions:
– How can we tell the story in a smart way?
– Can we use digital to support our story?
– How can we effectively engage consumers in this story?
So, what makes bad ads?
There are many contributing factors but I’ll highlight the most blatant ad sins I’ve noticed in this industry.
1) Jam-packing information into an ad
A good ad doesn’t need to mention all 25 benefits. A good ad needs to make your brand memorable and drive the audience to find out more. Overwhelm them with information and not only will they discard your message, but you’ll be wasting your money.
The best ads I’ve seen tell a strong, solid story about one benefit.
2) Tight deadlines
A tight deadline is no excuse for a lack of creativity, but be aware that it may limit your executional resources. External resources may be fully booked. Time is needed to create, execute and craft to perfection otherwise you’ll find yourself taking shortcuts that could cheapen your end result.
3) Playing it safe
Playing it safe only ensures one thing. Your brand will never be the next pioneer in the industry.
There are risks and possibilities of backlash but being prepared to make bold moves is how brands get to the top. Often times, creative directors fail their clients by playing it safe internally and clients fail their brands externally by fearing the spotlight. Fear is a thief of greatness.
Creative directors, it’s important to build a trusting relationship with your client. Reassure them with research and hard facts so that they can trust you with wild card options or at least open them up to the idea of a wild card.
4) Treating consumers as if they’re stupid
Audiences are more sophisticated than ever. Treating audiences like they’re less than that could result in your message not only being discarded but there may be backlash.
Ads don’t need to close the loop for consumers anymore. Doing so takes away the great ‘ah-ha’ moment when they get to close it for themselves. This is vital as that ‘ah-ha’ moment is what makes watching an ad rewarding and worth the 30 seconds.
A great example is Joe Public’s ‘Sbu 2.0’ ad. It’s a great ad, with incredible post-production, a compelling story line and a creative way of showing just how good Chicken Licken is and the extremes one would go to for their meals. But they closed the loop for the audience.
(Spoilers up ahead. If you want to see the ad first, click here.)
It’s been debated across agencies that if they hadn’t showed Sbu creating his robot lookalike upfront the ad would have been far more rewarding. The audience would’ve asked why is he acting like this? Why is he being so weird? Then, at the end when his wife finds the real Sbu at Chicken Licken, they would’ve made the link themselves. Robot ‘Sbu’ charging himself in the closet and the robotic sound effects could have been enough of a hint.
However, it was still hugely successful because of its brave, creative approach. The ad told Chicken Licken’s story in a refreshing way that didn’t explicitly sell their product and it paid off.
At the time of writing, this ad has 21,6K reactions on Facebook alone, been shared 7,7K times and commented on 3,3K times. YouTube has a massive 84,9K views.
We will always remember Chicken Licken for their great “cravings” ads.
What will your brand be remembered for?