So I’ve kind of pondered this question every once and a while and reading this blog post on Danny Brown’s blog about Evian’s new viral spot got the gears turning again: For an ad to be successful, do you have to like it?
This is a pretty loaded question to begin with. How do you measure success? Define “like.” Do you consciously decide whether or not you like an ad? Are there subconscious feelings that go on when watching ads? I’m not sure if I’ve fully made up my mind on the question, which is awesome, because that means you guys get to help convince me one way or the other. Let’s look at both sides of the story…
Dude, of course you have to like an ad.
When you’re sitting on your couch and you see an ad that you just don’t like, these negative feelings you’re having are projected on to the company/product, which makes you less likely to buy the product. If an ad just looks crappy or unprofessional, the company instantly loses credibility from the viewer and you assume since the ad sucks, the product probably sucks even more.
Now, when you come across an ad that you end up rolling on the floor laughing at or makes say “Wow,” you experience positive thoughts which you associate with that company, which can result in brand loyalty or at the very least brand recognition. Although these positive feelings may not cause you to go out and buy the product right away, or even later that month, it creates some good brand recognition and puts your name out there in a positive manner, which puts you in a great position moving forward.
You don’t have to like the ad, dummie.
My sister (and many other people) absolutely hates the new Geico commercials with the wad of money and the line “that’s the money you could be saving on car insurance.” They think it gives off kind of a stalker vibe and just gets annoying. BUT, the important thing is they remember it. If you dropped a wad of money with huge eye balls and started playing that music, they’d instantly recognize it as Geico. I’d also argue that many people would respond to the question, “Who is a cheap auto insurance provider?” with “Geico.” As you can see, Geico has created a super annoying ad which is very relevant to their product/service, which results in a successful commercial (not to mention, their old ads also help this recognition).
On the other hand, even if you like a certain ad, that doesn’t mean it’s successful. Look at the Evian ad. Those roller skating babies are “presh,” but do they present a message that’s strategically relevant for Evian? Personally, I don’t think so. The spots emphasize how Evian helps you “Live young,” which, (in my opinion) isn’t going to make someone spend the extra money on Evian. This is a great idea with poor messaging behind it that makes it unsuccessful in translating into sales.
What matters is that an ad is both memorable and strategically relevant (which can often result in someone liking an ad.) Very few ads are able to break through the clutter out there and have a large impact on the brand.
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Now that you’ve been able to see a few arguments from each viewpoint, I want to hear what you think: Do you have to like an ad for it to be successful? Sound off in the comments!
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
No, you don’t have to like an ad for it to resonate. I suspect this is pretty commonly accepted. Though I understand the intentions, I think the conclusion in italics is the primary take-away. Maybe the curse of knowledge is standing in my way, maybe I think too many people think like I do, but I have to think that’s where post people stand (would come to agreement to) on this issue.
I think this post is a good jumping off point, a conversation starter, but I think to deliver the main course you have to start with the part in italics and then perhaps share some ways to make ads both memorable AND aligned well with audiences. Better yet, show some examples.
Love that your frequency is picking up of late.
One thing that I think companies need to be careful of in their advertising beyond like/dislike or memorable/forgettable is the message it is sending. You mentioned that when you think of Geico you think of cheap insurance. While that is a niche for Geico their execs have come out in the past year saying they don’t want to just be the cheap insurance company. They are going after customers of such big players as State Farm/Allstate/Liberty Mutual.
Yet the obstacle they have is that a lot of these customers are loyal to their current company because they believe in the product/message/etc. Industry studies have shown that people don’t want to switch to be insured “by the lizard.” Some may even think that the Geico product is a joke, because all their commercials are marketed like a Ben Stiller movie. You want to be memorable, but you also want to make sure the message people are remembering is the message you want them to take away.
I think it can work both ways, Jackie. As long as you’re talking about an ad, it’s worked. I personally prefer to like an ad to make a buying decision, but it won’t put me off if I hate an ad but the message/product is sound.
It’ll be interesting to see what Evian’s success rate is with this new campaign.
As I started constructing this post, I was pretty clearly convinced you don’t have to like an ad for it to be successful. I think the better question is “if you do like an ad, is it therefore successful?” Which I also think the answer would also be a no.
As a marketer, I kind of had a revelation where I thought that someone could have a moment where they created this tremendous ad that everyone was talking about, but it never had any impact on sales. It’s almost like you did it just for fun and then you stand back and look at it and think, what was the point?
Thanks for the comment! I think you gave me my topic for my next blog post!
Elisa, fantastic insights! If you think about something as serious as insurance, something may be more impactful to viewers that tugs on your emotions and logical thoughts instead of ads that make you laugh. It’s all about tailoring the message to fit your product and messaging, which, as you very clearly pointed out, Geico may not have been doing completely.
Great stuff!
I agree it will be interesting to see how/if Evian’s ads have an effect. Personally, I don’t think I make purchasing decisions based on a cool commercial. However, if the cool aspect of the commercial isn’t JUST part of the commercial, but merely represents something taking place in the company as a whole (I’m thinking of Apple’s cool factor here), then in that case it would probably influence my decision.
Either way, if you have to choose between a commercial someone would like and one they wouldn’t, of course the one you’d like is the way to go, it’s all a matter of what message is being communicated and whether or not it is ingrained in the company’s products and culture.