THE STATISTICS ARE CLEAR
Research shows that the influence of social networks is overestimated, and we need to stick to the figures. Statistics show that television has a totally unrivalled reach. According to a measurement carried out in Canada between May and September 2023, television reached 83% of adults, 72% of teens, and 68% of kids.
Source: think.tvIn addition, TV advertising generates a significantly greater impact after exposure (28 days) than Facebook or YouTube:
Source: think.tvThe powerful combination of creativity and television was explored in the February 2024 Brand Magic webinar by Karen Howe, Member of the Cannes Lions Festival Advisory Board. The festival brings together about 20,000 advertising executives from 100 countries around the world each year.
BRAND MAGIC
Karen praised TV’s ability to capture attention, which she describes as “advertisers’ oxygen”, and presented her equation “creativity + TV = brand magic”. Brands focused on selling directly to consumers are increasingly turning to TV to take their business to the next level and achieve unprecedented reach and impact that will deliver tangible sales results.
Through the metaphor “television is the global town square”, she captured the essence of television around which people gather to watch popular shows and significant events such as the Super Bowl.
POWERFUL COCKTAIL: CREATIVITY AND TELEVISION
According to Karen, two key factors are needed for advertising success. The first is brilliant creative, the second is choosing the right platform. And that is TV because it offers unrivalled access to viewers and, unlike YouTube, it holds attention, raises brand awareness and builds credibility. “TV allows you to make an emotional connection with your audience. You can touch people’s hearts with television. When you harness the power of TV and add brilliant creative, you create brand magic,” says Karen Howe.
But how to ensure that the creative work is impressive? According to Karen Howe, there are several ways to do this, which is why in her webinar she focused on examples of compelling TV commercials that have made a lasting impression on viewers.
TV IS HERE WHEN IT REALLY MATTERS
When something groundbreaking happens, viewers are glued to the TV as in the days of COVID, which meant a huge strain not only on ordinary people but especially on health professionals. It was a time of great uncertainty and great courage. And it is the moment that DOVE has chosen to redefine its platform of real beauty by calling for the beauty of courage. The campaign was delivered quickly, on a small budget and was one of the most talked about TV spots:
Video: Dove Canada - Courage
POWER OF SOUND
Post-traumatic stress disorder, which afflicts many war veterans, can often be misunderstood as a disability because in many cases it is invisible. The David Lynch Foundation has been brilliant in bringing the feelings of war veterans closer and building a pathway to compassion. In the video called “Sounds of Trauma”, the images from the battlefield are real, but the sounds of combat are from a normal home environment.
Video: David Lynch Foundation – Sounds of Trauma
TAKING VIEWERS OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE
Another thing that works is to convey a sense of discomfort and uncertainty to the audience. But it is extremely important to strike a balance. “I've done a lot of ads for social projects throughout my career. Anyone who’s done this will tell you it’s extremely difficult. If you don’t present your cause in a ‘scary’ enough way, people won’t notice. But if you overdo it, the impression will be bleak and people will tend to turn away,” says Karen who believes that a powerful way to overcome indifference is to induce uncertainty. She cites the SAAQ’s (Quebec) shocking campaign against texting while driving as an example of a disturbing metaphor.
VIEW FROM ANOTHER ANGLE
According to Karen, many advertisers and brands struggle with the problem of their product or service being treated the same as any other. And that is why they need to stand out from the crowd, as the Lurpak brand has done. The experience that flows to viewers from TV screens could never be achieved by print advertising:
Video: Lurpak – Adventure Awaits
EMOTIONAL STORY
Television is the ideal format for storytelling. Stories are very powerful because they create memories that can connect us to brands. An example of an extraordinary story is the John Lewis Christmas advert. This beautiful story is told through the eyes of popular singer Elton John.
Video: John Lewis – Vánoční reklama
CELEBRITY OFF THE MAIN STAGE
“Celebrities can bring great success to a brand but sometimes, they can overshadow the brand. Finding the right balance is an art,” says Karen. And not everyone can afford to hire a celebrity. But sometimes, celebrities can be willing to collaborate. One example is a climate change spot made by a small animation company in the UK that wanted to use a current Billie Eilish’s hit called “When the Party’s Over”. Billie’s brother Phineas, who co-wrote the song, donated the track for free.
VIEWERS LOVE HUMOUR
According to statistics, the use of humour in advertising has been steadily declining over the last 20 years. “I find that remarkable because 91% of us prefer funny brands. Yet only 20% of brands use humour,” says Karen, citing the example of a Kmart TV spot that opted for an extra helping of humour – and succeeded:
Video: Kmart – I Just Shipped My Pants
BIG PLATFORM
The “You’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign was launched in 2010. It proves that when a company takes clever insight, adds consistency and uses humour, it gets decent firepower for its brand. And when it has a big idea, it lasts a long time. Karen refers to the Snickers campaign as an example. “Television continues to breathe new life into this long-standing platform and gives the campaign a wonderful foothold,” she says.
Video: Snickers – Recovery Room
DOGS ARE FAMILY MEMBERS
Pets belong in the family and the Pedigree brand has used this fact to create a wonderfully funny campaign to inspire parents suffering from empty nest syndrome to adopt a dog:
Video: Pedigree – The Child Replacement Program
Tactical advertising
“You know, really great tactical advertising is a complete rarity. I think very few brands can pull it off,” says Karen, pointing to Apple’s ad that found a way to sell a product attribute to viewers while entertaining them:
Video: Apple – Detectives
B2B IS H2H
According to Karen Howe, Business-to-Business is in fact Human-to-Human. People are those who make decisions about the purchase of fleet or office equipment. People are those who watch television. And that is why smart brands understand that B2B belongs on TV:
Video: Globant – 1000 Slides
RIDING ON THE COAT-TAILS
It pays to take advantage of someone’s popularity. The PopCorners brand has cleverly tapped into the popularity of Breaking Bad, which aired for five seasons, garnering praise and slews of major awards. “It was really smart to use the TV show in a TV commercial,” Karen says.
Video: PopCorners – Breaking Good
TV is a global town square
It is equally worth betting on events that the whole world is watching. This year’s Super Bowl, for example, was watched by 123.4 million viewers. It was the most-watched television event since the first moon landing. The Super Bowl is the most coveted and expensive advertising asset ever. 30 seconds goes for a cool USD 7 million in the United States. This year, 59 spots full of celebrities and stories were presented.
Video: Bud Light – Easy Night Out
You can do without a big budget
Even with a small puppet you can make a great performance and excellent advertising does not necessarily require huge expenses. Halls advert, which uses simple typography and sound, is proof of that.
The COVID pandemic ushered in an era of low-budget production. A joke can impress audiences even without a big budget. This is evidenced by Nike’s campaign, which took existing footage of 53 different athletes from 24 different sports and created a fantastic edit.
FINDING A WAY INTO THE MINDS OF THE AUDIENCE
The power of the following idea that Childline incorporated into the ad touches on something that all of us have felt at some point. The spot embodies a kind of holy trinity made up of beautiful animation, deep human truth, and amazing music.
RETURN ON EMOTIONS (ROE) IS RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)
We as humans think that we make very rational decisions. We carefully consider the facts, and then make decisions based on the evidence. The problem is that it is far from the truth. Studies have shown that 90% of our decisions are made with our hearts, not our brains. We are largely driven by emotions, and emotions matter because they connect us as humans. If a brand wants to be heard, it needs to build an emotional connection. The true master of this art is Apple. Its hallmarks are creativity, simplicity, and humanity. The Apple brand has always understood the power of brand and television and has built an emotional relationship with viewers through television. This is why Apple is Apple. And it is reflected in its Behind the Mac campaign.
BRAND MAGIC IS WITHIN REACH
“Television offers big ideas, the power of image and the power of sound, it allows you to be current and culturally relevant. Television is a platform where you can harness human insight and pave a direct path to brand memorability. And when you add brilliant creative to that, you stand out. You define your brand in an unforgettable way. You really connect emotionally with your audience and persuade them to think or act differently,” says Karen Howe, adding that brands that can harness compelling elements will gain an unrivalled advantage. “And when you combine TV with brilliant creative, it is the maths that puts together the brand magic,” she concludes.
Source: webinář Brand Magic, Karen Howe
