Starting at the beginning
The functional advertising strategies of the 1850s generally stated product, service and the price. By the end of the 19th century, imagery started to influence consumer decisions. A beautiful pure white face with a headline that said ‘Pears soap'.
The early 20th century brought innovation and upheaval. The Russian ballet visited London and New York between 1911 and 1916. Sets were designed by Picasso and Chagall. Music by Debussy and Ravel. Jazz also started to emerge.
World War One had arrived and with that, advertising learned a great deal about the techniques of manipulating emotions. As well as playing on feelings of patriotism, honor and the love of family. They took caricature and hyperbole to new extreme in the evocation of fear, guilt and hatred. This use of negative emotions has been put to effective use by advertising ever since and is now most obvious in the device of ‘negative sell' – in which an ad depicts the tragic consequences of failing to buy the product.
From the 1930s, advertising moved into outrageous puns and parodies. Guinness guzzling animals set the tone. Photography was in its infancy.
The 1950s brought Rosser Reeves and the concept of the “Unique Selling Proposition”.
Then the century's most colourful decade arrived. The industry was facing a new problem – how to appeal to increasingly young and skeptical consumers who were busy rejecting materialistic values that had developed post World War 2.
What was the answer?
It came from one man – Bill Bernbach, creative director of Doyle, Dane and Bernbach and architect of the creative revolution. He looked for creative people who could generate strong arresting ideas and who could reduce all the elements of a brief into a single, integrated and relevant proposition.
The style that developed was witty, honest and simple. The cluttered illustrative styles of the ‘40s and 50s was replaced by photography. The central core of Bernbach's belief was that if you want to persuade people that your product is different, you need advertising that is different. He threw the rulebooks out in this pursuit.
Three decades later, his principles lived on with a slight twist. The Rosser Reeves principles got entwined with Bill Bernbach's. Bernbach had always eschewed formulae in the belief that they inhibited creativity. But his many observations provided criteria for judging an ad. These thoughts evolved into creative philosophies such as “Relevant Unexpected” – a neat summation of advertising two essential components, pertinence and surprise.
Now almost 5 decades later Bernbach and Rosser Reeves principles are partially being adhered to.
We are lost in a world of "hyperbole and bulls@*T". Hyperbole is exaggeration. So why should I believe anyone who exaggerates the truth? VW claim that the Polo is small but tough. Would you believe a dozen policemen protecting themselves behind a VW Polo against a hail of bullets? Or a Land Rover that can climb to the top of a 300-meter very rocky hill? No, of course not.
Clients are hooked on "Hyperbole". Opel Germany insists on hyperbole. Cars surfing the waves? Does that sell? Or would you respond to a '60s headline. “Volvos last a long time. Isn't that bad for business?”
Years ago I got caught up in the gold rush for fool's gold but discovered quickly how false it was. We survive purely on results so it has no value.
My view is, turn the clock back. Take Rosser Reeves (the USP differentiator) and Bernbach principle (surprise) and combine it with a challenge to the consumer. This is when you need the "Best of Breed".
DIFFERENTIATOR + SURPRISE + CHALLENGE = RESULTS
When we launched the Matrix vehicle tracking company, the ‘Differentiator' was that Matrix could locate a vehicle in 30 seconds through GSM technology.
The ‘Surprise' was in the challenge. “Interrogate your vehicle tracking company. You've got 30 seconds”. Three bullet points asked the consumer to phone their vehicle tracking company and asked their service provider to locate their vehicle. And if they couldn't locate their vehicle in 30 seconds, to then call Matrix. Results: Matrix grew from a customer base of 10 000 to over 400 000.
This formula forces you to create a unique communication about your brand. Of course you also need the creative magic of The Best of Breed.
There is flexibility in this formula. One of my campaigns, M-Net ‘Animals', had huge success with a slight change in the ‘Challenge'.
In this world of cluttered products, advertising sets out to entertain, or create some art form with no differentiator. The gold does not lie there but in our formula: Differentiator + Surprise + Challenge = Results
Turn the clock back and follow this formula. Call us now and see how our magic can make a difference to your advertising.
