Do you like to learn by studying examples of others work? We certainly do. So in this series of unique marketing campaigns, we will do just that.
In each example, we will state what we liked in the campaign and why we thought made the campaign successful.
This is the first of a four part series. Here are all the parts and their titles:
Part 1: Classic campaigns
Part 2: Best marketing campaigns
Part 3: Very unique marketing campaigns
Part 4: Up and coming marketing campaigns
Why are these marketing campaigns some of the most uniquely different ones of all time? Because of the impact, they had on the growth of the brand, and because they manage to hit on some universal truth.
This truth allows us to remember these campaigns years after they first began.
Remember these tips: Ogilvy on Advertising … Best Lessons Learned from his Secrets
But first … what is a marketing campaign?
A marketing campaign is a group of ads centralized around one message. They often use many different marketing channels to get this idea across.
The timing of these campaigns is also very clearly defined.
So here they are, in no particular order (but feel free to let us know which one is your favorite in the comments) – many of the most unique campaigns, and the lessons we can learn from them.
Unique marketing campaigns … The Bear
Could you guess the most popular advertisement ever? You might ask about the criteria for most popular, yes? In this case, we will use the most awarded ads, according to the Gunn Report.
In the advertising business, everyone is familiar with a commercial for the French TV company Canal+, titled “The Bear.” Created by ad agency BETC Paris, this commercial is now, officially, the best TV ad of all time, according to The Gunn Report, which tracks advertising awards.
Adweek notes that the ad has received more industry awards than any other single piece of work in the Gunn Report’s history.
Released in 2011, it has been viewed 1 million times on YouTube but, obviously, has never aired in any of the larger TV markets in the English-speaking West because it’s for a French brand.
For Canal+, its communications are driven by a desire to remind audiences of its commitment to quality cinema.
As part of this strategy the channel’s ad agency, BETC Paris, produced an offbeat, witty TV commercial – ‘The Bear’ – in which a bearskin rug explains what it takes to become a great Hollywood director.
Have you seen this advertisement? If you have not seen this 30-second ad, you can check it out here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3393O1uD_w8
Let’s examine this commercial and what contributes to its secrets of its success. And its ability to influence or persuade:
Grab and hold attention
Hold attention with interesting information. Keep in mind that people don’t watch ads … they watch what interests them. Your ad messages must be interesting to your target communities.
This message certainly grabs and holds attention based on the simple emotion of effective humor, doesn’t it?
Define a value proposition
A unique selling proposition that truly discriminates you from your competition.
Give your customers reasons to select you. Maybe not the most significant visible feature, it does illustrate Canal+’s claim as a company that puts a high priority on great cinema, which is their clear, yet very simple message:
‘The more you watch Canal+, the more you love cinema.’
See our article on building the best Unique Selling Positions.
Tell a fun story
This is a humorous story that draws in potential customers.
It stars a bearskin rug who, having seen a lot of movies on TV from his spot on the living room floor, becomes a movie director himself in the egotistic style of Stanley Kubrick.
Through a combination of live action and CG ‘The Bear’, shows the rug at work as a film director behind the scenes of his latest film, complete with mood swings and tantrums.
he narrative wittily and succinctly brings to life Canal+’s claim that: ‘The more you watch Canal+, the more you love cinema.’
Make messages simple
Simple enough that the reader will quickly understand. Keep in mind that pictures are far more valuable than words.
Creating customer emotion though solid humor does not get any simpler than this, does it?
Influence and persuasion
There are no better means of influence or persuasion than emotion. Hands down the best, in our opinion. This commercial focuses on emotional appeal grandly, with its witty humor.
A real pleasure to watch in our minds.
It is the secret of this commercial’s success.
Outstanding visuals
This video would have been a winner without the commitment of the outstanding visuals.
The bear rug visuals pushed it well over the top, didn’t they?
Unique marketing campaigns … JetBlue Commercial
Have you seen this JetBlue commercial design? You know … the one with the great use of the analogy using pigeons?
Quite clever isn’t it, and likely one you will remember and maybe even talk about, right? And perhaps the best examples of value propositions in a commercial I have ever seen.
Related: What Makes These Extraordinary Commercials so Captivating?
Does a commercial have the power to encourage the right sort of conversations?
That is the objective, isn’t it? Let’s explore why this is so important.
Advertising is a key component of your marketing campaign, for awareness or consumer education of your value.
So your value propositions are a critical element. If everyone is creating content, how does a business break through the noise? How do we reach our customers in a way that engages them?
And, oh, by the way, it must be more interesting than the millions of other advertisements out there.
Now that is a daunting task, isn’t it?
JetBlue marketing has sought to overcome this dilemma with a powerful analogy to capture your attention.
If you would like to see this brilliant new ad campaign called “Air on the Side of Humanity,” you can check it out here.
Let me explain why I believe this commercial is so successful:
Create a visual analogy
JetBlue ingeniously uses pigeons as a transposed metaphor for frequent flyers who are challenged by business travel and crowded flights. I can relate.
The spot shows crowded skies full of pigeons while an off-camera narrator says “the reality of flying is not very pretty.”
It’s a royal headache and a major inconvenience.
Makes personal comparisons
They show crowded jostled pigeons on a building ledge lined up single file facing the camera while the narrator says, “They pack you in there, you hardly have any space for yourself. Hey, I’m a big guy, and I need some room to breathe”.
As the narrator continues talking about the future situation being bleak the camera focuses on a man’s legs sitting on a park bench throwing crumbs to pigeons on the sidewalk as the narrator says, “They throw you crumbs and act as if it’s a five-course meal.”
Next, they show a lonely pigeon on a busy pedestrian sidewalk as people walk around ignoring a confused bird as the narrator says, “I feel completely ignored.” Then the narrator asks the question, “There’s gotta be a way to fly with a little respect, you know?”
Connect the dots
Making powerful motivational messages to your target audience, as in this ad, is very effective in getting the viewer to relate to the issue in their own lives and to inspire.
So simple that the reader will quickly grasp the motivation. Keep in mind that the analogy is far more valuable than words.
This ad makes the desired call to action a part of the story.
A simple story
A good emotional story provides a very good connection between the issue and the company promoting their message. The ad does explain the action in the story for the audience.
And it allows each member of the audience to interpret the story as he or she understands the action and the emotion.
This is why people find good stories so appealing and why they find advertising that simply conveys information boring.
Experiences that trigger our emotions are saved and consolidated in lasting memory because the emotions generated by the experiences signal our brains that they are important to remember.
And create a good reason for you to want to back the JetBlue message, yes?
Customer engagement
What I love about this engagement approach is that it takes a customer experience perspective that no doubt was derived through deep customer insights.
As a frequent flyer myself I was able to relate to the spot on multiple levels. I can just imagine what the creative brainstorming session must’ve looked like.
It probably went something like this… Let’s find a metaphor for flying … pigeons.
Put them in crowded lines and jostled frustrating situation … crowded skies of birds flapping their wings.
Demonstrate the food is not very good … throw some crumbs.
And show how nobody cares about the passenger … show bird on a crowded sidewalk alone being ignored.
Then ask the question, there has to be a better way, and the answer from JetBlue is … Air on the side of humanity!
Simple and easy. And brilliant.
The bottom line
To be effective in this new era, we as marketers need to see our jobs differently. No more just focusing on metrics like clicks, video views or social media shares.
We must successfully integrate our function with other business functions to create entire brand experiences that serve the customer all the way through their experiences throughout the business.
We can do better. Much better. But first, we need to stop seeing ourselves as crafters of clever brand messages and become creators of positive brand experiences.
There can never be enough focus on continuous improvement on brand marketing, independent of how well the business is doing.
It seems we all are looking to take our success to a new level. This is an excellent time to make a statement with their brand marketing.
Changing before you have to is always a good idea.
Need some help in capturing more customers from your advertising? Creative ideas to help the differentiation with your customers?
Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.
Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy improving your advertising design?
Do you have a lesson about making your innovation better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on G+, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.
More reading on marketing strategy from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Volkswagen Ad … The Secrets to Its Effectiveness?
Effective Advertising … 14 Best Examples of Ad Design
Use 8 Breathtaking Commercials That Employ Emotional Appeal
Successful Advertisement Design … 12 Best Examples to Study
Insurance Advertising War … 8 Examples to Learn From
Like this short blog? Follow Digital Spark Marketing on LinkedIn or add us to your circles for 3-4 short, interesting blogs, stories per week.