Amid the ubiquitousness of advertising and the staggering growth of businesses at the helm of technology, appealing the right demographics through advertisements still eludes many brands. To target niche audience, companies spend a hefty sum of money on advertising. As a result, the advertising industry is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, thanks to top global brands, including Apple, that invest billions on advertising.
Part of the problem of this elusiveness is that the old-school way of advertising teaches brands to go for the demographics with the largest audience, which in the bigger picture has proven to be inefficient. Therefore, companies these days are adopting a more contemporary mode of advertising that focuses on the right audience instead of the largest. As the advertising media is ever changing, marketers are increasing their efforts to evolve and make an early impression on this audience before their competitors do.
Delivering their brand message with creativity, the professionals of advertising do their job without making it feel like one. Apple’s “get a Mac” campaign in 2006, Burger King’s bizarre marketing campaign “subservient chicken,” and Anheuser-Busch’s “whassup?” are some of the unforgettable advertising campaigns that disrupted the industry and left a tremendous impact on the audience. The year 2018 witnessed some bold and creative adverts as companies are doing things differently.
Earlier in 2018, LinkedIn, a professional social networking brand, launched a user generated video ad campaign at the Golden Globes. The video asking, “What are you in for?” features professionals from different fields talking about their passions and dreams.
The stories in the video are relatable to a broad category of users. At the end of it, it gets a unique message across that says “whatever you’re in it for, we’re in it together.” And by doing so, LinkedIn has appealed to the emotions of the audience across its community.
Intuit, a business and software financial company, released a video commercial that went large. The 16-seconds short video teaser talks about how time is money, and gives hints about Intuit that could save time in processing financials and paperwork.
The fun teaser elevates the interest of the viewer to further go online to learn about their services in detail. By placing the logo in the right place, and with no direct pitch for the product, Intuit’s video created interest and won the hearts of many viewers. Intuit’s case can give a lesson or two on video creatives done right.
Nike, an American multinational footwear manufacturer, has always been known for its unique advertising and marketing campaigns. Year and again, the footwear giant astounds its competitors and the world over with its creative advertising.
This year, Nike did something that may be considered sensitive and close to a huge demographic. On their 30th anniversary, Nike released a video featuring Colin Kaepernick, a former American football quarterback, and made him the face of the brand. However, the brand received a huge backlash on social media because Kaepernick had back in 2016 knelt down during the national anthem as a protest against “racial injustice” as part of a pre-game ceremony.
Nike’s campaign also featured several other players, including Serena Williams and Lacey Baker showcasing the idea of sportspersons overcoming the toughest adversities. Experts recall Nike’s move as gutsy, risk-taking, message-oriented, and spirited, and claim that such advertisements will take it much ahead in its game.
It was a bitter sweet movement for Nike as it stood firm in its decision and stood by its tagline “just do it.”.