How Does Humour in Ads Lure the Audience

Laughing Family

According to research if a person sees two people laughing at a joke they didn’t hear, chances are that they would smile anyway, without even realising. Another study suggests that, laughter is contagious, the explanation behind it is that the brain responds to the sound of laughter and moves the muscles in the face to join in. People often mirror others’ behaviour and copy the words they use as well as mimicking their gestures.

According to a study done by Ace Metrix, measured several factors by using a scoring system based on how watchable, likable and persuasive adverts are. The results showed that funny ads often get more attention and are more liked by the audience but humour alone does not make an ad effective. On the contrary, humourous adverts were found to be slightly less likely to influence desire to purchase a product / service compared to ones that are informative and do not have humour.

Hyundai Super Bowl Commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_483zeVF8

This is an example of an advert by Hyundai that had humour embedded in it, which gained a lot of positive feedback. It aired during the 2016 Super Bowl show which had a peak viewing audience of 115 million in America alone, starring Kevin Hart – a global comedy star, it already had the correct ingredients to succeed.

Most of the memorable ad campaigns tend to be the funny ones. This is a clever strategy used by advertisers in order to attract customers to their product / service. Such as the Hyundai advert with Kevin Hart, it received a lot of reaction online as he himself has a large following and as whatever he does is highly publicised. The ad was also on YouTube which hit over 15 million views and was widely shared.

Heineken famously had a funny advert that portrayed the differences between men and women, click this link to see it: Heineken – Walk in Fridge

Ford Mustang Vine

Advertisers use Vine very well, as they use Vine Stars who are known for their comedy content and that have a big following. An example of this is Rudy Mancuso who has over 10 million followers and almost 4 billion loops (views). Ford use him to promote their products such as the Mustang which is an iconic model that has a prestigious history. They incorporate humour in these six second clips in order to grab the attention of the viewer, whilst almost guaranteeing they’ll watch the video as it is relatively short.

However, people’s opinion on what is funny, for example the viewer may find this particular Vine humourous but when they show it to their friends they may not react in the same way. This is an obstacle that has to be tackled, so that when creating the comical concept it has to take the target audience into consideration and find out what makes them laugh. In addition, marketers have to be careful when targeting different cultures as there will be differences and want to avoid any backlash from viewers or the media. 

To see another example of humor within Vine, follow this link that shows how Coachella implemented this: Jus and Wahlid at Coachella

An example of a funny ad gone wrong is when Kohler, the luxury bathroom and kitchen designer created an ad featuring a blind man. The concept was that a blind man who was at a party, went to the bathroom and when washing his hands, he ‘fell in love’ with the design of the sink. The aim of the ad is to portray the elegance and sleekness of their product, however viewers found it offensive to those who have this disability.

Kohler Ad

Here is a link that demonstrated other adverts that came across as offensive to the audience: 30 Offensive (Funny) Vintage Ads That Would Be Banned Today

References:

http://www.livescience.com/9430-study-laughter-contagious.html

http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/funny-ads-effective-or-just-good-for-a-laugh/41589

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/super-bowl-50-ratings-cbs-third-largest-audience-on-record-1201699814/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R_483zeVF8

https://vine.co/rudymancuso

https://vine.co/v/iH3uX1QvJrm

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/10/why-funny-tv-commercials-work/247117/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1vuWL0_wMA

What Motivates People to Share Videos?

Share Button

Marketers are always trying to find new ways to get people sharing their content. They want people to be talking about their products, videos and social media posts, through this they will be passing on awareness to their friends and family. Marketers sometimes rely on this as word of mouth can be over 10 times as effective as traditional advertising. Also it is trusted more than traditional marketing as people are more likely to listen to their family and friends. If it works then it is cost-effective method for the advertiser especially as it is more specifically targeted to those who it may appeal to. Monitoring the feedback is a hefty task as it involves understanding why people are talking about your product / brand, it being positive or negative.

To get more of an understanding, please look at this site: Word of Mouth Marketing Power

Roc by Ronaldo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H_DSErYUZk

This video was shared almost 3 million times in 2015, making it one of the most shared videos of that year. Starring Cristiano Ronaldo, if not the biggest name in football is a global sporting icon to millions of people. Cristiano himself has a massive social media presence, his Facebook page alone is like by 111 million people across the globe. Football / Soccer is the world’s most popular sport with an estimated audience of 3.5 billion fans, therefore anything that is related to this will attract a crowd.

The concept of the video involves a famous figure in disguise in the city who is not attracting any attention. A little boy approaches Ronaldo and interacts with him leading him to reveal himself, the element of surprise adds drama to the video. Ronaldo adds a generous gesture by giving the little boy a signed football which adds to his ‘icon’ status whilst showing his soft side. Cristiano is then swamped by a large number of fans who are surprised to see him in the city centre.

Booking.com Advert

Not all attention is good, last year booking.com an online accommodation booking website got some bad publicity after a controversial advert which aired on TV and in cinemas. This advert created a rumble online as people were angry at the content that had been placed. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 2,345 complaints regarding the fact the advertiser obviously replaced swearwords with the word “booking” as a play on words. Complaints were sent in as viewers felt it was offensive and that it is likely to encourage children to swear especially it was aired during cinema screenings of children films such as Paddington and Night at the Museum and on TV during viewings of Harry Potter.

However, the party involved claimed that there was “no ambiguity” about the use of the word “booking”, which it said was repeated throughout the ad in to order reinforce the brand name. The ASA decided that the ad was unlikely to condone or encourage swearing amongst children. In cases like these, this controversy can create bad attention and be damaging to the brand’s image and reputation. Moreover, it can lead to people boycotting the product or service and spreading negativity towards that brand. Which in turn may lead create a domino effect and increase the number of consumers who then switch to the competitors.

To view more examples of controversial ads, follow this link: Top ten most controversial adverts revealed

Psychological

Psychological effects are a big factor that may lead to people sharing videos. The three biggest factors are: functional, rational stimuli and emotional stimuli. Functional factors include the ability to share, rational stimuli include self-interest and financial benefit/reward, whilst emotional stimuli affects motivation or empathy. Marketers can use these factors to play on their strength and have an effect on viewers.

To read more on this subject, visit this link: The Psychology of Online Sharing

References:

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/why-things-catch-on-the-science-of-why-people-share/

http://www.facegroup.com/blog/why-we-share/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H_DSErYUZk

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferrooney/2015/11/23/the-most-shared-video-ads-of-2015/#4f736ce94821

http://www.topendsports.com/world/lists/popular-sport/fans.htm

https://en-gb.facebook.com/Cristiano/

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/18/bookingcom-advert-cleared-despite-complaints-over-substitute-swearword

http://www.reelseo.com/social-video-psychology/

How Car Makers are #Winning on Instagram

Mercedes Instagram 1

In today’s society, it is important for brands to stay in touch with customers through the use of social media. Platforms such as Instagram allow for up to 60 seconds of video that provides a stage where marketers can post short videos to engage with users. With short time frames, marketing teams are forced to be creative and inventive in order to create a reaction from the target audience. However, one drawback of the Instagram platform is that it requires subscription from users and there still is no direct way of searching videos, unlike on YouTube.

For a user to interact with a specific video they must be subscribed to brands’ channel or other social networks where that content may be shared. A strategy that brands adopt is making viewers ‘lean-in’ to participate in watching videos. Through creative content that connects with the fanbase can reap huge dividends in terms of securing major subscription figures. A recent study from Unruly confirmed that 40% of the most-shared Instagram videos come from brands, which is promising when bearing in mind the main competition faced is from music stars and Hollywood celebrities.

Click on this link to discover more about how companies making money from Instagram —> How to Make Money on Instagram 

Mercedes-Benz is a luxury brand which is all about the “lifestyle”. Images are uploaded on their Instagram page resemble inspiration and incredible engineering. The videos focus also feature and show off engine noise, the way it handles and its stylish looks. Not forgetting Mercedes’ natural habitat – the racetrack, there is elegant footage of their cars winding down on European roads. As of March 2016, Mercedes-Benz have a whopping 4.9 millions followers on their Instagram account.

Mercedes Instagram 2

Instagram have rolled out a new service where companies can pay for adverting space that appears on peoples feed. It is made clear to users as there is a tag on the top right above the image / video saying “sponsored”. 70 million photos are uploaded on Instagram every day, generating 2.5 billion likes. This reflects a phenomenal amount of engagement and proves that users are an ever-connected. Mercedes-Benz USA trialed this method of marketing for its new SUV the GLA model which was aimed at the younger generation. They used a hashtag as inspiration #ThingsOrganizedNeatly and asked photographers as well as brand ambassadors to answer “What would you pack in your GLA?” Mercedes used photos of  neatly arranged items on a GLA cargo mat to illustrate the versatility of the vehicle for a range of weekend trips.

Mercedes Instagram 3

Through this campaign it led to a 54% increase in website visits form Instagram and Facebook Ads and a 580% increase when combined with Facebook Direct Response Ads.

Mercedes-Benz USA are bringing car customizing to a new platform. Conventionally, car makers have a tool on their website where customers can build their own configuration of a car throughout their range of models. Nevertheless, Mercedes-Benz USA have brought this to Instagram with the purpose of targeting the millennial generation. Now you can customize your version of the GLA model from its colour, wheels, roof type to grill options.

Click on this link to have a go yourself!  —> Build your own GLA

Regarding all the components, there are a remarkable 132 possible unique configurations. The concept works as the user visits the @GLA_Build_Your _Own Instagram page, then user the navigates through a series of pages choosing their preferences which leads to a final picture of the full rendition. Watch the video below as it illustrates the concept.

A negative aspect of social media is that it lacks personal interaction with the product. A car is a huge investment, therefore when consumers come to purchase a car they feel the need to try before they buy. Simple things such as sitting the driving seat to see if it comfortable enough to their liking and taking it out for a test drive to find out if it’s what they anticipated are hugely significant factors that may sway the consumer’s mind.

For more information on Mercedes-Benz’s latest social media craze visit the link below:

Mercedes-Benz Lets Users Build Custom Car on Instagram 

Sources:

http://www.reelseo.com/car-brands-instagram-video/#ixzz459Cxb7IX

https://econsultancy.com/blog/66689-how-brands-are-using-instagram-ads/

https://trbrautoblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/car-makers-begin-to-use-vine-and-instavideo/

http://www.dandad.org/awards/professional/2015/digital-marketing/24285/build-a-gla-on-instagram/

http://www.fastcocreate.com/3037489/now-you-can-build-your-own-mercedes-on-instagram 

www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=B3UW5AXwWUQ

How Car Makers are Taking Vine by Storm

Vine Logo

Vine is another relatively new platform that marketers are now using. Vine’s concept is very simple, short six second clips which play on a loop and offer the chance for amusing one liners, animations and creative cutaways all in an easy way to film format. Ford have taken the march in this initiative by using top Vine stars such as Rudy Mancuso and Zach King who have over 14 million followers, as well as 5 billion loops on their videos between them. Ford use these Viners to create short skits and humorous videos to endorse their products in a fun unique way. Ford & Ford Europe’s pages have around 70,000 followers and 52 million loops together as of March 2016.

Ford Vine

Through the media outlets of the Vine stars it allows scope for the videos to become viral and reach a much larger audience than anticipated.

Back in 2013 when Vine was new to the market, car maker Honda initiated a campaign where they were giving away cars when Twitter users tweeted them reasons for wanting a new Honda using the hashtag #wantnewcar. However, what was unique about this campaign was that Honda responded to entries using Vine. Honda would reply to all the entries and at the end of the event winning entries were picked and each received a brand new Honda.

A relatively simple marketing strategy with low barriers to entry and a high return in growing Honda’s social media presence whilst gaining a following. Although is it hard to measure the success of the campaign, the use of a hashtag was a good way of tracking entries.  A negative point is that, this campaign could be copied by other car makers that have greater followings and could benefit more than Honda did.

Below is an advertisement that Honda put out to create attention to the campaign:

However, it is not all gold that glitters in the Vine world as there are areas of weaknesses. Firstly, the older generation that may view these videos may not understand the concept and not realise that it is a form of advertising. Therefore, potentially missing out on appealing to a market which might or might not be their target market. Moreover, 6 second clips may be too short to inform the viewer of the product. Watching a Vine star endorse a specific car brand might not be enough for viewers to be persuaded to purchase it, as there is a lack of facts and figures presented. Also, linking to my other blog How Car Makers are #Winning on Instagram which highlights the non-existent personal interaction with products, which is usually a vital aspect for consumers especially regarding that a car is a big investment.

Lets talk money.

According to Ted Murphy, CEO of social media brand Izea, the cost to companies using these “internet celebrities” can range between $25,000 and $100,000 for each video. Vine stars benefit hugely from this as they create more awareness and traffic for their profile which may lead to further endorsements. Well known brands are more likely to give social media content creators more freedom when producing sponsored content, as they more inclined to know what will attract viewers. 

The average cost of a 30 seconds commercial is $112,000 during prime time broadcast TV. In comparison to Vine, it is cheaper per second to air, however this does not take into consideration production costs of  filming the TV advert. An advantage of the Vine videos is that they are always accessible to see and can be viewed by anyone ‘forever’ unless removed by the user.

For more of an insight on this topic please visit this link: Meet the Vine Stars Who Turn 6 Seconds of Fame into Big Bucks

Sources:

http://www.hurricanemedia.co.uk/blog/news/gone-in-6-0-secs-5-auto-brands-that-are-winning-on-vine/

trbrautoblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/car-makers-begin-to-use-vine-and-instavideo/

https://vine.co/v/ehBYqTIh0hV

http://www.adweek.com/videowatch/buick-ford-enlist-vine-stars-get-intriguing-results-157135

http://adage.com/article/news/costs-ad-prices-tv-mobile-billboards/297928/

Innovative Digital Marketing Initiatives from Luxury Car Makers

Mercedes Header

Digital marketing nowadays is the most powerful type of medium used to interact with consumers. With the emergence of social media, car makers are trying to create a base across all platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Gaining a large following on these sites enables car manufacturers to advertise their products and try to appeal to all age groups.

Back in 2012 Mercedes-Benz unveiled a unique approach to marketing through the use of a TV ad with a twist.  A collection of adverts were produced in order to appeal to the younger generation by integrating social media. Cleverly, Mercedes-Benz played this ad during the commercial breaks during The X Factor where it is viewed by mainly a younger audience and at a peak time with millions of viewers watching. Promoting the new A Class, a scenario was created were a young couple were involved in a police chase and there were two possible endings. Either to hide or to evade, viewers could choose the ending they would prefer by tweeting #YouDrive and either #hide or #evade.

Here’s a taste of the action:

The votes through Twitter were revealed the following week where the final 90 second advert was played concluding the story line. This campaign took social media by storm especially as one of the main characters involved was rapper Kano, who himself has a large social media following and was tweeting promoting the new Mercedes advert.

For more of an insight visit the link below:

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1681734/mercedes-benz-adds-twitter-control-to-latest-tv-campaign

In recent times, imagery has been a key feature of marketing particularly through Instagram and Pinterest. Specifically, luxury car brands are associated with wealth and in turn designer clothing this gives the brand a degree of exclusivity. These factors make the car brand more desirable, especially when celebrities endorse the brand such as the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Tinie Tempah. Through creating this brand awareness it influences individuals who want become part of the club by following their role models. It is a common trend that people post pictures of their expensive cars through social media, again another way of promoting a brand.

Kylie Jenner a high profile celebrity role model amongst teenagers and young adults shows off her Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon (courtesy of her Instagram account):

Kylie Jenner Mercedes

Visit this link to explore more:

https://www.ventureharbour.com/luxury-brand-digital-marketing/

Mini famously introduced a co-branded product the Red Bull Mini (Moiseieva, 2013). Red Bull is globally known energy drinks company which has become increasing popular. The two companies teamed up together to broaden their marketing strategy and promote their products internationally. Representatives would drive around local communities offering free products with the aim to gain new customers.

Red Bull’s target market is the 18-34 year olds, which is similar to Mini’s audience. The aim was to reach two different markets from diverse backgrounds who might have different lifestyles choices and tastes.  Red Bull and mini target to engage with consumers in a fun and non-threatening way with the purpose of allowing consumers to create a personal and also positive product experience.

Red Bull Mini Header

For an extensive insight into Mini take a look at this article:

Moiseieva, M. (2013). Mini Cooper: Marketing Strategy, Digital Marketing, Brand & Ethics. CRIS – Bulletin of the Centre for Research and Interdisciplinary Study, 2013(1).

How Car Makers Are Changing The Buying Experience

The automotive industry has changed, dealerships are no longer essential to the consumer. The marketing director at Jaguar Land Rover, Laura Schwab agreed by saying “By the time they get to the door all they really want to do is test drive. All the research, everything, happens online.”

The first thing a consumer does when thinking about buying a new car is to visit the website. Websites such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW enable the consumer to view all the models as well as supplying all the relevant specifications. In addition to that, they have a tool that lets the user to design their ideal car to extreme detail, from the colour of the brake calipers to the style of the dashboard.

This gives the consumer a close up experience of the look and feel of the product. After that consumers usually read or watch reviews of the cars they are interested in, this is where the feedback by car journalists is critical in affecting consumer choices.

BMW Config

However, Audi have introduced a new concept of brining consumers to dealerships via modern technology. Audi City is an interactive experience where it puts the consumer in control, displays are used, roughly 40 inches diagonally and each one is linked to a multi-panel display wall.

Connected to a touch screen display, you can configure any current Audi and have access to the full range of options. That makes for millions of final configurations Audi states that the number of possible configurations are no fewer than 120 million due to the range and diversity of materials, colours and technologies accessible in today’s age. Once the customer has their ideal configuration, it can be printed out, along with it comes a code that’s compatible with the online configurator at www.audi.co.uk.

Here is a video that demonstrates this technology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDdPN6mVLPM

Audi definitely has a march on the competition here, sales figures apparently prove that. Within the first six months of launch (Summer 2012) their sales went up 60 per cent over the same period the previous year.

For more information on Audi City visit the link below:

https://www.audi.co.uk/locate-a-centre/search-centres/partner-uk/sytner-group/audi-city-london.html

BMW is another manufacturer that is trying to radically change the customer experience for those visiting one of their dealerships.  Dr Ian Robertson who oversees global sales and marketing for BMW says that “The dealership experience is as old as the car industry, roughly one hundred years old. While cars have changed, the retail experience is much the same as it was one hundred years ago.”

BMW decided to introduce product geniuses, similar to what Apple incorporate in their stores. A product genius is there to educate consumers about the product range, help the customer understand specifics and to inform them of significant details. The geniuses operate on a non-commission basis and are not in place to influence sales, but purely to satisfy customer demands.

BMW Genius

For more information on BMW’s strategy visit the link below:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/04/18/bmw-radically-rethinks-the-car-buying-experience/#6e55ba055a9d

Car makers are always trying new techniques in order to stand out from the competition, they want to be the first to try something new in order to attract more customers and gain brand loyalty through that. The biggest challenge is bringing consumers to the point of service, ideally the dealership nevertheless online purchasing is a bug market. Once a customer is at the point of service persuading them is the other piece of the puzzle and this is where each manufacturer has to be unique in their service in order to be rewarded.

Subway – Eat Fresh?

As a relatively regular Subway customer I take advantage of their loyalty scheme. Collecting points every time I go until I hit a certain point, usually 1,000 points. So seeing the heading “You’re close to double points!” gets me rather enthusiastic, leading me to opening the email. In addition to that the personalisation factor of having my name embedded within the content makes me feel valued. When clicking on the image it takes you straight to the Subcard website: https://subcard.subway.co.uk/cardholder/home_uk.html  

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Innovation of the Argos Store

Argos offers more than 43,000 products through its website and through physical stores. With over 738 million annual website visits and serving around 123 million customers a year it’s not surprising they are the UK’s leading digital retailer. This is a case study on the relationship between Argos and Brandwatch Analytics.

Argos was able to provide a new way to interact with their customers through the new digital stores, which aimed to reach new demographics. Already a unique a business, Argos adapted to changing times with the increase of technology in our everyday lives. 30% of the UK’s population own a tablet, this figure is growing year on year. By integrating a digital method of shopping it wanted to innovate the “traditional in-store experience”.

Unsure of how the customers would react to the new stores, Argos relied heavily on feedback. In today’s world this would be done on social media, the modern “word of mouth”. It was inevitable that people would post on Twitter or Facebook their opinions. Through the use of hashtags, it is easy to locate and view posts.

Brandwatch Analytics, gives Argos a platform to analyse valuable customer feedback. Data can be evaluated in many different forms e.g. by gender, age or even location. Argos then took into consideration all the possible demographic factors to create an insight. Consequently, all this data can be converted into numbers and graphs which help to highlight certain aspects of customers.

One thing to takeaway is that a tool such as Brandwatch Analytics is very powerful. It enables the user to analyse data to extreme detail. This can completely shape the way a business operates in order to maximise customer satisfaction.

Source: https://www.brandwatch.com/case-study-argos/