Positive Purpose v. Clever Commentary

What sells? How to market? What’s our brand’s voice? How do we present ourselves to current and future customers? As technology has and continues to change how consumers engage with brands, some things haven’t changed so much. None other than the throw-back stalwart from “Madmen” Don Draper put the forward the view that:

“Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And do you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard on the side of a road that screams with reassurance that whatever you’re doing is OK. You are OK.”

This might seem banal to some, but the brands that endure bad times are the ones that celebrate good times and good things. Exhibit A: Coca-Cola. Big Red wrote the brand building through happiness playbook.   Witness – the Happiness Machine.

What an amazing, simple, creative idea. What a great execution What a tremendous brand builder. This probably appears obvious to expert marketers. But we’ve seen some other views come and go as well, and some apparent confusion between attacker brands and attacking messages. Exhibit A here is probably Samsung, taking on Apple, and more importantly, Apple devotees. Now, some Apple-holics are a little unnerving, that’s true. But for a brand to put down consumers and a brand in a snarky way is questionable marketing to us.

OK, we all had a good little laugh at this, and it has generated a lot of buzz. But Don Draper would never approve this (well, not at least without six martinis in him), it’s not about happiness and it uses the competitive brand to set up its own. Admittedly, Apple did the same with the “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” campaign”, but that has been far less effective than it’s ipad campaigns, supporting the point.

The third approach we want to share relates to a largely undifferentiated category in Australia - personal insurance. The star of the moment in iSelect. it proves that you can be clever and happy. The latest campaign has been a cracker and the most recent ad to air is funnier than most comedies on television at the moment.

The ad is clever, quick, mildly irreverent and totally on-point. It shows its point of difference, with more than a hint of “The Office” manager-type. Very simple, clever, positive and with purpose. And it made us laugh.

So what’s our point? Next Reality Group loves brands and businesses that celebrate the positive and have a purpose. Pretty simple. Whilst we’re not without a cynical side, we recognize that snark is a tough way to mobilize people for something – it’s 21st century Sophistry and a tough way to make yourself indispensable.

Phil Bonanno

Next Reality Group