What we can learn from @BronxZoosCobra

I’m a little hesitant to launch into any commentary on social media and the use thereof, it adds to the plethora of opinions on the subject and hence to the marketing ramble and clutter in this area. In my mind, this furious and frenzied conversation- most of the time a rehash of the same topics- indirectly and ultimately compels a few too many agencies and clients to launch into the social media environment with very unlikely brands and for the wrong reasons.

I’m a cynic. I am intolerant of unconsidered actions and reckless abandon when it comes to the use of social media platforms by brands. Why? Because I cannot fathom why I’d want to get regular updates from my preferred margarine brand in my facebook newsfeed. I simply cannot find a compelling enough argument for the use of Facebook by a margarine. Despite being fervently loyal to my preferred marg, I could not think of anything further from my interests and/or friends than a tub of oily, yellow stuff that I drown my toast and potatoes in.

Too often the actual nature of the platforms gets ignored. However, this week, I happily got reminded about the beauty of twitter and why I feel like I do about many brands and their ridiculous pursuit to be my friend.

An Egyptian cobra went missing from the Bronx Zoo in New York earlier this week (March 26th) . An anonymous person swiftly started tweeting as the @BronxZoosCobra, describing its sightseeing adventures in the city and its sinister thoughts while being ‘missing.’

Very quickly, @BronxZoosCobra’s follower count soared and its presence on Twitter was much talked about in significant local and international media. People commented, retweeted and seemed to become quite immersed in the “mind” and intentions of this creature. Without it necessarily being the intention of the person responsible for the feed and certainly that of the zoo, @BronxZoosCobra functioned as the most natural, believable and possibly effective marketing effort that that zoo has likely ever seen.

The Cobra was finally found yesterday and the Twitter feed promptly halted, and as far as I can see, it has been discontinued altogether*. What a pity. If I were the Bronx Zoo, I’d have contacted the Tweeter and offered them the chance to continue tweeting as the @BronxZoosCobra. What better way to bring a slightly uncomfortable creature to life and ultimately to peak interest in the particular exhibit The Cobra would be part of. The extensive following was already there and interest indirectly aroused.

I see it as an opportunity lost to use social media in the way it should be- organically. But despite this, is also makes me so much more aware of how many brands just don’t recognise the opportunities of social media platforms armed with proper insight into how they are used by people and can and should be used by brands.

*Sadly, rumour has it that the @BronxZoosCobra Twitter account has been suspended. What a tragedy, whoever may be responsible**. 


**It seems @BronxZoosCobra is back (April 5th). Excellent!

No Headline Necessary

Is that because I'm uber confident, have no imagination or because I'm just too lazy to actually think about how I could grab your attention? Maybe it's because I actually have nothing compelling to talk about in the first place.

Who knows. Your guess is as good as mine.

I just know that it certainly doesn't give me even a vague reason to consider this car.

* For the purpose of remaining concise, I'll refrain from commenting on everything else that this ad is lacking.

Communication for social issues

I’m not convinced that many ads designed to address social issues, specifically the perpetrators of damaging or wrong behaviour, have any effect at all on the people they are intended for and contribute meaningfully to anything besides an agency awards cabinet with a subsequent contribution to creative rankings.


There seems to be a common thread in communication that addresses (anti) social behaviour- they end up being conceptual portrayals of serious issues or disorders that acutely lack the psychological insight and education necessary to know how to connect meaningfully with the people the communication is targeted at. 

I am also slightly doubtful that many people who demonstrate serious anti social behaviour or who do things that are damaging to themselves and/or other people are able to look at their own situation objectively, let alone through the gaze of a privileged, conceptual ad-person. Generally, people tend to be in denial about a serious problem they have or behaviour they perpetrate, so providing them with some abstract visual about the effects of their behaviour seems rather inadequate.


To me, it’s like asking a person with anorexia to look in the mirror as a means to shock them into eating. Any person remotely informed about this disorder will understand that the mirror merely reflects individual perception- an outcome guaranteed to differ for people with the disorder and those without it.


These ads done by Lowe Bull, Cape Town, for SANCA are an example. The conceptual nature of this work would suggest a fairly sophisticated target audience. In this case, I somehow doubt that using examples of extreme situations like drug abuse and prostitution to dramatise the effects of drinking during pregnancy will necessarily resonate with the apparent target audience. I’d propose that for a middle class mum-to-be, learning disabilities may have been a more realistic and appropriate example of the effects of moderate drinking during pregnancy. However, if the communication is aimed at heavy drinkers or people who abuse alcohol, i.e. those that are most at risk of having babies with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, I’d suggest a visit to areas and communities where alcohol abuse and FAS are rife. I suspect one might find that the shock tactics of these ads, coupled with their conceptual nature are completely meaningless.


I really feel that it’s time advertising agencies took more responsibility for what they do by taking time to understand who they are speaking to, what behaviour they are attempting to change and the realistic process required to attempt to change that behaviour.

What on earth were they thinking?

I seem to remember being ever so slightly irked by the TLC bathroom branding exercise that claimed to be targeted and effective (August 2009 post)...Well, it seems they specialise in "effective" bathroom advertising, knowing exactly how to make sure you notice their message, whether you want to or not and regardless of whether their "tactical" efforts are in any way intelligent, sharp, resonant or relevant to the essence of the brand.


Their latest, brought to my attention by cherryflava , is an ad that TLC did for Nampak's Lifestyle stretch fit sanitary pad brand using an actual basin in a bathroom. TLC claims this to be "a South African first in innovative washroom advertising platforms." 

Cough.


While the use of a basin and drain may be new, I fervently disagree that it is in any way innovative, especially when the first brand to be exposed to this platform is a sanitary pad brand.


Somehow, when you stick the image of a sanitary pad over the drain hole, all positive adjectives to describe this phenomenon get washed down the drain simultaneously.


Let's be honest, despite the repulsive imagery, I can't imagine too many women associate any drain in a public restroom with anything clean and sanitary, let alone consider it a link, in any way, to their own bodies. Considering the uncomfortable, and dirty, position TLC and Nampak have put consumers in, it makes the main message and brand promise of Nampak's Lifestyle stretch fit sanitary pad (absorbency) a completely redundant feature of the advertising (ignoring the fact that the communication, in fact, suggests the miraculous disappearance of all period remnants altogether).


I think this is a pathetic attempt at advertising. Not an ounce of brand thought has gone into this, besides the desire to make a profound impact. In this case, I suspect the impact will be somewhat negative.


Says TLC, "The creative resembles the actual product, whilst drawing attention to its unique selling points - its stretch fit and super absorbent core - at the same time."


Yes, you definitely draw attention, but sadly not the kind you insist on.


Via: Cherryflava and bizcommunity 

We're all guilty of "OVERSHARE"

Pringles has launched a campaign called Help the Oversharers. Basically, they noticed that people tend to share a little too much random, boring, irrelevant or bizarre stuff on social media, rather than sharing something good like Pringles (of course). So they have launched Help the Oversharers. The most exciting part of it is a facebook functionality thing called "OVERSHARE"- get this and it neatly sits next door the "Like" button at the end of everyone's statuses...That's what we thought, cool camapign, awesome idea- I can DEFINITELY use this/spread this and get people talking.

The overwhelmingly disappointing thing is that when you click this next to your friend's status that says, "I ate toast," it doesn't seem to work like the much loved and used "Like" button, it instead asks you to comment. 


Doesn't that defeat the purpose? (and to make it worse, OVERSHARE comes and goes as it pleases from one's homepage.)

Kulula just gets sharper!

Kulula is my number one for entertainment, wit, brilliant advertising and for clients-with-guts (a list a little short to begin with).
This was a brilliant tactical campaign in response to a Daily Star article in the UK warning travellers to South Africa of earthquakes...(cough. splutter. spit.)

Hear out the advice for Brits from South Africa's white Zulu, Zumo: www.zumowarnings.co.za
Via:  Bizcommunity

Still waiting Trev...

I did a little experiment. 

It says: @JayneHolness my darling. just tweeting to say i got your question & I'll have my reply up this week. Stay pretty angel. Trev  (28th Feb)


Granted your average Kulula traveller outside the advertising industry would be highly unlikely to post a random question on the website, a response would have been nice.  


On another note and perhaps more to the point, despite "Trev's" lack of response, the website otherwise remains quite engaging and is a novel idea. Twitter is a waste of time for this campaign though.  I just think they need to decide to what extent they bring "Trev" to life. It feels like a character was created to communicate sales pitches in an engaging way (brief), and Trev's role in this has remained just that when it feels he has quite a bit more potential.


Slight Sadness.

http://twitter.com/TrevDoestravel