{This post is best viewed on my blog, here.}
Have you seen Crate & Barrel’s latest TV commercial? No actors, nothing spoken. Just words telling a story. I think it’s brilliant. Check it out…
In a world where obnoxious, in-your-face advertising reigns supreme, Crate & Barrel’s simplistic approach is a breath of fresh air. It forces audiences to pay attention, which is risky. Who pays attention to advertisements or commercials anymore? Not this girl. But I have to tell you, when this Crate & Barrel ad came on, I stopped what I was doing to watch it.
Reminds me more than a little of the genius ad that Google ran during the Superbowl a couple of years back. Same concept: no actors, no spoken words. And yet there is a heartbeat to both the Crate & Barrel and the Google ad. Both evoke emotion. (In my case, audibly whimpering “awww…”).
Is this the direction advertising will take? Is it the direction that it should take? I think that there’s a lot to be said about introducing emotions that are so human into an industry that is so not. And there is a visible shift towards a more relatable ad experience.
Volkswagon for one has done a fantastic job of focusing less on their cars’ features, and capitalizing instead on the people who are purchasing them. I hush my roommates each time this commercial is aired; it makes my giggle and I love to watch it. Really. Is there anything better than people laughing?
Even companies like Nike, who are notoriously focused on the performance of world-class, seemingly inhuman athletes are changing their tone to a more relatable, more personal one.
The masses are fed up with advertisements. They all look and sound the same. Thinking outside of the box requires thinking wa-aaa-y outside of the box. It’s all been done. We’re over it.
But this human edge–these commercials that tug on my heart–these are inspiring. They’re the type of ad that will go viral because viewers want to share it. They’re the commercials that make me think that there are (isn’t this funny?) people behind the company being shown. We’re all human, we all have a heartbeat…why not play to that?
{This post is part of a series pertaining to a New Products and Branding class at Elon University.}
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