If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Following alone nicely from my post of last week – “The best marketers are conservative – with a small ‘c’.”– now comes Mark Ritson’s article “Consumers don’t get tired of ads, only marketers do.”
Thanks to data from Kantar, System1 and Analytic Partners it appears the general advice for most marketers is that wear-out – at least in the real world – really does not exist. “Wear-out is not some unavoidable destiny for ads, it is possible to create strong ads that can maintain their success”. Marketers look at their ads with such focus and passion that – inevitably – they grow tired of the work long before most of their target market has even become accustomed to it. Taking a big spoonful of customer orientation marketers must learn the patience of the market.
Whilst working at The Coca-Cola Company, I had the pleasure of helping create the poster child for this wisdom. Airing continuously since 1995, Kantar considers Coke’s “Christmas Caravan” as integral to the fabric of Christmas as Rudolph and fir trees. This iconic, proprietary and distinctive execution, has for over 25 years affectionally etched Coke’s ‘mental availability’ into our holiday minds.
I’m proud of the part I played in one of the most endearing and enduring BIG brand ideas and long-running TV ads. Co-conspirators: Simon McDowell and Jerry Howard, take an encore bow.
So, if you have a sound and lasting brand strategy, brought to life with compelling and distinctive creative, just keep on truckin’.
Click here to see original LinkedIn post.