http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNJY-lYndWk
Whoa!
I usually don’t gush with praise for TV commercials, but Old Spice did something brilliant here.
Sure, it’s loud, over the top and a bit obnoxious, but there’s a powerful lesson to be learned (p-p-pardon the p-p-pun).
If you want your advertising to be profitable, you have to grab your audience’s attention. There are an infinite ways to do this, most of which don’t involve putting your head through a wall (or making the volume on your commercial super-loud, as many advertisers are doing these days. Shouting at your customers is rarely a good way to build relationships or get them to buy).
This commercial is great because it was as unexpected as any I’ve ever seen. Terry Crews literally hijacked a Charmin spot. Viewers had their attention focused (to a greater or lesser degree) on bath tissue, only to be rudely interrupted…in an unforgettable and creative way.
What can you do to hijack your audience’s attention? You can’t sell to them until you do.
I totally agree with the premise of your post. In the case of my audience (seasoned solo entrepreneurs – mostly over 40), I will need to be a bit more subtle than the Old Spice ad. 🙂 With that said, I know that I need to wake them up with the unexpected more often than I do. Thanks for the nudge, Donnie.
Great point, Steve. Any attempt at attention-jacking will have to be determined by your audience and the desired outcome.
Old Spice commercials are over-the-top, even creepy sometimes. Not necessarily something to emulate.
We have to realize, though, ignoring a marketing message is easier than falling off a log, especially these days. People ALWAYS has something occupying their attention. Our natural tendency is to focus on what’s most urgent or most interesting and filter out as much of the other stuff as possible.
Attention must be earned, maybe even taken by “force” (primarily curiosity).
After that, there has to be a payoff. If you get a person’s attention and then disappoint them by what comes next, you’ve done more harm than good.
Thanks for stopping by, Steve!