Creating an Unforgettable TV Advertising Campaign: 4 Tactics We Like

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Digital Transformation Strategy (145-slide PowerPoint presentation). Digital Transformation is being embraced by organizations across most industries, as the role of technology shifts from being a business enabler to a business driver. This has only been accelerated by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Thus, to remain competitive and outcompete in today's fast paced, [read more]

* * * *

What goes into making a great TV ad campaign? Today’s viewers are savvy to marketers and their tactics, and advertising execs must become even more creative to draw in consumers. Here are some of the creative ingredients that lead to a great TV commercial:

Use a Quirky Spokesperson

Humor is, obviously, a good way to connect with audiences. Add in a memorable spokesperson, and you have yourself a double-whammy.

Geico has used spokes-animals as a tool to infuse humor and establish a memorable brand representative. Americans love Geico’s The Gecko, a British Cockney-accented gecko who is tired of being confused with Geico, the insurance company that can save you hundreds on car insurance. Geico has also used Maxwell the Pig and of course the Caveman, who is tired of the stereotype that using Geico is so easy, a caveman could do it.

Catch Them With a Jingle

Look around your office or the local coffee shop. You may catch a co-worker humming a tune or a macchiato drinker tapping incessantly to his favorite beat. Some of these people might being singing about the five-dollar foot-long or how they want to be a Toys R Us kid. For years, TV advertisers have used jingles to increase brand recognition.

J.G. Wentworth, the financial services company that specializes in buying future structured settlement payments, have mastered the art of the jingle. Their catchy “Call J.G. Wentworth! 877-cash-now!” has been inscribed in viewers heads everywhere. The great thing about their commercials is the lyrics of the tune explain exactly what they do and how you can use them.

Watch Your Timing

The recent World Cup drew record numbers. The final match between Germany and Argentina drew 17.3 million viewers and the Group Stage averaged 4.5 million viewers per match in the U.S. alone, according to The Washington Post. Many advertisers used the event to create some astounding advertising campaigns.

Hyundai used several TV ads throughout the World Cup for their “Because Futbol” campaign. The sporting event gave companies like Nike, Adidas and Gatorade an opportunity to flex their creativity with some unforgettable commercials featuring some of the tournament’s biggest stars. Here are some of the top TV commercials featured during the month-long worldwide spectacle.

Keep It Weird

Some commercials are memorable because they are just plain bizarre. These offbeat ads invoke a degree of humor while being outlandish to create buzz among TV viewers.

A great example of this is the Old Spice guy, played by actor Isaiah Mustafa—the guy who could be “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.” The whimsical commercial takes you to his bathroom, then to a yacht, then suddenly he is on a horse—all the while explaining that if your man is wearing Old Spice, he could make all your dream come true. The commercial spawned many social shares and YouTube parodies, and is now classic oddball commercial gold.

Do You Want to Implement Business Best Practices?

You can download in-depth presentations on 100s of management topics from the FlevyPro Library. FlevyPro is trusted and utilized by 1000s of management consultants and corporate executives.

For even more best practices available on Flevy, have a look at our top 100 lists:

• Top 100 in Strategy & Transformation
• Top 100 in Digital Transformation
• Top 100 in Operational Excellence
• Top 100 in Organization & Change
• Top 100 Management Consulting Frameworks

These best practices are of the same as those leveraged by top-tier management consulting firms, like McKinsey, BCG, Bain, and Accenture. Improve the growth and efficiency of your organization by utilizing these best practice frameworks, templates, and tools. Most were developed by seasoned executives and consultants with over 20+ years of experience.