Create a plan for a cross-media advertising campaign in response to a client brief (P2)
Existing Soap Campaigns
This campaign focuses on satirising the stereotypes of other brands' marketing methods. Despite previously being a brand associated, in the public consciousness, with old men, the company now advertise themselves as helping their customers to 'smell like a man, man', with adverts starring conventionally attractive younger men. This both rejuvenates their brand image and allows them to make jokes at the expense of their competitors by using their own tactics of appealing to masculinity in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Some of the adverts also feature a deliberately obnoxious number of poorly-done visual effects to add to the absurdist and bizarre nature of the campaign.
Bulldog:
These adverts largely focus on being bizarre and centred around the eponymous bulldog character assisting various generic men with their personal grooming. The ads focus on comedy and subversion of expectations. The phrase 'for the goodest man' adds to the idea of the roles being reversed with bulldog now looking after the human which runs through this campaign, with the literal dog in the marketing being representative of the products.
Dove:
Dove advertising tends to be more minimalistic, with white backgrounds and either simply displaying the product framed by a, for lack of a better word, creamy graphic, and a small paragraph of information. Other campaigns focused on self-esteem, showing that - with the help of Dove products - even if you're grey, wrinkled or otherwise conventionally unattractive you will still be beautiful.
LYNX:
These adverts largely appeal to the male gaze idea, with them often presenting the product as a foolproof way to make yourself, as a man, more attractive to women. While this is very stereotypical of advertising for grooming products, it does remain an appeal to a certain demographic.
Old Spice:
Shared Codes and Conventions:
- All of the campaigns, regardless of the methods in which they advertise, all consist in some capacity of imagery and discussions of cleanliness.
- Largely similar colour palettes of bright but simple colours.
- Expressions of happiness and joy.
- Those aimed towards predominantly women tend to focus on self image, and much less frequently use humour.
- Those aimed towards predominantly men tend to focus on masculinity (even if as a joke) and the idea of being attractive to women (male gaze somewhat).
The Brief:
Explicit Requirements
- 4 adverts are required
- The messaging throughout the campaign must be consistent
- The visual style must also be consistent
- The adverts must be multimedia
- Create a clear brand image
Implicit Requirements
- The campaign should be quiet and calm, with a natural colour palette
- The theme of cleanliness should be consistently featured
Constraints
- The campaign can only be so intense, needing to be mostly calm
- The adverts must all be overall similar
- The time limit on the video adverts
Open Requirements
- The visual style of the adverts (likely a lot of light browns, beiges and greens)
- The choice of different advert styles
USPs
- The environmental appeal
- The charity donations
- The sustainable wood
- The organic nature of the soap's ingredients
- Suitability for sensitive skin
- The absence of any harmful chemicals (less unique nowadays)
SWOT (The Brief)
Strengths:
- Has a number of USPs which can be heavily referenced in marketing material.
- Charity connections
- Natural packaging and ingredients
- Environmental benefits
- Handmade products and packaging
Weaknesses:
- The openness of the requirements increase difficulty of narrowing down ideas.
- Price issues - being handmade may increase the cost to the user.
- No established brand loyalty - an entirely new product line.
- The effectiveness of the soap on bacteria is unspecified.
Opportunities:
- A wide range of advertising styles and mediums to choose from.
- Benefits charitable causes.
- May provide consumers with more knowledge of environmental issues.
- Potential sponsors may be more keen to associate themselves with the brand - the environmental benefits would be good for their public image.
- Social Media advertising makes it easy to communicate with customers directly and publicly, meaning positive feedback and quick resolution of negative feedback will be very prominent.
Threats:
- As it would be overwhelming for the audience if we promoted all of the USPs, there is the risk that we will promote one less important to the consumer than we could've.
- Competitors in the same market may already have loyal and satisfied users who may not want to risk the switch.
- There may be ethical issues with the use of animal products - the use of goats' milk means the product is also not vegan.
Blue Sky Thinking
- Cleanliness
- White/Blue/Green colour scheme
- Slogans
- Optimism and positivity
- Frutiger aero
- Nature
- Environmental imagery
- Humour potentially
- Doctor endorsements
- Environmentalist endorsements
- Leaves and wood
- Massive blimp
- Shirtless man
- Celebrity endorsement
- Mitchell and Webb
- Music (made for the campaign - can be released on streaming)
- Pets
- Charity (gift baskets of soap)
- Sponsorships
- Product placements
- Promote sustainable packaging
- Make the product edible
- Fight club
- Handmade
- Delicate and intricate
- Animal mascot
- Forest
SWOT
Frutiger Aero
Strengths:
- Very bubbly and clean-looking.
- Soap-like visuals.
- Makes the product stand out from competitors.
- Other cleaning products still use this, may avoid the outdated feel.
Weaknesses:
- May make the product look outdated, which may put off potential customers.
- May simply look ugly in the eyes of potential customers.
- Generally doesn't work with modern design ideas.
Opportunities:
- Appeal to people who appreciate this design aesthetic.
- Fans of this aesthetic are largely very passionated and would therefore likely be very loyal.
- No similar brands use the style.
Threats:
- Might seem a bit tacky.
- Could lead to some customers swearing off the product completely.
- If not handled well, it may not even appeal to fans of the aesthetic.
Doctor Endorsement
Strengths:
- Shows a professional endorses the product.
- Gives the audience a feeling of reassurance.
- Shows that the marketing claims are not falsified.
Weaknesses:
- Difficult to prove this person is actually qualified.
- Might look like we're trying too hard.
- Might also come across as tacky.
Opportunities:
- Get impartial views from professionals.
- Have the brand claims verified.
- Potentially impress the audience.
Threats:
- Difficult to prove this person is actually qualified.
- The audience might be put off by the 'trying too hard' aspect.
- May be difficult to convince the audience the professional is trustworthy.
Humorous Advertising
Strengths:
- Shows the audience that we're a brand of people rather than a faceless corporate machine.
- Makes the brand stand out from the majority of competing brands.
- A very memorable method if done well.
Weaknesses:
- The subjective nature of humour means that there is a high risk of jokes falling flat.
- More brands are taking advantage of this humorous approach, so we may stand out less.
- If not executed well, it may become annoying to potential customers.
Opportunities:
- A more unique way of selling this kind of product.
- The small but potential chance of becoming incredibly well-known in pop culture.
- Potential 'watercooler' conversations - the public discussing the adverts.
Threats:
- Customers might take the brand less seriously which may make some less likely to choose the brand.
- Customers may be growing tired of humorous advertising in this regard.
- Customers may be driven away if they don't find the jokes funny.
Mind Map:
Mood Board:
Summary of Campaign Plan:
- 'Animated' banner/skyscraper ad
- Large-scale print advert
- Social Media profile
- Magazine or newspaper advert
All of these will follow the same design conventions such as colour schemes and styles of images. The layout will largely be the only major difference, as the arrangement of assets will be the only aspect vital to adapting the campaign to these formats and maintaining similarities in all other areas is good for synergy and brand identity. I will likely implement one of the colour schemes featured in my mood board.
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