JOHN FANNING REVIEWS ADFX 2014 AND THE EMERGING TRENDS
IAPI’s Advertising Effectiveness Awards for 2014 attracted a record number of entries which shows Irish agencies and their clients are taking return on advertising investment much more seriously. The growing corporate intolerance of the perceived lack of an ROI discipline which has traditionally characterised the marketing world, combined with a more rigorous approach to investment driven by the recession, has created a climate in which measurement criteria are becoming an essential part of campaign planning. The awards were announced recently at a glamorous and suitably theatrical event staged at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. With the celebrations and commiserations now a distant blur, it is worth looking back and examining some of the main themes which emerged from reading all the award-winning case studies.
UBIQUITY OF DIGITAL
After some hesitation, the Irish marketing communications sector has now embraced the opportunities created by the digital revolution, not just the vastly expanded range of communication channels but the capacity for instant interaction with the public and the need for flexible responses in a marketing communication world that never sleeps. Almost every case study included some digital channel in the media strategy, but in some digital was central in the sense that the campaigns in question would simply not have been possible in a pre-digital age. A good example is Murphy’s, with Publicis employing a jujutsu strategy to gain a competitive advantage over arch rivals Guinness in Cork.
They did this by leveraging off a national Budweiser campaign which had offered free pints if the temperature reached a certain level during the summer. Instead, Murphy’s offered free pints if rainfall reached a certain level, an easier target in Munster. The campaign involved a video viral which parodied the Budweiser campaign and an app that could be used as a CRM portal and resulted in a strong return on investment.
The Topaz entry by Target McConnells described the highly successful launch of their Play or Park loyalty programme, the first in Europe to use an on-going game as its central mechanic.
EROSION OF TRUST
Every demographic sector probably feels they have lost out more than anyone else in the great recession but trust has been the biggest loser of all; trust in business, in politics, in all kinds of institutions but particularly in anything Big. Only the Germans escape, which explains why all the German car ads now bend over backwards to include a cupla focal of German and even Toyota’s advertising proposition seems to revolve around being highly rated in – where else – but Angela Merkel’s homeland.
GREAT DANE
The Gathering tourism push was interesting as the most important part of the strategy was to let go of the strategy and allow community groups devise their own. The Adfx entry was jointly submitted by DDFH&B and Fáilte Ireland’s media agency, PHD.
When it comes to financial ads, anything which remotely resembles a cupla focal is strictly verboten. The Danes are also without opprobrium which explains the strangulated Danish v/o that is a regular feature of radio ad breaks and so are the Yanks, as long as they come from quintessentially preppy Boston.
Rothco’s case history on the launch of Liberty Insurance, which had the delicate task of taking over part of the disgraced Quinn Group’s business, is a carefully planned, beautifully crafted example of how to approach a difficult marketing communications problem and emerge triumphant. McDonald’s was also faced with a trust issue as people worried about the so-called food chain. This case study is interesting in that it was planned before the horsemeat scandal and played a significant role in ensuring that the brand emerged unscathed from that disaster. The strategy by Cawley Nea\TBWA was to feature one of the few trusted figures in Irish life, the farmer.
Trust also featured strongly in the elegantly written paper for Three Mobile.
SOUND OF HEAVY MEITHEAL
One of the most characteristic responses to the recession was a return to community values; instead of seeking happiness from a shopping centre, people drew the people in their lives closer and spending more time with family and friends became the ultimate objective as reported in numerous surveys. Adfx case studies which tap into this mood including The Gathering, Electric Ireland’s Powering Kindness and a Guinness project directly designed to champion social capital creation.
All three were based on community values but the Gathering was especially interesting because, as the case study makes clear, the most important part of the strategy was to let go of the strategy and allow community groups devise their own. The Danes (again!) have a saying “what was lost without will be found within”. We all certainly lost without but these case studies suggest that we quickly came to the conclusion that the solution was to revive the old rural meitheal tradition.
ABSENCE OF FMCG
Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) have always been the mainstay of the marketing communications business but they are notable for their absence in the shortlisted award-winners. Cadbury’s featured twice but they are a confectionery as well so the only really hard-core FMCG contender is Kerry Foods’ Low-Low. It was a most compelling entry because the case study is as good an account as you’ll find, with all the elements of a classic marketing communications campaign fitting into place; detailed market research leading to an insightful campaign strategy, leading to highly creative communications resulting in increased profit for the Kerry Group.
PRESENCE OF RETAIL
Three retailers make the cut this year; SuperValu, McDonald’s and Topaz, reflecting the sector’s growing power. The latter two have already been cited but SuperValu have two case studies on the shortlist, one from their corporate ‘I Believe’ campaign and the other for their recently launched gourmet foods range of prepared foods. The entries show the increasing marketing sophistication from retailers combining imaginative market research and planning with highly creative communications.
IN CONCLUSION…
The most encouraging aspect of this year’s crop of award-winning papers is the obvious commitment of Irish agencies and their clients to incorporating more rigorous proof of effectiveness into their campaign planning. The most disappointing aspect was the number of short term campaigns. It is perhaps inevitable that a combination of recession, digitalisation and increased retailer power is deflecting attention from the overriding need for long-term brand development, but however understandable in the short term, it would be disastrous if this trend were to continue for much longer.
Finally, the presence of retail is of course partly responsible for the absence of FMCG and I would recommend that all Irish food and drink businesses study the awards in depth; they are available online at iapi.ie. The success of indigenous food and drink companies is infinitely more important for the success of our economy than the competitive shenanigans of the retail trade. We need more successful Irish brands in this sector, brands that make enough impact in the Irish market to spread their wings and become global successes. Making a decision now to plan a successful marketing communication brand building campaign, combining a thorough analysis of your market, an imaginative insight into consumer requirements and outstanding creative work, could be the first step on the path to becoming an export success.
John Fanning lectures on branding and marketing communications at the UCD Smurfit Graduate School of Business
