By Brandon Lewis (Wilde Agency Intern)
When it comes to entertainment, America is at the forefront of delivering content that gets people from around the world glued to their screens.
Viewers will keep up with their favorite shows, websites or film franchises, whether the content is trashy or inspiring, intellectual or uninformative.
This same approach has slowly taken over advertising, and now, it’s taking away the purpose of what an ad should be.
From Mountain Dew’s Puppymonkeybaby to Bud Light’s faux-presidential campaign, recent American advertisements seem to favor mindless entertainment over providing a legitimate reason to purchase a product.
While the US is usually seen as the pioneer of the advertising world, companies in Japan have consistently managed to create ads that are memorable for both the content and the product itself. Below, are a few popular Japanese clips that demonstrate this approach.
MAKE SENSE OUT OF (WHAT SEEMS TO BE) NONSENSE
Japan is known for their ingenuity and innate weirdness – from their outlandish game shows to life-like video games and anime – and when it comes to advertising, they continue to live up to this reputation. This LED lightbulb ad from Ocedel Lighting is a great example.
The story starts out somber and finishes with the punch line of the firefly having a light that only lasts for a week. While they did not blatantly point out that the commercial is comparing standard light bulbs to LED light bulbs, the story connects together enough that it makes sense.
The main takeaway from this ad is that, as a marketer, you can still use bizarre ideas that make people’s heads turn while effectively marketing your product at the same time.
CONNECT EMOTIONAL STORIES BACK TO YOUR PURPOSE
Similar to bizarre content, emotional stories can be effectively implemented the same way. There’s no disputing that even the most unrelated emotional story can garner attention, but oftentimes, the attention is displaced from the objective.
A classic story of a child overcoming a difficult upbringing to become a successful executive might give viewers a sense of empowerment, but if the product is a car, then the connection is no longer clear. However, this ad campaign released by Pampers in Japan tells a relevant emotional story.
The story of how a baby’s first birthday is also a mom’s first birthday resonates with the target audience and connects back to the fact that Pampers is a diaper company.
DEFY THE NORM TO CONNECT ON A DEEPER LEVEL
In this generation, ads need to have a wow factor in order to capture viewers’ attention, but that cannot come at the expense of being relevant. This is not a revolutionary concept, but whereas Japanese advertisers excel in this respect, this is no longer the norm in the United States.
There are, however, some exceptions to this trend, such as the creative approach Lean Cuisine implemented in last year’s “#WeighThis” campaign.
The ads place their focus on “weighing in” on personal accomplishments while still promoting weight loss through the brand’s products. Lean Cuisine didn’t forthrightly stamp themselves across the ad, but their involvement and purpose is still clear to the viewer.
THINK GLOBALLY FOR EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS
Whether you’re attempting to sell a product. receive a donation or gain support for a political figure, an advertisement should always reflect that goal. Viewers should walk away ready to follow through on the call to action, as opposed to only thinking about the unrelated humor or imagery.
To improve your brand’s marketing, look to other cultures for inspiration on how to tie emotion, humor and other concepts to your overall message. From one country to another, we all have our own differences, but creativity, innovation and their applications remain a universal language.
Brandon Lewis is a Finance and Marketing major at Northeastern University, joining Wilde Agency through the school’s Cooperative Education and Career Development program.
Born in the USA — but having resided in the UK and Singapore for most of his life — Brandon knows how to think on a global level and bring that unique perspective to his work. He enjoys traveling as often as he can and trying new foods along the way.
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