OK, so this is probably not the absolute best commercial of the day (but I saw one poll where it ranked #10), but I wanted to review the ad because it has some unique elements that we can all learn from:
First of all, here it is again for your review: Tide:TalkingStain
Here’s some reasons why I like it and I believe you can learn some things for your marketing as well:
1. HUMOR – It’s hard to beat humor, especially when you are marketing a somewhat dull product like a stain remover tool. These ring-around-the-collar guys have gotten funny!
2. EARLY ARREST – this ad (unlike some of the Bud Light commercials) grabs your attention right from the start, assuring that you don’t walk away and head to the fridge just yet. In our day and time, amidst all the clutter, to get someone’s attention early is key!
3. OVERKILL ON IT’S PRACTICALITY – OK, what idiot would go to an interview with a stain that big…but that’s not the point…although we’re not that dumb, we could all imagine ourselves in a similar situation where a smaller stain (or some other physical imperfection) could totally ruin the job interview…so we relate, even if it’s exaggerated. This is a product that could save us if we were in a similar situation (although I always saved my meals for post-job-interview for this very reason!)
4. ACTION ITEM AT END – I’m not sure if people caught it because they might have been laughing too hard to hear the announcer say, “Get Famous at mytalkingstain.com”…..but they are banking on the fact that some of you did or at least you’ll hear it when you replay the ad today on blogs like this one….so you are instructed about this practical laundry tool, but they are counting on you to retain your affinity for this product (and the Tide brand name) by going to this site that has a YouTube feature where you can create your own talking stain ad or watch other homemade versions (that they promise to choose the best and air on national TV). By the time I am writing this (about 18 hours after the airing of the commercial) there were only a few spots…I wonder how many they’ll end up with (the men’s restroom one is pretty funny). Not all of you will be able to encourage your customers to go to some website that allows people to create their own spoof videos (much like the ElfYourself phenomenon of OfficeMax), but the idea of getting people to engage in free follow-up PR (putting their own Tide to Go spoofs on YouTube…free PR for you!)…well, it’s a strategy that will enable some audiences to maintain their affection for Tide long after the 30 sec spot is done (which is probably what happens with alot of the million dollar commercials). Without spending millions of dollars, you can still take advantage of the web to give people a place to go to learn more, see more, or hear more about your product (and the effective use of creative domain names….mytalkingstain.com….it helps create a little buzz about what you have to offer.) This is a key element to the Duct Tape Marketing system…I am an authorized DTM coach, so I can tell you more about it!
Well, that’s it for today….either myself or the other TWIN will chime in with more as the week goes on. These are fun to review and watch, and even though you may not mimic the same ad buy budget, you can glean some elements that will be important for your small business marketing.
-Randy