With so much having changed in the consumer mindset in 2020, it stands to reason that how we talk to people in advertising, and what we say, should change as well. But how much should it change?
While producing updated imagery and messages to be sensitive to this new world is a good thing, I’d argue that producing entirely new advertising is very much not a good thing. Here are the reasons.
1. Familiarity is comforting. In his book Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction, Derek Thompson argues that it’s familiarity that draws us in – and effectively gains our attention, interest and affection. The real winners are those that tap into the comfort of the familiar, and add just a modicum of new to differentiate and improve upon the old. In today’s world, with so much stress and uncertainty, this premise is perhaps more true than ever.
2. If you change too much, you won’t be recognizable. A brand’s distinctive brand assets (colors, characters, creative styles, music, taglines) quickly signal the identity of the advertiser to those millions of often not-fully engaged viewers. Without this brand linkage, none of the money you’ve spent buying the ad space will benefit your brand in the mind of the consumer or at the point of purchase.
3. Your brand stands for enduring values. You wouldn’t have achieved the level of success that you have without consumers believing in your brand. All the equity that you’ve built up over the years in who you are and why consumers should care should be the foundation from which you build the updated brand story.
4. You won’t elicit the emotions that are connected to your brand. How people feel about your brand is supported by, if not fully produced by, advertising. It’s why they love you, or at least mindlessly select your brand in the store or on online. Attempts to have your advertising elicit a whole different emotion runs the risk of creating a dis-connect – they won’t know it’s you. Or worse, they’ll be confused about how to feel about your brand.
5. You won’t come across as authentic. A brand that tries to fundamentally change the values it communicates in advertising isn’t seen as credible, and is unlikely to be believed. If you come across as saying something just because it’s trending, you risk losing the faith that your public has in you. As today’s consumers strive to create a better world, a brand that is seen as using this goodwill and best intentions to trick people into padding their corporate coffers is the last one they’ll want to support.
The key to successful advertising in times of change – well, anytime really, is to keep doing what works for you but keep tweaking the execution to maintain a level of freshness and surprise. It’s finding the right balance of comforting familiarity with that added spark of unexpected newness – not wholesale change – that can win every time.
