My dad’s bigger than your dad

I have no idea why this has suddenly come back into fashion, but I don’t like it. Not one single bit!

Two of the worst adverts on television right now are the Dynamo Liquid Laundry Detergent advert and the Snuggies advert.

Both of these adverts singular aim is to bag out the opposition. They go so far as to actually name their competitors in the advert. In fact, Dynamo actually mentions OMO as the last brand name in their current ad! It’s crazy!

Snuggies is probably not as bad – mainly due to its higher level of production quality – but it still follows the trend of trying to convince you to buy their product over another ‘because’.

This is in no way a new style of advertising. In fact Dynamo produced a similar advert some 15 years ago – fake scientist and all!

I don’t really give much credit to advertisers who simply nail the other competitor. I always find it cheap and low. The question I continue to ask myself is “Are your true differentials so minute that you have nothing other than bragging rights left to compete?”

There seems to be little marketing involved in this technique. The strategy appears very weak and more driven by senior executives who are far far removed from the average shopper.

Understanding your consumer is a vital ingredient in any successful marketing campaign. Without this depth of knowledge, it is impossible to create anything of substance in terms of results. It simply becomes creative.

It can be said that this was true in the recent political campaigns. Most adverts failed to reach out to the average every day person and, like the Dynamo and Snuggies advertisements, simply chose to slam the opponent.

Most people I have spoken with, were seeking differentials. Benefits of going one way or the other. The slagging was simply perceived as wasteful and unnecessary.

Again, this comes down to a lack of understanding about the consumer. Rarely are political campaigns driven by any real marketing. Cheap shots and overall badly produced commercials rule and any remnants of a strategy is really lost when the bout begins.

The lesson for the rest of us is to really appreciate what good marketing adds to a campaign.

A focused approach that deals with a) what your consumers really want b) what your ‘true’ differentials are and c) what the ‘real’ benefits are for them, as an end user, are the key ingredients to the foundation of a successful campaign.

Mix in some amazing production and some clever ideas and you have yourself a real winner.

So next time the you think about being the school bully with your advertising, think about your consumers and if they’re really likely to be turned on by the ‘macho’ approach.