Good Advertising
A good advertisement is generally defined as an advertisement that successfully appeals to the target audience, is somewhat unforgettable, markets the brand/product successfully, and doesn't cast a shadow over the brand/product.
Advertisement 1: Durex - Balloon Animals
About the ad
Condom brand Durex released this advertisement in 2009. The video was released by agency Fitzgerald + Co and directed by Rob Rugan. In the ad, condoms are blown up to be shaped like balloon animals. These animals assume multiple sex positions, showing the durability of the condoms. The only noises made are squeaky balloon noises slightly altered to sound like sexual noises.
The advert was only aired in the US, however going viral on the internet with over 3 million YouTube hits. The advertisement combines humour with the purpose, to show the durability of the product, also leaving in a hidden message of a party hence the balloons, as long as it is done safely.
Advertisement 2: ANZ - Barbara Lives in Bank World
About the ad
ANZ bank, in a campaign to claim that 'we live in your world', released a series of advertisements depicting what everyone hates about a bank. Barbara is a bank manager who is rude, misleading, dismissive, dishonest and disinterested. The target audience is anyone who has experienced the main four separate common negative bank situations such as hidden fees, customer service, credit card rewards, and home loans. The end of all four advertisements offer up a solution in ANZ. The adverts were directed by Paul Middleditch from Plaza Films.
The advertisement was deemed as tongue-in-cheek humor. The success of the advertisements was three times what ANZ expected, spawning the another three advertisements. The advertisements incorporate the simple formula of problem and solution, with the emphasis of colour and lighting make ANZ very attractive, and making it very humorous and enjoyable. Everyone banks, therefore these Barbara situations can relate to anyone, grabbing their attention, where the advertisement can implement ANZ's relevance, making sure not the cast a shadow over the brand.
Bad Advertising
Bad advertising can be defined as the exact opposite of a good advertisement. They unsuccessfully appeal to the target audience by either being forgettable, offensive, or cringe-worthy. Some bad advertisements have been good/memorable adverts, however casting a shadow over the brand or product advertised.
Advertisement 1: Coles - No Added Hormones
About the ad
Coles promoted their range of no-added-hormones beef with celebrity chef Citrus Stone and singer Normie Rowe with a re-working of Rowe's classic song 'Shakin' All Over'. Once the advertisement was broadcast, the public disliked the advertisement and ruining of a classic song. A sea of unfavourable hashtags were already circling through Twitter, with consumers threatening to boycott the supermarket giant. The advertisement was eventually taken off the air.
Advertisement 3: Mentos - Mentos Ice Chewing Gum
About the ad
Mentos released an advert in 2006 for their new range of Icy Fresh Chewing Gum. The advert was comprised of a topless male in hot weather, who's nipples got longer as he ate Mentos and walked around town, promoting the icy effect of the chewing gum. The advert was the second most complained about advert in Australian history, with a recorded 284 complaints at the time.
Theory 1
One theory used to judge the effectiveness of successful/unsuccessful advertising is AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action)
Durex - Balloon Animals
The Durex advertisement was successful due to the attention it caused with the sexual manner on the advertisement, however still being suitable for television. Therefore it gains interest due to the humor in the advertisement following a story. The desire to then want to purchase the product due to the promised durability was successfully achieved. Then follows the action, people wanting to go out and purchase the product.
ANZ - Barbara from bank world
With the advertisement about a rude but funny bank manager dealing with clients, the target audience can relate to the situations the consumer on the advert is experiencing. The interest forms as to where is this going? How much worse can the situation get? Desire is then formed when ANZ provides the solution to other banks, therefore causing action from the consumer.
Coles - No added hormones
The advertisement successfully gained attention with an old celebrity and the working of one of their hit songs. Interest was then lost with how badly received the re-working of the song was. Causing no desire to purchase the product and action to be taken.
Mentos - Ice Gum
Durex - Balloon Animals
The Durex advertisement was successful due to the attention it caused with the sexual manner on the advertisement, however still being suitable for television. Therefore it gains interest due to the humor in the advertisement following a story. The desire to then want to purchase the product due to the promised durability was successfully achieved. Then follows the action, people wanting to go out and purchase the product.
ANZ - Barbara from bank world
With the advertisement about a rude but funny bank manager dealing with clients, the target audience can relate to the situations the consumer on the advert is experiencing. The interest forms as to where is this going? How much worse can the situation get? Desire is then formed when ANZ provides the solution to other banks, therefore causing action from the consumer.
Coles - No added hormones
The advertisement successfully gained attention with an old celebrity and the working of one of their hit songs. Interest was then lost with how badly received the re-working of the song was. Causing no desire to purchase the product and action to be taken.
Mentos - Ice Gum
The humor of the advert gained attention and interest through the obscene situation. However it did not create interest in the product, more so dis-interest. Resulting in no action taken.
(2011) Ryski M, Hudson Valley Business Journal, Why Good Advertising Looks Bad, vol. 22, issue 33, page 4. Viewed 18th September 2013
About the article
The article explains the difficulty in measuring an advertisements success. An advertisement may have direct response and boost sales by X%, however other advertisements may turn over little to no profit. However this doesn't make the advertisement bad, the advertisement may increase brand awareness for the future. The article is quoted to have measuring marketing success similar to 'trying to measure room temperature with a tape measure'.
Theory 2
A journal article of Eldridge (1958) had a theory of 5 simple steps that make good advertising:
1. Must be truthful, both in it's statements and reasonable implications
2. Must be believable
3. Must not unfairly disparage competitors or competitive products
4. The advertising claims must be effectively presented in the order that they must be heard or read.
5. The product/service attributes must be important to those whom the advertising is intending to influence.
Journaled Article
(2011) Ryski M, Hudson Valley Business Journal, Why Good Advertising Looks Bad, vol. 22, issue 33, page 4. Viewed 18th September 2013
About the article
The article explains the difficulty in measuring an advertisements success. An advertisement may have direct response and boost sales by X%, however other advertisements may turn over little to no profit. However this doesn't make the advertisement bad, the advertisement may increase brand awareness for the future. The article is quoted to have measuring marketing success similar to 'trying to measure room temperature with a tape measure'.






















