Who turns on the ambulance lights?

 

Who turns on the ambulance lights?

At the weekend I was driving with my three-year-old son in the car.

An ambulance tore past with its blues and twos on.

“Was that an ambulance Daddy?” came the inevitable question from the back.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Did it have its flashing lights on Daddy?”

“Yes it did,” I said.

“Who turned them on?”

Going along with it, I replied: “The ambulance driver”.

A few moments silence followed while the information was digested.

Then came the response: “How did he get on to the roof to turn them on?”

We’ve had numerous exchanges like this over the last year.

I’m sure other parents will relate to the sometimes-baffling questions.

His questions often remind me how things are only obvious because of our pre-existing knowledge.

Toddlers have no pre-existing knowledge.

In this way they’re like consumers.

As marketers we often forget how little customers know about our product or service.

But consumers are not thinking about us day-in, day-out.

To market anything successfully we have to appreciate their current knowledge.

Only by understanding this can we communicate a message that will change or develop their mindset.

This is why I’m often struck when prospective clients ask if we have experience in their category.

Obviously we need experience in our area of expertise.

But there’s often an assumption that if we have category experience we’ll do a better job.

I think the reverse is true.

Clients have so much experience in their sector that it’s sometimes hard for them to unlearn this.

A big part of our value is our naivety.

It helps us think like a consumer.

– RG

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An interesting first kiss

 

An interesting first kiss

First Kiss has been watched by over 90 million people to date. You may be one of them (if you haven’t seen it, then take a few minutes to watch it below.)

It was made by the fashion brand Wren to showcase their designs.

The three-and-a-half-minute film shows ten pairs of strangers kissing for the first time.

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It’s particularly interesting because it’s achieved success without being humorous, rude or X-rated.

I remember the first incarnations of viral marketing (as it was called then).

I was working in an advertising agency at the time.

We started receiving an influx of briefs to create viral videos.

The received wisdom at the time was that people only forwarded things that were hilarious or outrageous - preferably both.

This raised questions about what was right for the brand. Often the projects wouldn’t happen because the requisite tone was deemed inappropriate.

Wren has achieved success with a film that taps into other emotions. It’s a genuine and charming portrayal of an awkward moment to which many people can relate. As befits a fashion brand, it’s done with a suitable amount of style and edge.

First Kiss shows that you can achieve success with content that’s right for the brand. You don’t have to sacrifice ‘appropriateness’ for ‘shares’.

The key is to produce content that’s genuinely interesting and connects with people - in whatever way.

This requires a rebalancing of where budgets are invested - away from media and towards strategy, creative and production.

It also necessitates a shift in mindset. There’s no guaranteed level of exposure with social content, unlike with traditional media.

For those that are willing to do this, the financial rewards can be substantial; imagine how much would it would have cost Wren to buy 90 million exposures for a three-and-a-half-minute film via traditional media.

– RG

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