Adjusting Advertising to Reflect Changed Values Since September 11th, living in New York has reminded me of what it might have been like to live during the 1930s. Most TV stations can't broadcast their signals over the air and are only seen on cable. So the many people without cable turn to radio, just like the 1930s. Because access for cars is greatly restricted, many new ferry services have cropped up to convey people to and from Manhattan out to New Jersey, Brooklyn and Long Island, just like the 1930s. But more than the obvious visual cues are the attitudinal ones that hark back to 70 years ago. People know something different about life now. There is more perspective and anxiety. I myself find a greater tolerance for some things and less for others. Life's daily snags seem less than trivial typically, while adverts and editorial that aren't in dialog with me are quickly dismissed. I noticed the first ads I heard on WCBS and WINS news radio were condolences and "we're here to help" ads from State Farm and Allstate Insurance. This was maybe starting on September 13th or 14th. It was appropriate. It was in dialog with what was going on around in the world around it. I notice on nightly newscasts and the Sunday morning TV talk shows, some have changed their messages and some haven't. "We Have Not Changed" was a simple sentence on a blue background for 30 seconds while the announcer read likeminded copy. That felt much better than some of the spots that still feature happy white people in front of computers. How the Pillsbury Doughboy should reflect the mood is a good question. Maybe Pillsbury speaks of the cherished time spent with a child baking cookies and offers a "twofer" on cookie dough to promote such bonding. "Lucky Green Went Off to War" was what Lucky Strike cigarettes ran during World War II, because the dye was needed for uniforms. Since people got used to the white package by 1945, there was no reason to go back. But prior to the war, Lucky Strike was green. Certain kinds of advertisers in certain categories will go with patriotism and family values. It seems to me that one of the lessons we've learned from the tragic events of September 11th is that life can be too short. Irrelevant advertising, whether it's consumer, b2b, or online, needs to value the fact that life can be too short. Commercial messages that deliver high value and respect the time of the recipient will receive in turn a better branding impression and/or better response rates. I have this short story in my head about this advertising copywriter who talks to everybody in the same way he writes his copy, using taglines, copy points, strategically placed unique selling propositions, etc. In short, he talks at everybody just like his ads talk at their respective audiences. The end of the story is that his girlfriend gets him to see the error of his ways in his personal life, and professionally he becomes a direct response copywriter who perfects the art of writing a good sales letter, which must ultimately be in that true dialog with the audience. |
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