Attention is scarce, distractions are constant, and we all have places to be. So, how can brands cut through and ensure an idea that sounded great in the room truly lands?
To explore how to design for distraction, a Campaign panel, in partnership with Uber Advertising, was convened to talk through best practices for breakthrough creative that earns attention.
Don’t worry, it won’t take long.
1. Know your audience
It’s a given that all brands should know their target audience. But do they really know them?
“One of the most common and biggest failures is not getting under the skin and working out exactly who your audience is, what state of mind they’ll be in when you engage them, and where they’ll be,” says Ant Nelson, chief creative officer at adam&eveDDB London.
Ben Sherburn, head of marketing – food & beverages UK at McDonald’s, agrees: “It’s too easy for us to get into a bubble where we don’t really understand what our customers are facing, especially during challenging times financially. Go out there and see what’s happening.” His colleagues at McDonald’s take this literally, often heading to their restaurants to see how customers engage with the brand.
2. Pick a channel
Getting to know your audience better has the added value of enabling smarter decisions about where to target them.
“Instead of being scattergun and trying to do everything on every channel, we are really specific about which channels we want to talk to,” says Nelson. “We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we’re seeing more positive results by being channel-focused. That bleeds into really knowing who you’re talking to.”
3. Get the proposition right
To ensure a good idea lands, the creative team should have a powerful proposition from which to work. “Whether it’s a product, a benefit or a service, spend time making sure your proposition meets customer needs and differentiates itself so that it can cut through the market,” says Sherburn. “And then the creative can bring it to life and make it work hard.”
4. Don’t lose sight of the idea
The panel agreed that a good idea carries a hidden danger: people get carried away with it, lose sight of its objective, and it doesn’t land. “We’re all guilty of it,” says Nelson. “Someone comes up with a fantastic idea and everyone latches onto it, but when you get under the hood, everyone is so tied to it that sometimes the idea gets lost when it goes out into the real world.”
Sherburn says the key to avoiding this is to “codify the magic in the idea and make sure it translates across channels”.
5. Be original
Originality has always been king in advertising, but Nelson believes it’s more important than ever: “With new channels and different ways people interact with your brand, it’s harder to stand out now than ever before, and originality helps you do that.”
Being original is easier said than done, though. So, what’s the key? McDonald’s focuses on ‘fan truths’, says Sherburn: “We have a real understanding of how our fans experience our brand, and we use that to build a creative idea. Any ad with a core brand truth at the heart works much better.”
6. Get the basics right
Sometimes the best creative is the simplest, which means getting your basics right. “It’s brilliant when you get an amazing creative idea, but if you can’t read it or you can’t understand it, then it’s wasted,” says Sherburn. “At McDonald’s, we go out to look at our OOH advertising to make sure people can read it or have time to see it when driving past.”
Nelson cited Budweiser’s ‘One second ads’ as a great example of a simple idea that lands. The campaign, which won the Audio and Radio Grand Prix at Cannes Lions, used second-long snippets of popular songs to create a ‘guess that track’ competition. The result? No skipping, lots of replaying. “It was a really disarming campaign that was simple, unexpected, effective and original,” says Nelson.
Uber’s rules of the road
Uber Advertising teamed up with National Research Group to look more deeply into the elements that can boost attention, memorability and action. The research tested almost 300 ads across platforms and markets, and found several key insights:
- Begin the Journey with your Brand: Logo and tagline from second zero
- Keep your Eyes on the Context: Location, time, emotion = relevance
- Site, Sound and Motion Drive impact: Looping short visuals win
- Objective-Based Messaging Delivers Results: Clear CTA and show value
“These elements really have an impact in terms of brand lift when consumers are in the moment,” says Natalie Lacey, executive VP at National Research Group. “These lifts were significant, with 20+ points at all stages of the funnel.”
“We are turning impressions into impact in ways that other brands don’t, by connecting people in a really core, active moment,” says Mrinalini Nair, head of global partner strategy at Uber Advertising, who also explained that the research revealed nuances across regions: “With messaging, the Brits want things very punchy and brief, the Americans and the French like a little bit more romance and clarity in the content. Visually, Mexico favours bold, while the UK and US favour more subtlety. In terms of ‘what’s in it for me’, Mexico wants to know ‘what is it, how can I get it’, France wants a reason to believe in the product.”
On the panel:
Gemma Charles, deputy editor, Campaign
Natalie Lacey, executive VP, National Research Group
Mrinalini Nair, head of global partner strategy, Uber Advertising
Ant Nelson, chief creative officer, adam&eveDDB London
Ben Sherburn, head of marketing - food & beverages UK, McDonald's
