Have you ever watched an advert that you don’t even realise is an advert until the brand or product showed up at the end? They can feel like a small movie, or maybe a wild scene that just captivates you (looking at you Cadbury Gorilla, we all remember you). By the time you finish watching, they’ve got you, and weirdly enough you’re not even annoyed by it.
They’re the adverts that live rent-free in our heads, and we’re all okay with that.
Take the old Guinness advert with the wheelchair basketball for example. A group of mates playing a game together, and nothing about it says “advert”. Then towards the end of the ad, all of the guys except one stand up out of their wheelchairs and they head to the pub to grab a Guinness together.
They all chose to play in wheelchairs so their friend could play on equal footing with them. It’s relatable and makes you feel something. And you forget it’s an advert completely, it’s simply nice to watch.
Another perfect example is the Cadbury Gorilla, playing along to a Phil Collins song. Simply a gorilla playing a drum kit. You’d never guess what the advert was about if you’d never seen or heard about it. By the time they reveal their logo and chocolate towards the end of the advert, they’ve likely already got you and your attention.
I’ve seen an increase in these adverts recently, some of them are tucked into YouTube sponsorships, some of them are on broadcast TV, and there’s even a few hovering around on the internet as full videos you’d happily watch on your own.
One of my favourite examples recently came from the Forbrukerrådet – Norwegian Consumer Council YouTube channel.
Their video, titled “A Day in the Life of an Ensh*ttificator”, is about a man who holds the responsibility of following his work day about making everything in life worse and treats it as a lifelong career in a long line of ensh*ttificators.
He dries felt-tip pens out with hairdryers and saws legs off of tables to make them uneven. They even begin to create online platforms people depend on, and then make them worse over time once people become dependent on the platform.
You may have seen it, you may have not. But one thing’s for sure. Whoever has seen it, remembers it. And that’s what is important with advertising.
They’re not advertising a brand however, they’re simply raising awareness of how apps and services get worse once we’re hooked. It’s the same trick, though: entertain first, make the point second.
The best of these adverts tend to be attached to something. That could be a message or something the company stands for, or simply just something to make people smile.
What they do have in common though is that they make you feel something. That could be a laugh, a smirk, confusion, or even give you something to just talk to your friends about. They only asked for your attention once the message got across.
We’re all guilty of rewatching these adverts occasionally, and that’s because they’re enjoyable to watch. It’s arguably one of the best modern forms of marketing.
What’s an advert that got you before you realised what it was? We’d love to hear yours.
