More of a focus on brand
It could be brands look to their past and bring their heritage to life, and amplify their brand story over actual product focus. Guinness ran executions for its successful Made of More campaign that focussed on stories of courage, community, and craftsmanship, and didn’t feature any pints. Or could we see more compelling stories that highlight a brand's values to better resonate with customers?
Make more emotional connections
Instead of focusing on the product, brands might want to try and connect with consumers on a more emotional level. Think of the John Lewis Christmas ads, like Man On The Moon. The products are secondary to the way they make you feel. There are lots of brands in this space where product is featured minimally or subliminally. Like Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign where the brand's logo was replaced with popular names. But it will be interesting to see who is brave enough to embrace heightened emotion without any product at all.
Collaborating with brand ambassadors
Working with high profile individuals who align with the brand's ethos, can help promote brand values and messaging without directly showcasing products, reaching a potentially broader audience and building trust. Nike's famous/infamous collaboration with Colin Kaepernick, for instance, focused on social justice and equality without explicitly promoting their specific products.
Exploring alternative advertising channels
With traditional advertising channels becoming more restrictive, maybe it’s a good time for brands to explore alternative channels to reach their audience? Such as podcasts, influencer partnerships, and branded content on streaming platforms. There could be plenty of opportunities to engage consumers in a more personalised and less sales-y manner. Spotify's branded playlists are a good example of this. Aligning with customers’ interests and promoting the brand’s identity, but in a very non-intrusive way.
Take a cue from radio
Brands might learn a thing or two from radio, and use sound much more effectively in TV and digital ads. In the worlds of food and drink, audio triggers are ideal for implying the feeling a product can stir, or the specific emotion it can evoke, for example, without a need to show it. Maybe we’ll see (or hear) more ASMR-type cues? Our hungry and thirsty brains can fill in the rest.
Bending the rules
There’s a couple of notable examples of brands recently running campaigns that might actually get around the rules before they even come into place. Häagen Dazs unveiled a new billboard campaign this summer that just showed the stick. No ice cream. No packaging. Would that get past the ASA? McDonald’s ran a widely praised campaign that had no images, just a list of their burger ingredients, set in striking typography. Neither their name nor logo were featured. But you knew it was them. So it will be interesting – and fun, to see who can come up with new and creative ways to meet, or bend, the rules and still boost sales.
We should all be thinking more creatively anyway….
We actually have a very healthy snack client in our agency, but wanted to take on the might of Kellogg’s. And so had to think differently. Product shots just weren’t going to cut it. So we created a 7ft unicorn. He was the focus of our campaign, rather than the bars themselves, and that helped us reach a tasty 4.5million customers on a fraction of the budget of the competition. So it pays to try something bold and different.
