When I first saw this ad I thought 'okay, how random'. And then I went to work and people were talking about it. I came home and my boyfriend was talking about it too. It seemed like everyone was talking about that 'random dog ad'.
So job done then, right?
Not really. Talk-ability doesn't necessarily translate in to commercial gain. The questions that seem to get lost are 'what is the desired consumer take-out' and 'what do we want them to do as a result of seeing this ad'? Instead, it seems like the end goal is simply to get people talking (brand awareness and topicality) with the hope that it translates into gains for the brand. Perhaps not, but judging by my personal reaction of 'huh', there's no clear take-out or call to action from what I've experienced.
This new direction that advertising seems to be taking shifts the focus away from simple product, brand or consumer truths and puts it directly on entertainment and viral engagement.