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.
Consider the recent Three 'Pony' ads and interactive YouTube channel for example. For about three weeks our TVs, computers, laptops and mobile phones appeared to have been taken over by a crazy shetland. It popped up in our Facebook reads as sponsored stories and ads, and came onto our TV screens as other people's compilations, with a huge volume that meant it was unavoidable.
Anyway, that's enough said for now. Time to take a look at the 02 'Be more dog' ad and you can judge for yourself.
