When advertisers go light with their messages, it can help them go viral.
In fact, one advertising campaign had me recently laughing out loud. And I mean a real laugh, not just one of those cyber niceties. It was for Laphroaig Scotch, and it didn’t sugar coat their product one bit.
For the uninitiated, Laphroaig (pronounced la froig), has a – how shall I put this – characteristic taste. Mind you, character can come with a hefty price tag. I once ordered this at a pub and a single shot was more expensive than my meal.
The distillers at Laphroaig are not afraid point out that its character is not for everyone. In this ad campaign, they asked people to taste it and give their honest opinion. And they were honest – brutally honest - comparing the taste of the pricey beverage to iodine, damp dog and tree bark, and a seagull’s armpits.
http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/laphroaig-scotch-doesnt-mind-if-you-think-it-tastes-burning-hospital-158069
Did that bother Laphroiag distillers? Not at all. It made for a truly amusing and feisty video, one that went viral and garnered the firm plenty of free publicity.
My point is that it’s okay to be different in your advertising. In fact, it’s refreshing, memorable, sometimes even profitable. If you spend years and barrels of advertising cash trying to be just like (but slightly better than) your competitors, you’ll never stand out to your customers.
You may not be ready for such a fearless sense of humor in your marketing and advertising, and that’s okay. But try to find a unique voice, or a unique style, and you may find a whole new bevy of fans and customers. And if you can’t do that, find a company that can help. (Fruchtman Marketing comes to mind, but I’ll admit to my bias.)
After all, wouldn’t you rather be someone’s wee dram of memorable scotch than their bland cup of tea?