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Subject: Evaluating Advertising Creative – Does it Stick
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The beginning step in business success is making the product or service known to the target consumers. The objective is achievable through advertising, which communicates with customers and informs them about brands and products available in the market. Advertising is a marketing activity available to the public and targets diverse demographics of real and potential customers. One of the advertisement channels that businesses use are billboards, which is the focus of the current review of effectiveness using the Heath Brothers’ “Made to Stick” Principles.
Overview of Advertisement
The 3D coke ad at the Times Square
Coca-Cola drew on 3D design inspiration and mixed reality elements to create one of the most interesting billboard ads. The ad is the pioneering and largest 3D robotic billboard in the world. The first of its kind ad integrates motion technology in a six stories tall billboard visible from quite far. The billboard shows the content (Coca-Cola product) in motion, making it easily noticeable to the public. The ad has revealed the efficacy in blending creativity to the digital and physical world, creating appealing marketing tools.
Objectives and Target Audience
The primary objective of the Coke ad is to create a pause-and-refresh moment for the general public. The company’s products are for a general audience since everyone consumes the products. However, the company targests adults above 18 years who can independently make buying decision. As a result, we selected the crowded Times Square to reach as many of the target audience as possible.
The Effectiveness of the Ad
The 3D Coca-Cola ad is one of the most effective ads in the modern business world. The use of virtual reality allows the marketing team to create an image that sticks in the public’s mind. The 3D technology brings the coke brand to life uniquely and in a differentiated manner. The display makes it hard for any person to pass it without noticing the brand. Besides, the motion display attracts even the most uninterested person passing by the billboard. The ad catches people’s attention from a far and makes them interested to engage with it for long, thus, getting persuaded about the need to purchase the product.
“Made to Stick” Principles
The ad meets the criteria for “Made to Stick” since it fulfils four of the six principles. First, regardless of the complexity of the 3D ad, the message is simple and easy to understand. The audience can easily locate the core idea, which is marketing the coke brand. The ad meet the criteria for concreteness since it creates a sense of universal and convincing language. The ad communicates the core idea clearly. The principle of unexpectedness, surprise and interest, is evident in the 3D motion ad. People become surprised since they do not expect such a gigantic billboard advertising the coke brand. The ad also evokes emotions to instigate an action from the audience. Simply viewing the ad evokes deep emotions and persuades the audience to look for the drink from the nearest outlet.
Research Instrument
In compliance with social distance and movement restriction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to conduct an on-line survey of 20 people within target market. I recruited the participants through Facebook, but only among individuals who have seen the ad. The survey used a set of 10 questions (see accompanying document).
They were all above 18 years and can make independent buying decisions. The questions focused about the perspective of the board and its effectiveness as a marketing tool. All the participants agreed that the ad was an effective marketing tool. However, 20% of the participants suggested the need to blend more words to create an effective message. 80% of the participants revealed that the most appealing part of the ad is the 3D motion experience. The results supported the level of creativity in the ad and the need for the firm to improve innovation in the future to make ad more effective.
Recommendations
The ad is effective, but the company can improve it further by blending more information on the motion image to send a clearer message to the audience. The ad should tell a story about coke, which is the focus of advertising. The company should also consider placing similar billboards in other strategic locations to reach more customers. Sharing the ad on social media is also necessary for individuals who cannot physically visit the Times Square.
Summary
The 3D coke ad is a work of great creativity and innovation. The billboard add shows how businesses can integrate technology into their marketing activities to appeal to their customers and “Make the ad Stick” in the minds of the target audience. The firm should continue its research to make more creative and appealing ads. The audience should prepare for more and better adverts from Coca-Cola as the marketing team works on more creativity and innovation in creating ads for diverse media.
Sincerely,