Intelligent, powerful and evocative marketing can often be overlooked by the
everyday consumer. A poster in a train station is something that the eye does not
tend to focus on and an advert on television might signal the time to go make
yourself a cup of tea. However, there have been times in history that one advertising
campaign has shone through and created a permanent change in the
culture’s conscious.
Why is bacon a breakfast food?
In a lot of people’s minds bacon and eggs has always been considered a staple
breakfast meal, but this was not always the case. In the 1920s most people ate a
light breakfast, perhaps some toast and orange juice, that was until Edward Bernays
was hired by Beech-Nut Packing company. Bernays was set the task of selling more
bacon and so he had the idea to ask his doctor if a more substantial breakfast would
be better for him, like bacon and eggs. His doctor said yes and so he contacted 5000
more doctors to ask the same question and 4500 of them agreed. This information
was forwarded to the newspapers at the time and bacon became a popular breakfast
food, and it has stayed that way ever since. It was an incredibly clever idea for the
time because people were unlikely to disagree with doctors and by using bacon and
eggs as the example in his letters to them, that became the most obvious option for
a hearty breakfast to the consumer.
Another ad-campaign that has permanently altered the public’s perception is Coca-
Cola’s incorporation of Father Christmas into their advertising. Coca-Cola’s
association with Santa dates back to 1931 when Haddon Sunblom selected to
portray him drinking a glass of Coca-Cola. While Santa had been depicted in various
different forms before, including with the red suit and big white beard, it was this
advertisement that cemented his public image and is the reason why Santa has kept
the same look for nearly 100 years. This iconic association has proved to be a huge
success for the Coca-Cola brand as well. The red and white imagery that comes with
Santa created a very convenient and fortuitous branding for the drink
despite having nothing to do with Christmas. By adopting this character into their
advertising, they have been able to repeat the same campaign every year and
broadcast the same advert on TV. It has been stated in my house, and I’m sure
many houses around the globe that it is not really Christmas until you see the Coca-
Cola advert on TV. This association is simple, yet effective and is a clear example of
advertising having a huge impact on culture.
The art of the slogan
When you think of certain companies or brands it is sometimes almost impossible
not to think of their slogan alongside it. For example, Snickers’ ‘you’re not you when
you’re hungry’ or Subway’s ‘eat fresh.’ The iconic slogans that are now just a part of the everyday vernacular had to be created and were usually started by a very
successful ad campaign.
Notably, Nike’s ‘just do it’ tagline that originally came about because Dan Wieden,
the advertising executive, wanted to create some unity across their first big television
campaign to tie all the advertising together. To do this, he created a slogan that was
supposed to speak to the beginners in sport and the hardcore athletes alike. When
the campaign was released, Nike received huge amounts of positive feedback from
the public because the tagline had resonated with so many. This is an example of
how a tagline can become a part of a brands identity that is still popular and widely
used today.
Knowing your audience
Marketing comes in many different forms and can be used to effectively promote
almost anything to anyone. A recent ad campaign that has stayed in my mind and
I’m certain people will try to replicate in the future is the promotion of the Barbie
movie in 2023.
While this film had all the ingredients to be successful, including an amazing cast, a
great director and a clear image created by the Barbie brand, the films marketing
went above and beyond to make it the 15 th highest grossing film of all time. Being a
Barbie fan, I followed the creation of this movie very closely and was excited for its
release. When the press tour began, and Margot Robbie was seen dressing as
different Barbie dolls at each event, I knew that the marketing team behind this film
knew exactly what their audience wanted from a Barbie film. The pink theming was a
stand-out at every premiere and the merchandising helped to create even more hype
for this movie. Equally, the novelty of ‘Barbenheimer’ (going to see Barbie and
Oppenheimer on the same day due to their coinciding release date) further propelled
this movie into the phenomenon that it was last year. By performing ‘fan service’ and
showing a genuine care and passion for the Barbie brand, the film became its own
cultural moment and had people dressing up in pink just to go see it at the cinema.
The marketing for Barbie is a great example of making something great, even better
by committing to serving audiences and taking advantage of all the possible avenues
set out for you.
Advertising and being marketed to is a part of everyday life and even though for the
majority, it is a part we may dislike, sometimes it can shape and change the world we
live in permanently. It is an incredibly powerful and important tool, that when used
successfully can have a major impact.