The NYT ran an article last week about how marketers and advertisers have tapped into the anger everyone is feeling about how we’ve all been shafted one way or another during the current economic meltdown. I think on cable news they’ve taken to calling it “populist rage.”
“The campaigns take an outspoken, provocative tone that is unusual for mainstream marketing messages, which typically try to avoid aggrieved attitudes for fear of alienating audiences. The change reflects the significant shift in sentiment as the public reacts to the wrenching and, at times, frightening financial events of the last year.”
As one of the legions of millennials (depending on who you ask), I think the success of these ads, or really their relevance in general, has to do less with tapping into some kind of rage and more of simply speaking the truth. No more sugar-coating, ads are going organic! The article cites the Post Shredded Wheat commercials, which I think are brilliant. But I don’t buy the argument. Sure, you could describe the ads as “fired up” but I think it’s kind of a big leap to go from the distaste for credit default swaps to a mistrust of innovation in your breakfast foodstuffs.
What I think Post has done instead is “own” their essence of their product. Rather than portraying the brand as sunshine and lollipops with old people having tender moments with their grand kids as they eat shredded wheat in the breakfast nook as sunlight streams in through the window, they go a different route. They say, guess what: we’re boring. We know it. You know it. We like being boring. That’s what makes us awesome. We’re not going to change. We’re not going to pretend we’re something we’re not. We’re going to own it, and in so doing, become awesome. It’s classic high school psychology. *ahem* Napoleon Dynamite, anyone?
Yes, advertisers are focusing on the feeling of seething anger, but maybe they’re also just saying what everyone is thinking. I’d argue that this whole “mad ads” thing is really just advertisers being more authentic, albeit authentic in the same way reality tv represents reality, but still. Isn’t that what all the market research says millenials are in to, authenticity? With the way tv, youtube, podcasts and entertainment et al are following that notion doesn’t it stant to reason that eventually commercials would come around too?
In other news, it bears mentioning that the picture that accompanies the article is classic. I like to pretend that the guy is showing us how much beer he bought to quell his rage. Either that or he’s worried that the government is going to steal his beer for some reason or another. I’m not quite sure what the narrative should be, but I’m certain you could write a fairly entertaining novella based on the picture alone. Alert your local creative writing class.