The Feel-Good Factor

One of the reasons we keep banging on about television commercials is because they are the most visible component in marketing campaigns that cross many disciplines. When, for example, a bank breaks an advertising campaign on the telly, it will be backed up with digital messaging in the same vein, including social media, radio commercials using the same music/voiceovers and printed material in branch. More people, therefore, will see the television commercial than any other format, which is why we refer to that first. Good; that’s cleared that up then.

There are a couple of ads worth mentioning that are doing the rounds at the moment, and both, as it happens, are from banks. The HSBC offering features a little girl collecting football cards and, unable to get the last one for a full house, mum takes her off to visit the footballer concerned in person, a picture of footballer and little girl, both grinning broadly, now appears in her album and so she goes from despair to being the envy of all her friends. Ahhhh…sweet!

The TSB animated ads, particularly the little boy getting more and more helium filled balloons, to his obvious delight are all excellent; all feature families with kids, all feature mums helping out. Now look at the werewolf family searching for Halloween costumes. Mum takes Little Johnny (Fido, surely?) to the supermarket and he mixes up all sorts of different characters to get his own look. Same thing: mum helps out kid.

Now have a look at the psychology behind all this: these are very cleverly thought-out and pre-meditated campaigns designed to make us, the viewer, feel good, and more likely to buy from the advertiser. They have got behind your defences. So as far as you, dear reader, are concerned, bear this in mind when you are planning your next campaign; how are you going to get your potential customers feel good about themselves. Still flummoxed? Give us a call, and we’ll do it for you. It’s our job, you know.