Creativity...

Tasked with creating five advert ideas for a brand of my choice, I've decided to use the car manufacturer, Kia. 

Kia produce affordable, but well-built cars ranging from small hatchbacks, to luxury saloons and even 4x4s (kia.co.uk). Below are examples of Kia's current advertising...

The tone in these adverts give the impression of them being as well-built as other manufacturers, as fun to drive as other manufacturers and just as good as other manufacturers; just not as expensive. They try to communicate that they can compete with the likes of Volkswagen, Hyundai and Toyota as being an affordable yet quality car brand. 

The taglines of 'Park the Clichés' and 'Scratch the Clichés' are Kia's way of almost hitting out at competing manufacturers' advertising and communicating that their cars are as good as their competitors' - or even better - and don't need abstract, empowering advertising techniques to help them in saying how good their cars are.

The Seven Year warranty that Kia offers on all of their ranges sets them apart from other manufacturers and gives the brand a sense of sureness in themselves and again, communicates that affordable quality premise. This USP can therefore be transferred into my creative ideas...

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My first idea is for a 30 second or 60 second TV or Cinema advert, aiming the brand at predominantly male football fans - and could maybe air during ad-breaks for Champions League games or during International fixtures. 

The ad is set at a football stadium during an International Tournament - i.e. the World Cup. Germany are playing South Korea and the game has gone to a penalty shoot-out. The German football team is renowned for their 'efficiency' in penalty shoot-outs - especially in the perceptions of the British public thanks to its coverage and hype by the UK Media - whereas South Korea; not so much. The penalty shoot-out develops, with the Germans missing one, but South Korea score all of theirs clinically and effectively, thus winning the shoot-out. A holding shot of the Kia Optima on a white background (consistent with the current campaign) and a male voice-over (again consistent) reading the following: "The Kia Optima. Almost German in it's efficiency... Park the Clichés" with the stress on the word 'almost'. This is to communicate that South Korean cars (namely Kias) can be even better and even more efficient than German cars such as BMW and Volkswagen, which have attained the reputation of being the most efficient and well-built cars in the world. 

Brief Storyboard for Kia Penalty Shoot-out TV/Cinema Advert Idea.

The current Optima campaign also runs with the same 'Park the Clichés' tag-line, but this idea incorporates a more humorous tone and gives the viewer (football fans if shown in ad-breaks of football matches) something they can relate to. There is also a surprise element to the ad, as the viewer doesn't know what the advert is advertising. This, hopefully, will hold the viewers attention more so than an advert that straight away shows the viewer the brand/product/service.

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My second idea is for a different model of the Kia range - the Picanto. 

Again, by using the USP of Kia's 7 Year warranty, I can communicate values of high build quality and engineering that can compete with the best car manufacturers. It is also important that with the Picanto model, the idea of it being 'fun' to drive is communicated as this is what can attract its target market of the younger generation. 

The ad is print based and follows the 'Modify' technique the 'SCAMPER' model as it presents the Picanto as the well-known children's toy, the Rubik's Cube.

Clearly this a terrible rendering of the car as a Rubik's Cube but you get the idea...

It is hoping to communicate the fact that the Kia Picanto is of high build quality and is actually a complex machine, but is fun to drive at the same time. This can also refer to the Rubik's Cube itself, as this is a comlex mechanism but is considered a toy. The ad could also be considered to have nostalgic links as well and can be related to by adults who grew up during the 1980's - when the Rubik's Cube was at its most popular.

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My third idea again uses the 'Modify' Technique of the SCAMPER Model.

This time however, the USP will be that of the Kia Soul - which has been awarded a 5* Euro NCAP Award, the highest safety rating a car can be bestowed. 

The modification can come in the form of changing the metal of the car into a more obviously safer material, such as bubble wrap or cotton wool, in order to clearly demonstrate how safe this car actually is.

Again, apologies for the poor rendering of a car made of bubble wrap...

The real-life situation of a child running into the street is a traditional scenario and therefore wouldn't be particularly shocking to the audience, but it would communicate effectively the USP of the 5* NCAP safety rating that the car has been awarded.

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Going back to the USP of Kia's 7 Year Warranty, my fourth idea has a sort of nostalgic tone to it, but in an alternative sort of way...

Lots of adverts have a nostalgic tone to them and reminisce about the liveliness of the fifties, the 'swingin' sixties' and the punks, mods and rockers of the seventies ... 

Some ads now are starting to do the same reminiscing and nostalgic feel with the 1980's and to an extent, the 1990's. Virgin Airlines, John Lewis and Halfords have all done this with recent campaigns.

So what if an advert was to be nostalgic about 2005? My fourth idea is to incorporate major events that happened 7 Years ago in order to show that Kia's 7 Year warranty is actually longer than you think. 

Events such as George W. Bush becoming the President, the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, Tony Blair as the Prime Minister, the bid for the London 2012 Olympics was won, the Live 8 concert, hurricane Katrina and the birth of YouTube - with popular music of that year played over the top. The ad then shows a family purchasing a Kia with a 7-Year warranty.

It then cuts to 2012 - David Cameron in charge, Barack Obama gets a second term, the London Olympics is over, YouTube is ingrained in society, Prince William and Kate Middleton are expecting a child... and yet still the family car is under warranty.

The tagline of 'A lot can happen in Seven Years. At least you'll still have peace of mind.' could be effective in explicitly explaining it to the viewer.

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My fifth and final idea uses the 'Put to other Purposes' technique of the SCAMPER model. 

Again, taking the Kia Picanto, and the values that it communicates as being fun to drive, but well-built and robust; I thought it would be effective to show it being used as a toy by a child through the medium of a print advert or on a billboard. Toy cars are one of the most popular things that children play with and it is a well known fact that children can be quite heavy-handed and almost clumsy with them. The ad idea communicates the values of the high build quality that the Kia brand wants to portray, as well as the Picanto possessing the same playful qualities that a toy car does.

'The web is what you make of it...'

Google released their new web browser, Chrome, in 2008, hoping to compete with giants such as Apple’s Safari, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox. They proceeded with a global advertising campaign to both demonstrate the capabilities of their new software and to further enhance the Google brand.

The campaign brought about a series of videos designed for both television and the web; I have chosen three of them from their UK campaign to analyse; Google Chrome: Movember; Google Chrome: Second Chance; and Google Chrome: Jamal Edwards...

All three of them follow the same general pattern of a narrative being told through the features of Google Chrome; Second Chance a love story, Jamal Edwards the rise of a young entrepreneur and Movember the growth of a charity awareness campaign. Viewers are highly engaged as they can see a story develop and unfold (Green and Brock, 2000), but the Chrome ads do this in a less traditional way. For example, there is no narrator talking the viewer through what’s going on on-screen as in other global advertising campaigns (Apple iPhone, for example); the viewer has to pay attention and see it develop themselves. This creates a kind of intrigue and heightens interest. The tales in all three ads are feel-good stories which in turn will make the viewer feel good about watching them, and therefore make them feel good about the brand (Phillips and McQuarry, 2010). Jamal Edwards and Movember are inspirational stories whereas Second Chance is very charming and sweet; all ‘nice’ feelings that viewers will respond positively to. And if viewers are engaged and feeling positive, then that can only be a benefit to the Chrome brand (Delgado-Ballester et al, 2012).

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 The Movember ad does feature a kind of narration, but its from the ‘characters’ of the story themselves rather than a designated voice-over. I would imagine this is purely for the purpose of educating viewers on what ‘Movember’ actually is, in an informative manner, as well as engaging the viewer further – the characters are real people and participants of the Movember movement – viewers are more inclined to listen to and believe true stories/real people than a designated narrator (Kryhul, 2006), especially with regards to charities.

This true-story sentiment is echoed in all three adverts, giving the viewer the opportunity to relate to the characters in the story. Movember especially is effective in doing this as it not only can be related to by survivors/fighters/sufferers of any type of cancer, but also to people who want to donate, raise money and help the cause in a fun and interesting way. I guess that if people can see parts of these three stories in their own lives, then they can see how Chrome can be a part of their own lives as well. The tagline of the campaign further adds to this as it almost provokes the viewer into creating their own legacy and story, just like the characters in the adverts have done. Jamal Edwards in particular does this as it uses a young male from a humble, ethnic background who achieved big things with just a video camera and a computer. This could be interpreted as a mirror into Britain's current economic situation with regards to massive unemployment in young people and Google wanting to show this sector of society that if you have an idea, it can become a reality - especially if you use Google Chrome to help you. 

The narratives in the three ads all have something in common – they don’t end. This leaves viewers wanting more and helps in increasing engagement even further. It gives the impression that, like the stories outlined in the ad, Google Chrome hasn't finished yet and there is still a lot more to come from it. As Jamal Edwards types, ‘I’m just getting started...’

But it’s not just the inspirational or charming narratives that make these ads effective; it’s also the way in which the ads are physically put across - both visually and audibly. The ads are all filmed from the internet browser’s point-of-view, which sets it apart from other adverts straight away. Its something that hasn't been done before for a mainstream broadcast campaign and will instantly impact on viewers due to its unfamiliar look and feel (Clow et al, 2005). The ads brilliantly, but subtly, highlight Chrome’s (and Google’s) huge repertoire of features and services – Google Translate, Google Earth, Maps and Streetview, YouTube, Google Documents, Chrome Apps, Google Search, Google Images, Google +... all in 60 seconds. This fast-paced nature further ads to both engaging the viewer and also reflects on the abilities of the browser itself (Yoon et al, 1999). It gives the impression that these massive accomplishments of the characters within the stories were achieved in no time at all, thanks to the speed and capabilities of Google Chrome. Furthermore, everything the characters do is within the parameters of the Chrome browsing interface, adding to the point of Chrome being the only thing you need for your web experiences as it has everything all in one place. 

The music in the ads also contributes to adding context, charm and impact to the communication process. Huron (1989) identifies six basic ways in which music can increase the effectiveness of an advert: Entertainment, Structure/Continuity, Memorability, Lyrical Language, Targeting and Authority Establishment. Jamal Edwards clearly ‘targets’ the youth audience through its music - the use of modern hip-hop/grime music performed by current artist, Wretch-32, proves this and adds to the ‘youth-culture’ feel of the ad. The use of well-known individuals from the music industry (Jesse J, Plan B, Richard Branson, etc.), however brief, further enhances the appeal of the ad to the youth audience, as they are more likely to look up to the figureheads and see these people as role models (Fleck et al 2012) and therefore take notice of the advert. This can be said for Movember also, which features Hulk Hogan – a legendary moustached man who again, according to Fleck et al (2012), can communicate the point effectively and have a bigger impact on viewers. He is also a welcome surprise to the viewer as a familiar face appears in between a drone of unfamiliar ones. Second Chance and Movember take a slightly different approach in terms of their music to Jamal Edwards in the sense that the songs aren't particularly as main stream or well-known. ‘The Porch Song’ by the Meemies is played over the background in Second Chance, repeating the phrase ‘Sorry 'bout those things I said before’ – a ‘lyrical language’ link (Huron, 1989) to the narrative of the ad and an addition to the whole romantic feeling of the advert itself. Movember’s music is more uplifting and energetic. Performed by The Handsome Furs’, ‘Repatriated’ is not as mainstream or well-known as Wretch 32’s ‘Traktor’, but it epitomises the advert completely. It has a building tempo and grows as the ad goes on – just like the phenomenon that is the Movember awareness campaign as illustrated in the ad. It also has a memorable tone and melody which Huron suggests can build on the viewer’s brand recognition.

And its only at the end of the adverts that we find out explicitly what is being advertised. That’s not to say, however, that we didn't know already. Google is such a massive brand, with services so ingrained in our computing normalities that its repertoire (as earlier described) seems so familiar during the time it is being showcased to the viewer. The essence of the message is not ‘the web is what you make of it...’, but ‘Google is the web...’.

References and Further Reading

• Clow, K., Berry, C., Kranenburg, K and James, K. (2005) ‘An Examination of the Visual Element of Sevice Advertisements. Marketing Management Journal, 15(1), 33-45.
• Delgado-Ballester, E., Navarro, A., Sicilia, M. (2012) "Revitalising brands through communication messages: the role of brand familiarity", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 46 Iss: 1/2, pp.31 – 51
• Fleck,N., Korchia, M., and Le Roy, I. (2012) 'Celebrities in Advertising: Looking for Congruence or Likeability?' Psychology and Marketing 29(9), 651-662
• Green, Melanie C. and Timothy C. Brock (2000), "The Role of Transportation in the Persuasiveness of Public Narratives," Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79 (5 ), 701 -21
• Huron, D. (1989). Music in advertising: An analytic paradigm. Musical Quarterly, 73(4), 557-574.
• Kryhul, A. (2006) ‘Truth in Advertising’ Marketing Magazine; 3/20/2006, Vol. 111 Issue 11, p3-3, 1/2p
• Phillips, B and McQuarry, E. (2010) ‘Narrative and Persuasion in Fashion Advertising.’  Journal of Consumer Research; Oct2010, Vol. 37 Issue 3, p368-392, 25p
• Yoon, K., Bolls, P., Muehling, D. (1999) ‘The Effect of Involvement, Arousal, and Pace on Claim and Non-claim Components of Attitude toward the Ad’ Media Psychology Vol. 1, Iss. 4, 1999