Savvy Simplicity

Television adverts today are now about an experience, they are about
engagement about seeing something and going “wow”.

The Lucozade Yes campaign had cinematography to rival your typical film and I am sure you have seen some of the ridiculous American Adidas/Nike trailers for trainers.
Perfume adverts are exactly the same. Highly aspirational but I would say a little confusing, you forget sometimes it is even a perfume advert (does this mean that they have done their job however?)

All of this has led me to believe that maybe simplicity is the answer.




In the last few years a number of television ads have stood apart, not for the stunning visual appeal of what they are selling to the mass market but for the clarity of the consumer message. This, I think is still creative even if the advert won’t ever win any Cannes Lions awards (than again, very few won last year and we were trying really really hard).




So as per usual, a list will now ensue with some very simple television adverts I think are worth a mention.

The first is now a cult classic: “Bang and the dirt is gone”

Cilit Bang featured a man, by the name of Barry Scott. He said what the product did complete with a god-awful demonstration. That was it. No ridiculous computer animation or a cartoon duck, the advert was simple and got to the point. The fact that it was such a popular hit among, well a lot of people helped make it a bit of a success.

Innocent Smoothies’ have a nice tone of voice. I mean that, it a tone of voice that is nice. It is human and friendly and this brand has positioned itself as being simple, and honest and well… Innocent.

Their television spots (Fallon London and later Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R) even follow this simple recipe of success, “nothing but nothing but fruit”. This clear messaging was extended to the launch of the Innocent Veg Pots.

Whilst the first launch of these little tubs of vegetables was unsuccessful, all communications stayed true to the Innocent brand.

I think it is the simplicity that helps makes their products popular.

The advertisements are simple, as are the products. This makes it easier for us
to understand and in turn we, the consumer, like the brand as we ‘get it’.

The Natural Confectionary Company, with the help of Fallon London (again), have helped a start-up sweet brand become, in my eyes, a big success.

They roughly follow the same principles as Innocent (no artificial stuff etc etc etc blah blah organic, corn-fed) and their adverts are simple. All they feature are the individual sweets ‘talking to each other’.

Whilst the jokes that are cracked are, for some, abstract, I love them. I laughed out loud which for an advert, is pretty good going.

One of the most clever and from what I have heard successful and 'liked' campaigns in the last few months is from perceived value-brand Aldi. Aldi recruited McCann Manchester and together a number of simple price-led adverts that simply show what Aldi do were made. Pretty much the same products, for a bit less money. And, in what could possibly be a double-dip recession/depression, who is going to turn down a simple message with an easy to understand offer?

Aldi may still be viewed alongside the words cheap/value but it probably isn’t considered as ‘bad’ as Lidl which may well have been one of the objectives. A simply message with a dash of humour helped to create a successful campaign.

One company noticed that many adverts were complicated and needlessly flamboyant so they were very explicit in how simple they were.
Tesco Mobile took advantage of all the confusing offers in the mobile phone market and created a series of simple adverts taking the mick out of all of the ridiculous things that are implied or even said in adverts.

A clever television advert. Fact.

I think that simple is the way forward. This is for a number of reasons, the first being that I think consumers have become a lot more savvy. They can see past a lot of the marketing bullshit that is impregnated in so many campaigns and simply want to know what a product does, maybe how much it sells for and where they can get it.

So advertisers need to find a way of making simple more eye-catching, maybe funny, something different but keeping it simple, otherwise I reckon the consumer will believe the brand to be dishonest, disingenuous and a bit dastardly. What brand wants those kind of associations?