Tuesday 1 March 2011

THE IMPACT OF ADS

In spite of being a movie buff myself, it’s always been ads that have fascinated me more than movies. I agree that a well-made movie does have an impact on you, but that’s what it’s meant to do, isn’t it? And it gets enough time to make that impact. Ads, on the other hand, barely get a few seconds to get their message across to the audience. And in those few seconds, they’re supposed to create an impact, impress the viewers and convince them to buy a particular product or service.
A good ad is one that leaves an impact on you- you either love it or hate it- but if it has managed to stay in your mind (for reasons positive or negative), means the advertisers have done a good job. Next time you see the product, you’re instantly transported back to the ad. An example of a good ad leaving a positive impact on its audience is the’ Vodafone Delight- the little things you do for me’ ad with the school girls in it, which claims “isn’t it nice when someone makes you feel special?” This is an excellent ad by Nirvana Films. And it’s impossible to not like this one.

Examples of ads that have annoyed viewers but have still managed to make an impact on them because of their high levels of obnoxiousness are ads for Bingo (especially the glad bangles ad) and Time Pass. The next time viewers see the product in the market, they are reminded of the ad and are curious to find out what the product is all about. This in turn increases sale of the product, like we can see in the case of Bingo, which seems to be doing pretty well for itself, considering the annoying ads through which it was promoted. But, ultimately, Ogilvy & Mather should be commended for annoyingly (but innovatively) making even an ordinary product like potato chips stand out and do so well in the market.



Since there are so many ads today, they have to be at either extreme- brilliant or the exact opposite of brilliant- to make a place for themselves in the minds of the viewers. That is why we see quite a few products adopting the ‘exact opposite of brilliant’ method today to grab the viewers’ attention. And it seems to be paying off in many of these instances.

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