How to craft CHARMing marketing ideas in the COVID era. ~ Couch Copy
Hola Adlanders!
This is such an exciting time for advertising!
No doubt, the gloomy Coronavirus clouds continue to make it a dull atmosphere. But, as I skim through ads/on-ground activations/print from around the world, I see drastic shifts week after week. And that’s the kind of ‘exciting’ I’m talking about.
Despite the lockdown, the creatives coupled with production, have been putting out some interesting pieces of communication. The creative business has been ‘creative’ not just in ideating but also in crafting and delivering their ‘big idea’.
After going through a number of spots, a few things stood out for me repeatedly. I observed that lying beneath the impeccable packaging of an idea, there are a few universal elements. All of them together, fuel the communication to hit their desired bulls-eye.
I’ve tried to summarize these key factors in a concept, just to make complete sense out of it myself. And that’s how I arrived at this simple ‘formula’.
Why a new formula, you ask? Well, because advertising has always adapted to its consumers. When they have adapted to the new-found normal, a slight modification in approach is natural.
Now, this formula stems for 3 basic foundations of ideation for a brand:
- Functional (signifying the brand and its characteristics)
- Creative (signifying the new approach and its relevance)
- Emotional(signifying the connect with the consumer)
So, without further ado let’s get to it.. *drum roll, please*
The formula is simply to ‘CHARM’ your audience.
C — Connect & Command
H — Help & Heal
A — Appeal & Alter
R — Remind & Reboot
M — Mesmerize & Monetize
Most of my CHARM analogy is pretty self-explanatory. I’ll still give a quick rundown on how these factors can be used to drive the core of the communication and win over its audience. Later, we’ll jump in and see a few real-time examples from different brands.
Connect and Command
Striking a cord has always been the first thing to aim at, for whichever kind of brand/service and whether there’s a pandemic or not. The world right now though is cautious, annoyed, grieving, confused, and yet hopeful at the same time. Addressing these emotions or a pain point can immediately connect with your consumer as well as command their attention. Commanding attention is done through a unique visual representation or a strong insight.
Help and Heal
Help and heal would have been an optional factor in a pre-COVID era. But now, since the pandemic is prevailing, helping and healing in some way can give brands an edge over the others. Helping cannot be a frivolous claim, it has to be something that the brand can be realistically accountable for.
Appeal and Alter
Despite the pandemic, we have seen so many emotionally-driven social issues (like Black Lives Matter, Pride Month, etc) cropping up in each and every country. A brand that stands tall for something and appeals to do the same is well-received with people. This also leads the way for altering the consumers’ behavior or/and thinking.
Remind and Reboot
The pre-COVID era is now a bittersweet memory. Reminding consumers of it and using it as a launchpad can be a great tool to reboot their perceptions. Rebooting also works in sync with the altering of behavior as pointed out above. The brand gets to build the change for consumers and not the other way round.
Mesmerize and Monetize
A classic adland trick! Mesmerizing is a sure-shot way of hooking on the consumer’s attention and retaining space in their mind. In the COVID-era we’ve seen new ways as well as some old forgotten ways, to mesmerize an audience and production will capitalize on this even further. Monetizing here is actually not for the brand but for the consumers themselves. They have to get a clear ‘pay-off’ from the brand. Some sense of gratification, whether emotional or functional, will definitely win them over authentically.
Let’s place these factors in the 3 foundations I mentioned above.
This diagram shows that these factors fit differently among the foundations but cover each aspect efficiently. And, the ultimate pay-off is simply to Monetize.
These 10 factors may sound like a lot but they all work in sync and are completely fluid. One influences the other, and some can be skipped for tailoring the idea according to the brand’s objective for crafting the communication. I think that’s what makes thinking of ideas exciting and each idea, unique.
Now, let’s check out five recent pieces of communication to see how these key elements are woven into them.
Let it out by Promote Iceland
Idea: Promote Iceland invites people from around the world to relieve their frustration by screaming their hearts out at lookslikeyouneediceland.com and then releasing them at various ‘calming’ places of the person’s choice in Iceland.
Done by M&C Saatchi London
Connect & Command: Promote Iceland connects through the fact that consumers are tired of living the lockdown life. By doing the opposite of a traditional travel ad, it commands top-of-the-mind recall as a vacation spot consideration for those who might plan a holiday in the near future.
Help & Heal: This idea does help relieve immediate stress for those who participate in it. But the larger pay-off is the comic relief that people get from just thinking about the idea of their scream echoing in a calming, serene place that they can choose. As it offers a kind of solace, it naturally heals the aching wanderlust in the consumers as well.
Appeal & Alter: The appeal here is to use Iceland as a tool to release the mounting stress and marveling its beauty as the scream gets released. The hidden agenda is obviously making Iceland memorable and so altering their vacation spot considerations.
Remind & Reboot: Iceland has quiet, charismatic, serene natural beauty and it wants everyone to be reminded of its healing attributes even if it’s via the consumer’s screen and scream. At the end of it, they are also trying to reboot the perception of traveling post the pandemic.
Mesmerize & Monetize: The idea and the visuals are programmed to mesmerize and the comic pay off of being there ‘in-scream’ and then maybe someday ‘in-person’ is monetizing enough to stay in the consumer’s mind.
You can read more about the campaign here.
Happy Meal Senior by McDonald’s
Idea: McDonald’s makes senior citizens happy by sending them a token made by their grandchildren alongside a Happy Meal, making sure their time/rituals together stay as beautiful as the pre-COVID era.
Done by Nord DDB Sweden
Connect & Command: Connect via the fact that family time is valuable. Command via the insight that bonding between the older and younger generation is important and lesser-seen/celebrated.
Help & Heal: Help through giving a chance to make something special for someone close as well as heal through re-establishing the bond in a new way.
Appeal & Alter: McDonald’s makes the appeal that despite social distancing consumers shouldn’t lose out on times of togetherness. It aims to alter their get-togethers by enabling them to share moments together even if it’s via a screen but still over a Happy Meal.
Remind & Reboot: Reminding them that Happy Meals are more than just meals but an occasion that gets them together. A clever reboot is done through the thought of flipping the Happy Meal receivers from children to grandparents.
Mesmerize & Monetize: They mesmerize by showing how in-depth the brand has gone in making this possible while adhering to social distancing and the highest hygiene possible. All this ultimately monetizes the idea that when their a special meal, no amount of distance can come in between.
You can read more about the campaign here.
Caregiver by Whatsapp India
Idea: WhatsApp encourages people to connect despite the demotivating lockdown, highlighting how small moments shared with someone that cares can relieve the brewing loneliness.
Done by BBDO India
Connect & Command: WhatsApp has already been the default app for everyday communication. Starting off by highlighting this is the easiest way to connect with the consumer. Commanding attention is done thoughtfully by showing an unconventional friendship between a nurse and her patient.
Help & Heal: The helping and healing happen literally as both the women featured feel relieved and happy to stay in touch by sharing their ‘sweet-nothings’ via WhatsApp. Serving as an example, it encourages the viewer to do the same. Their never-seen-before emotional story hits the sweet spot as well.
Appeal & Alter: During the pandemic, the elderly are the most vulnerable to not just the virus but loneliness, helplessness, and depression as well. Appealing to this fact, WhatsApp eases this pain point. It shows unexpected people you can reach out to, like a nurse. They help out when someone is home alone and that alters/changes the perception of having no one to count on within reach.
Remind & Reboot: Reminding the fact that whatever happens, WhatsApp will always be there to help you reach out to anyone. Despite being heavily used, this ad builds an emotional connection with WhatsApp. It also promotes itself to the older generation, who in India, are also constant users of it.
Mesmerize & Monetize: This slight deviation from a traditional mother-daughter relationship is sure to mesmerize the audience, especially the way it’s shot. The consumer sees how even they can reach out to anyone, even the least expected or the most important, and that’s the biggest pay-off for them.
Read more about the campaign here.
Smell Ready by Lynx
Idea: COVID has got us, well, not at our ‘groomed’ best. Lynx (known as Axe in some countries) steps up and says it helps the consumer be ‘smell ready’.
Done by MullenLowe London
Connect & Command: Lynx connects via the fact that currently, everyone is at home, so comfortable that we’ve forgotten how to stay sharp especially in front of the opposite sex. This opens the possibility of Lynx commanding the insight that each man has treaded in-depth in whatever it is that they have been doing during this lockdown and forgotten being charming.
Help & Heal: Single men are going through a ‘dry spell’ thanks to the pandemic and Lynx is their wingman to help them get back up on their feet as well as heal the prolonged boredom due to the current state of being all cooped up at home.
Appeal & Alter: It makes a simple appeal with the thought of men getting their ‘mojo’ back and alters their routine that has taken over their life after lockdown.
Remind & Reboot: It reminds the consumers that there was a different life before the pandemic, and in that, Lynx had always been an aid in presenting themselves at their best. It reboots with the idea that lockdown could also mean bumping unexpectedly into someone they might like.
Mesmerize & Monetize: Lynx mesmerize with their trademark tongue-in-cheek humor and illustrating a life that’s larger than life. This monetizes for the consumer with the pay-off being that whether there is a lockdown or not, feeling your best and being ready to take on the world is just a spray away.
Read more about the campaign here.
Relatable by Monster
Idea: Monster.com showcases how it’s okay to lose your job during the pandemic by bringing inanimate objects (that mirror their owner’s frustrations) to life.
Done by MullenLowe US
Connect & Command: Millions in the US lost their jobs during the pandemic leaving them homebound and hopeless. Monster connected to them by simply saying that they understood how it all felt. They commanded attention by breathing life into objects that are usually most-used at work, which are almost like partners in people’s work-life journeys.
Help & Heal: The lighthearted approach triggers a change of atmosphere and helps release that brewing disappointment. Offering a way out, monster heals by showing that the consumer is not alone in these testing times.
Appeal & Alter: Even though the scenario is grim, Monster appeals by making sure it doesn’t sound sympathetic but empathetic, and that makes a world of a difference. They alter the perception of job hunting being a laborious task as well as spell out the fact that there are endless opportunities still out there.
Remind & Reboot: The whole narrative/spoken script is a clever tool to remind the exciting job life before COVID happened. Using an insignificant, inanimate object as the main tool reboots the optimism as well as the perspective of the consumer.
Mesmerize & Monetize: Breathing life into mundane objects and giving them personality is bound to mesmerize the consumers. Losing a job, especially in such a situation, may seem like the end of the world. But, Monster monetizes the dire situation in their favor by presenting themselves as a quick solution in need and in time.
You can read more about the campaign and see the series here.
So there you have it.
All five of these spots have different approaches to them and come from different product categories. But, as you can see, these key elements feature in them prominently and all of them influence each other.
If you assess the next ad/piece of communication you see with the CHARM concept, you’ll see all these elements ingrained in various ways.
So, how does this formula help?
This ‘formula’ is in no way a definitive path for a creative/brand professional to walk on. Rather, it’s like a GPS system that helps figure which direction can be pursued next. It can help adlanders (especially the creative peeps) to easily jumpstart their creative conversations. And craft ideas/communication that really stand-out in the pandemic cacophony.
As brands and advertising navigate changes in the world as well as consumer behavior, the challenge of touching and influencing people will continue to be dynamic. And that’s what makes crafting a piece of communication in this era so exciting and charming.
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About Couch Copy
Couch Copy is a platform for discussing all things advertising, writing, creativity, and brand communication today. Coming straight from the couch of Samiksha, a copywriter with 7 years of experience working on 30+ brands across 8+ categories like fashion, food, travel, real estate, and more at 5 multi-national agencies in India. Currently watching the advertising world from the sidelines, Samiksha looks forward to discovering brands/agencies to work for in Boston. Until then, for her, the best seat in the house to view the ad world has to be the couch.
*DISCLAIMER: This article in no way is promoting or endorsing a product for monetary reasons. The views written are personal and just for informational purposes only.*
