Creativity of Perspective

You see them and hear them everywhere. Advertisements. Your subconscious is so inundated by the onslaught it can spot them a mile away. Even before the message begins to tickle the perimeter of your consciousness, your outer defense mechanisms spring into effect.

Alert! Alert! An advertising message is heading your way. It sounds like a car ad! You are not interested in zero percent down and 123 month financing! You don’t care that they have a gigantic, inflated gorilla on the roof - even if it is purple! 

Your powerful mental defense grid is successful. You don’t even hear the ad as you continue driving down the road in search of the ultimate frozen yogurt.

Each day we are bombarded by signals which our brain interprets within nanoseconds. This internal gatekeeper decides which messages are allowed in and which messages are ignored.  Our job as advertising professionals is to get the message past the gatekeeper and into the conscious thought processes of our audience.

It’s interesting how similar advertising genres can be.  Campaigns for cars, mattresses, fast food franchises; any of a number of industries - including on hold advertising, can have a familiar tone, pace, and sound.  Unfortunately this familiarity makes it easier for the defense mechanism of the brain to block these signals.

The creativity of perspective is a powerful method to get your message through to its intended target.

For example, in 1993, an advertising professional set about the task of creating a new, innovative commercial for Coca-Cola.  He thought about drinking a Coke. He thought about drinking a Coke at a movie theatre. He looked down at his little Labrador puppy and thought how at that moment, the puppy looked like a little polar bear. Then he thought about what it would be like if a polar bear went to the movies.  This creative thought process of looking at a product from a different perspective is what brought the classic, computer animated commercial, ‘Northern Lights’ to life.

As you look at the commercial – it did not in any way resemble a ‘Soft Drink Ad’. There is no dialog. You just watch an animated polar bear walking in the snow and all you hear is the crunching sound of its feet as it makes its way along the frozen tundra.  The polar bear joins a group of other bears seated on the snow. Your brain immediately takes notice and tries to figure out what this is. The aurora borealis is seen in the evening sky. Toward the end of the commercial, you see small bottles in the paws of the polar bears and they begin to drink.  At the conclusion of the advertisement you are treated to a close-up of a smiling polar bear. It is holding the familiar Coke-shaped bottle and enjoys a sip of refreshing Coca-Cola. The logo appears.  Then for some inexplicable reason you start to get thirsty.

This advertisement was successful because it took a look at a familiar product from a different perspective.  Do polar bears go to the movies and enjoy bottles of Coca-Cola?  No, of course they don’t.  But you do. This creative angle got through your neuro-defense grid and next time you are at the movies, Coca-Cola will be at the top of your beverage choices. 

Think about it, instead of an announcer telling you how wonderful a movie theatre experience can be simply by drinking a Coke (a message your brain would sniff out and ignore), you watched, absorbed and enjoyed the message.  You may even keep an attentive eye or ear out during the next commercial break in hopes of catching that advertisement again.

At WMG, we believe everything we do will help your business grow by harnessing the power of engaging your captive audience. A potential customer has responded to your advertising and has taken the time to call you. They are placed on-hold.  Do you want them to tune out while they wait for someone to return to the call? Or would you prefer to connect with that caller, get past their neuro-defense grid, and engage them in such a way that they learn something new about your company and the services you provide? The creative use of perspective is an effective strategy in your on-hold advertising. 

Now, pay attention! I think the yogurt place is up ahead on the right.

Tom McTee, Super-Genius