The Sea of Sameness is always a problem in advertising. Now that brands are careful to not offend and people are working from home, making production a challenge, the Sea of Sameness is on the rise.
What’s missing from the well-meaning parade of pandemic times ads is human connection. It’s been missing, but it’s missing from our lives now more than ever.
Ads that work are built on such insights.
Here’s An Ad Campaign That Works
Here’s an ad for Bahlsen Cookies, the legendary German treat, that works from Looney Advertising in Montclair, New Jersey (a.k.a. Brooklyn West):
The ad works, because the desire for a cookie is a real human impulse, and now that so many people are home all day, there’s a clear need to hide your favorite cookies from yourself and from any other cookie eaters in the household (that’s the insight).
When you have insight into real human impulses in your customers, you’re ready to make effective advertising.
Looney also presents the case for Bahlsen cookies—the high end packaged goods brand from Hanover, Germany—in a series of punchy headline-driven ads.
#BahlsenMakesItBetter Before, During, and After the Pandemic
Looney shot the first commercial (above) just before the pandemic hit the U.S. The spot taps into the universal truth that people like to hoard their favorite snacks, a truth that is more prescient now with people staying home with their entire family.
Good timing is a welcome form of good fortune.
All the other communication pieces and photography were created during social distancing.
In related news, Looney is finalizing a build-out of its new 7,000 square foot production studio. According to Sean Looney, “We will be wearing hazmat suits so we can continue shooting. As an industry, we have to be creative and keep the wheels of capitalism turning.”
Post-Cookie Workouts … A Factor In the Agency’s Success
“In a crisis, you find out what you’re made of, and our team has some serious mojo,” Sean and Debbie Looney said in a statement on the agency’s website.
Maybe the agency has mojo because they eat premium cookies and then work out on another important client’s home gym equipment.
Sean Looney said, “We’ve created an integrated campaign for Gym Souce that has produced results and kept people in a more positive frame of mind.”
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