Is creative advertising essential?

Is creative advertising essential?

Coke Vs Pepsi

A Literature Review

           

Introduction

            Organizational theorists regard creativity as the foundation of competitive advantage (1988, 1996; 1990;1995), and further defining it (creativity) as the production of fresh and utilitarian products that heighten a firm’s ability to react to environmental opportunities (1983;  1990; 1986; 1993). Earlier research has studied personal characteristics such as general creative ability, domain-relevant skills, and intrinsic motivation (1981), as well as organizational factors, such as job complexity and supervision style (1988; 1996;1989), as factors that alleviate creative performance. Lately, researchers have also looked into the joint contribution of personal and organizational factors and have found that high levels of both factors promote the highest degrees of creative performance ( 1996).

            However, creative processes in organizations are not fully understood (1993), allowing some key unanswered questions such as “Are there processes that are capable of developing creative designs, and are these processes different from those that may be used to produce designs that are not considered creative?” (1993). Such questions are especially appropriate to advertising organizations, for in spite of Ford’s (1996) conclusion that domains at the organizational level do not generally encourage creativity, the advertising domain is singled out as an exception because of its inherently creative purpose. What is ironic though is advertising creativity has hardly been studied.

Creative Advertising Theories

The sound of music- Many researchers have considered the impact of music in advertising, either from a classical conditioning perspective (1992;1982; 1989; 1988), or they have examined how sound effects 1992) or different physical characteristics of the music such as the tempo, pitch, and loudness (1990; 1990; 1993) affect listeners’ responses.

Music can be incredibly evocative, and therefore of tremendous use to advertisers with a strong aspirational element in their advertising. Music can be used in an ad to achieve a variety of objectives – sometimes in combination such as to gain attention (1994 ; 2000).To create a mood to give an ad pace or energy To make the ad more likeable/enjoyable To identify the brand, or emphasise it To reflect/borrow a lifestyle To provide background to a commercial To make the ad – or the brand – more memorable (1997).

Furthermore  (1997) also pointed out that there is evidence to suggest that the regular use of the same music for a brand can, over time, generate familiarity and enhance involvement with the brand.

Music’s main contribution to an ad is to increase interest and enjoyment. Music does little to convey a message or aid understanding of the brand – but can act as a ‘signature tune’ for it, with frequent repetition. It can, however, provide clear brand identity. It can create atmosphere. It can support a clear brand personality. It can make a lifestyle statement about the brand. Background music has little effect, though it may enhance a mood.

Braithwaite’s conclusions on the effect of music on understanding are reflected by  (2000) who found that music does not help brand understanding, but enhances brand familiarity.  (1995) reports a detailed analysis of a music video that carries potentially valuable lessons for commercial producers in the ways in which music can create the structure of an ad, defining changes in mood, pace and emotional intensity.

The Sounds of Coke and Pepsi 

In 1969, The Coca-Cola Company and its advertising agency, , ended their popular “Things Go Better With Coke” campaign, replacing it with a campaign that centered on the slogan “It’s the Real Thing.” Beginning with a hit song, the new campaign featured what proved to be one of the most popular ads ever created. The television ad “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” was released first in Europe, where it garnered only a tepid response. It was then released in the U.S. in July, 1971, and the response was immediate and dramatic. By November of that year, Coca-Cola and its bottlers had received more than a hundred thousand letters about the ad. I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” has had a lasting connection with the viewing public. Advertising surveys consistently identify it as one of the best commercials of all time, and the sheet music continues to sell more than thirty years after the song was written. Such is the power of television advertising that through the enduring popularity of this ad, at least, Coke has borne out something of Backer’s ambitious claims for it, becoming a common connection among people.

I’d like to buy the world a home and furnish it with love,

Grow apple trees and honey bees, and snow white turtle doves.

I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony,

I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company.

[Repeat the last two lines, and in the background:]

It’s the real thing, Coke is what the world wants today.

 

Pepsi, likewise, have been using music as it’s identity from generation to generation of Pepsi lovers. From today’s “Joy of Pepsi,” as sung by , to yesterday’s ” (1939), its musical ads are as memorable as the products it produce. Pepsi’s last major campaign change was in 1999, when it debuted “The Joy of Cola,” which became “The Joy of Pepsi” in 2000. Pepsi ads identifies itself with the youth and its youthful attitude and Pepsi continously updates its look with a bolder, more contemporary image that better captures the brand’s youthful attitude.

Mere Exposure

The Ad Size (the bigger the better) – In the late 1960s, social psychologist  (1968) offered the world a theory of mere exposure in forming a preference (attitude). Based on his experiments, he concluded that “preference is created simply from repeated exposure, with no associated cognitive activity” (1996).

Few would argue that a relatively large ad is a powerful attention-grabber. Perhaps more importantly, the size of a print advertisement may convey important brand-related information that consumers use to form purchase-relevant inferences. That is, people tend to evaluate the success or reputation of the business by the size of an ad based on the notion that the bigger an ad is, the more credible the business is (1986). The impact of ad size and its ability to communicate success or credibility is, in part, due to consumer inferences about the perceived cost of the advertisement. Using ad size to manipulate perceived ad cost, it has been shown that consumers use their impression of the amount of money spent on advertising as a cue to product quality when such information is not provided in the ad (1990).

Coke vs. Pepsi and Visibility

Both Coke and Pepsi being international brand enjoy wider exposure and visibility. Generations after generations have seen numerous advertisements of both brands on the most popular medium, the television. Both brands also employed huge print media from magazines to huge billboards as a medium in promoting and identifying their product. At present, both brands are also highly visible in internet ads and pop-ups. Coke and Pepsi also invested on creating websites to ensure continuous and farther reach of their ads. Both brands also invest heavily on events sponsorship like Olympics, the World Cup, the NBA, and Super Bowl.

Marketing Strategy in UK

            In a European study, it was found out that more people drink soft drinks than tea. Pepsi and Coke are the major market players in the soft drink industry in UK. But in 1994, Virgin Cola entered the scene by taking the soft drink giants into price war. Coke answered not by matching Virgin’s price cuts but with a £40 million advertising campaign that punctuated its product as the ‘real thing’. On the larger market Pepsi has launched a world-wide advertising campaign. The £500 million ‘Project Blue’ aims to distinguish Pepsi from its chief competitor Coke and other brands such as Virgin Cola by changing the color of the Pepsi can to electric blue.

            At present both Coke and Pepsi are focusing more on enhancing their Gender Marketing Strategies. Both the giant brands are investing on research about the current consumer behavior involving gender in European Countries. In progressive countries like Norway, Sweden and the UK, it has been found out that the lifestyle of men and women are increasingly becoming more similar that purchasing opportunities are also becoming gender neutral. In traditional countries like Spain, purchasing opportunity is more gender specific, because women usually do the shopping. It was also found out by Pepsi that there is a negative bias as to men dieting, in response to that they created Pepsi Max and Pepsi One as opposed to Diet Cokes (2005). Pepsi also established partnership with sports in UK especially in football (FA), and they are integrating the brand to popular websites especially football sites as part of their advertising campaign. Coke on the other hand made a deal with one of the most popular movie in the decade, Harry Potter, Coca-Cola has revealed its marketing plans for its multi-million dollar tie-in with the Harry Potter movie, including the aim to get children reading. Coca-Cola’s marketing strategy will see television advertisements, in-store promotions, giveaways and reading tours. More than 850 million Coca-Cola, Minute Maid and Hi-C promotional packages are being produced with Harry Potter imagery.

Consumer Perception on Advertisement

            Most of the theories on consumer perception actually can be integrated into a single one, which is selective perception. Other theories usually talks about repetitive exposure, and attention grabbing ideas. All of this theories can be incorporated to selective perception for according to this theory, we only pick information as to what we deem relevant to us.

            Selective perception- Most of our knowledge about everyday life is integrated in terms of what we perceive to be relevant to us, and it follows that our actions are governed by what’s relevant to us. It thus makes sense that for advertising to be effective is to make it relevant to the consumers.  (1967) said that advertising could reach that level of significance if it speaks what are the immediate interests of the consumers or the general situation the society.  (1981) added further that essential element needed for involvement is perceived personal relevance.

            Coke and Pepsi, in all its advertising themes involve both brands trying to create an image as being part of the popular culture, the “in” thing. When the diet fad became the popular thing to do, both brands produce diet soda to the market. Diet Coke and Pepsi Max were imaged as an alternative to those who enjoys soft drinks but are on the diet. They also associate the brands to world events such as coke’s partnership with the Olympics and Pepsi to European football. Coke even advocates reading to children as part of its advertising campaign. Coke was also successful in its “coke collectibles” as part of its ad campaign of trying to image coca-cola as part of the yesteryears.

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