Brilliant Creative: The Foundation for Social Success
So, the success story du jour in social media is the Old Spice Guy, and his video responses to popular bloggers, forums (and, of course, the marriage proposal.) The numbers are enough to make any social media maven salivate: over a billion impressions, multi-thousand-percent increases in followers, and buzz enough to reach the front page of Yahoo, as well as national news.
And—let’s be totally clear here—it’s a wonderful social campaign, and the numbers are truly impressive. And the Old Spice Guy himself is a hoot.
But social media mavens who celebrate this as a “victory for social†are 100%, absolutely, completely wrong.
And companies looking to replicate this excellent campaign exclusively in social media are setting themselves up for a gigantic failure.
Because without the foundation of Wieden+Kennedy’s absolutely out-of-the-park creative for Old Spice’s television commercials, the social campaign would have gone nowhere.
Yes. Read that again: Brilliant creative on television built a foundation for social success.
People had already seen the ads on TV. They were already watching the ads with friends on YouTube. They were already commenting, sharing, and arguing over the ads, before the social campaign really got started.
And we aren’t talking just any old ads. If you haven’t seen them, take a look at one now:
Now, consider these ads were done in-camera, in one continuous shot.
Now, consider these ads required copy and concept, sourcing a production company and director, finding a stellar actor, building multiple sets, engineering the breakaways, extensive choreography and planning, and days upon days of takes to get the perfect shot.
Now, consider the investment in the associated conventional media buy.
Bottom line? It’s one of the best campaigns of recent memory, whether you’re looking at it from a conventional standpoint, a social standpoint, or both.
But if a social media maven tries to tell you this is a major upset for conventional media, or that social is easy, cheap, and simple . . . run far, and run very, very fast.
