Our greatest and most neglected brand assets.
One of the most successful ad campaigns ever was Miller Lite’s “Tastes Great. Less Filling.” It first aired 50 years ago. I was a bit surprised to see it resurface while watching the Olympics. But it was fun to see this famous debate on air once again.
This made me wonder why more campaigns that work so well don’t live longer. It seems the really good ones live on in our minds long after they stop running. We all remember:
Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz. Oh, what a relief it is.
Where’s the Beef?
The PC guy vs. the Apple guy. Get a Mac.
Have a Coke and a Smile.
Please don’t squeeze the Charmin.
If campaigns like these worked so well, why do marketers feel the need to move to something new? After all, new ideas as good as the great ones take time and money. And sometimes never happen.
Well, it seems there is a common belief that campaigns get tired and lose their effectiveness.
Not so fast. According to a 2022 Marketing Week piece, System1 research shows the effectiveness of ads does not decline over time. The effectiveness research firm tested more than 50,000 television ads with first airdates spanning 20 years ago to present. The results? Average effectiveness scores were consistent no matter how old the ads were at the time of testing.
In response to the findings, Mark Ritson called it a “failure” that “so many marketers pull … campaigns prematurely.” And System1’s Jon Evans says old campaign and intellectual property are often a brand’s “greatest and most neglected assets.”
What’s an ad agency to do …
Well, 10 years ago Prairie Dog launched a campaign to promote our services that generated a lot of attention. Not our words. The reactions told us so. Postcards displayed on department bulletin boards. Some even framed. Pitch calls with prospective clients remembering the campaigns years later.
So, we’re busy working on client things. We need a campaign. What better way to fill that need than with an old campaign that truly connected? Maybe those health care marketers who are still around from 10 years ago will be reminded of a time we made them laugh. And hopefully all those new to the fight will like it, too.
Stay tuned for a blast from the past coming soon via snail mail, social and LinkedIn.
Jerry Hobbs
Jerry Hobbs is a marketing strategist and the president of Prairie Dog, a national health care marketing group headquartered in Kansas City.