Advertisers start mirroring society’s frustration, hoping risks pay off
2:44 p.m. Monday, June 30, 2008
In the 1993 movie, "Falling Down," it was one customer's outrage.
Today, that outrage seems to be spreading. Call it a national sense of frustration among consumers who feel that they've been wronged or cheated.
Consumers are upset over rising prices on everything from gas to groceries.
Advertisers can sense it.
"Advertisers want to relate to people, and so, they talk about what they can relate to," Deutsch LA Co-President and Chief Creative Officer Eric Hirshberg said. "And, lots of negative stuff people can relate to right now."
A recent ad for Jackson Hewitt features people furious about taxes.
A new campaign for Southwest airlines touts it as an airline that's sick of all those fees too.
In another ad for the cable channel Versus promoting Tour de France coverage they don't just cheer on cyclists, but they actually vent over the sport's doping problems.
Griffin Stenger was one of the ad's creators.
"We don't want to paint glossy pictures that are unrealistic. We need to reflect the anger, the annoyance, the problems that the tour has had," The Concept Farm Creative Director and Partner Griffin Stenger said.
So with more Americans pessimistic, advertisers are willing to move away from happier images to get people to identify with their brands, but there are risks.
sot -- hirshberg: "The challenge is if you present something negative, you have to turn the corner and present the positive just right, or you leave bad taste in people's mouth," Hirshberg said.
He points to Apple's famous "1984" ad, which focused on people's apprehension about computers but later turned out to be a phenomenal advertising success.
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