Brilliant and More Brilliant Advertisements – We Don’t Have Surrealists, We Have Über-Creatives

One of the legendary advertisements from the legendary 'Surrealists' of the 1980s goes something like this: 'How many times have you been tempted to light up at a gas station, but you didn't dare? The company Šatro Petrol from Srebrenik pours water instead of gasoline at its pumps. Come to our pumps and smoke to your heart's content.' Of course, such an advertisement could not pass in reality, but the fact that some of us remember it for over thirty years speaks to what advertisements should be: humorous and with a clear message. Creatives have always created such brand campaigns, but today, in the time of corona, they are probably needed more than ever because they boost consumer loyalty and raise the morale of the population.

What a sober person thinks…

One of the more interesting campaigns was devised by the Banja Luka magazine Buka, whose spot 'Hejt SLOVEni' was viewed by an incredible two million people just 24 hours after its presentation, said the chief editor of Buka Aleksandar Trifunović for N1. The spot conveys the unhealthy societies we live in, sowing hatred among each other: the actors openly insult each other on a national basis in a casual conversation, alluding to the fact that many think this way. Perhaps it is best to say that the actors in the spot openly speak about their hatred just like the saying goes: What a sober person thinks, a drunk person speaks. It was also highlighted by readers of Lider in response to a survey question about which brand advertisements they remembered the most.

There have been brilliant works recently. For example, a recent Heineken message 'Don't drink and start a league' alludes to the initiators of the establishment of the Super League football competition. The message fits into the company's marketing strategy of preventing irresponsible alcohol consumption before driving and encouraging other responsible activities. Lider's readers also mention the advertising campaigns of Husqvarna, a global manufacturer of outdoor equipment. It has been known to make people laugh, for example, with the now well-known phrase 'The next two weeks are crucial' advertising a discount on products. Or the one where a saw-cut billboard reads: 'I'm going to dinner with my ex,' and below that the message: 'You need to know how to cut.'

They were devised by the British agency Spellcaster, whose branch in Croatia is led by Tonči Klarić. He says that the advertising industry accompanied last year's shock of changing our lives with countless campaigns that called people to empathy, gratitude, and community, which is positive, but 'almost the entire media space has become deathly serious, repetitive, and often boring.'

Positive, but tiresome

Americans, he notes, concluded through research that campaigns generally lacked humor because people wanted to have fun in the overall grayness and psychosis, while a large number of brands opted for emotional manifestos and motivational speeches, which is positive, we repeat, but it also feels somewhat tiresome.

– Our campaigns for Husqvarna have had a good reception in the public for several years precisely because of their authenticity and element of humor, which was clearly lacking in our media space even before the pandemic. It distinguished us from overly serious and often boring brand communications. Due to lockdowns and quarantines, there has been an unprecedented bloom of creative and humorous UGC (user-generated content) on the internet, so we can freely say that if brands weren't funny enough, people certainly were. Online community appreciates authenticity, good humor, and courage, even if it comes from brands. Such campaigns are talked about – says Klarić.

He also praises Heineken's reaction to the recent announcement of the 'unfortunate Super League' and recalls another of its campaigns, 'Got Fired?', created for the online employment platform Adorio, which marked the American elections and Trump's defeat at the end of last year. This campaign became globally viral, which, says Klarić, is a rarity for works from this region.

Advertising for a Break

Advertisements in the past have even changed trends. One such advertisement is considered to be that of the Pan-American Coffee Bureau from the 1950s, which encouraged workers to take a coffee break. After that, breaks became part of the daily routine, so instead of saying 'Let's take a break,' people started saying: 'Let's go for coffee.' Could an advertising campaign in Croatia shake conservative views in society?

Who knows, maybe the advertisement for the well-known drink Pipi from Dalmacijavino, created last year by the agency Imago Ogilvy and which won awards, stirred up spirits in Croatia, leaving no one indifferent. In the advertisement, two men lie on the beach holding hands with the message: 'Change of times, and times are changing; #BolimePipi.' Regardless of the fact that some commented they would never drink Pipi again even if they were dying of thirst (but there were also supportive comments), the uproar raised is long-term good for the Pipi brand, of course, provided it continues with such humorous advertisements with a strong message to society.

A Solution for Distance

As an exceptionally good response to the current situation and often, let's be honest, the boring repetition of the message about the necessary distance among people, a similar message from Burger King appeared, but in its own way. The advertisement added a triple amount of onions to the burgers, thus solving the social distance issue. We could also send a message to our readers: 'Eat garlic because it will destroy viruses, and at the same time, they will flee from you like the devil from incense!' But Burger King did not stop there; it continued its atypical (original) campaign by advertising its main competitors. The goal of this campaign was to preserve jobs. There is no doubt that this clever campaign has only increased its standing in the eyes of burger lovers.

The Inevitable 'Greenwashing'

We were curious about how companies should generally conduct advertising campaigns in this time. Klarić says there is no pattern, but he is convinced that brand communication with the world must be authentic and that humor is an element that certainly won't hurt if it fits the character of the company and brand. He also emphasizes the company's social responsibility, which is becoming an increasingly stronger driver of marketing activities around the planet.

– Along with the inevitable greenwashing, which we can witness in Croatia as well, it is necessary to integrate deeds and words and to encourage important social changes in the country with a meaningful and long-term strategy, but also to provide people with a platform for them. I am glad to see that more and more brands are dealing with the industrial impact on the environment, but at the same time, there is a sinister silence in the area of demographic issues. Rarely does any brand actively address the fact that Croats are a nation that is massively emigrating from the country and at the same time dying out – emphasizes Klarić and says it is sad that brands avoid tackling this problem 'due to a lack of ideas and vision, political entanglement, which is also the main cause of this problem, and ultimately – inertia.'

What to Talk About

Besides demographics, Klarić believes that companies should speak about the growing problem of corruption, domestic violence, or gambling addiction, because 'small associations dealing with these issues are poorly represented in the media to act more strongly.'

–​ Brands that turn to people, their problems, and challenges from everyday life and either solve them or enable their resolution will be extremely successful. This can be achieved through quality communication, but also much earlier in the process, during the development of products and services that are placed on the market. We are still quite behind the world in this regard and have a lot of room for improvement in the design of products, services, and communications that place real people and real problems at the center of everything – says Klarić.

In Lider's survey, we have a number of advertisements that impressed those who saw them. Besides the mentioned ones, let's also mention, for example, Bosch's advertisement for a washing machine using light for disinfection. Furthermore, African Plum has been restoring hope to many of us for years, although the author of this text fears that it is not omnipotent either. With an interesting slogan launched three years ago 'Deep Above All', Jana reminds us of the reasons why it is a unique water on the market. The deep and protected source is unique even on a global scale and is the key to its purity. 'Deep Above All', although contradictory in real life, is a clever slogan that readers remembered and mentioned in Lider's survey. And Konzum's advertisement #jednamanje has also been noticed. It is an appeal to give up buying plastic bags and by purchasing biodegradable ones, we protect the environment.

The Borački Brand

In the survey, Erste's George and Andrija were also noted, and a recently launched advertisement for digital Laqo insurance was noticed, which explains what prompted a spider to devise digital insurance; it was ordered by Croatia osiguranje.

That original communication can work wonders is confirmed by the author of films about Kutla and Todorić Dario Juričan, who ran for president while strongly advocating against corruption. One of his brilliant statements was that he would advocate for changes in the Croatian language by introducing the eighth case – corruptive (To whom? How much?). Even though he received some votes in the elections because of his statement, Juričan (who strongly lobbied for his right to change his name to Milan Bandić) achieved a far-reaching effect: he created his own brand as a fighter against corruption with his campaign, which can help him in future public activities.

Many brands, both mentioned and unmentioned, invested a lot together with engaged agencies to make their advertisements impressive. In the time of the pandemic, they need to be even more attractive as small stories to awaken the dormant consumer body and reduce the number of abstainers from purchasing. The creative industry has shown that such small, humorous stories with clear messages and campaign goals can indeed be devised where the corporate goal is not primary. Thus, society becomes more open, and more open societies, if we look only superficially, are much richer than closed ones. The more open ones further stimulate creativity, thus feeding themselves. And that there is potential in Croatia is confirmed by the aforementioned brand campaigns.