Why P&G’s Emotional Olympics Ad Is So Effective

How can your marketing efforts stand apart from the competition? Creating content that tugs at human emotion is a great way to connect with consumers and create an authentic relationship with your brand. Emotional ads show that companies are really just made up of people, who feel the same way you do.

Ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia this coming February, Procter & Gamble found a way to get into our hearts while still promoting their brands, P&G’s 2012 London Olympics ‘Tribute to Moms’ ad thanked those that are truly behind the scenes – the moms behind the athletes. The ad focused on moms as the driving force and rock behind children that become world-class athletes. That ad was viewed over 21 millions times.

So, what better way to capitalize on the Winter Olympics than with yet another video showing how moms raise Olympic athletes? The theme of this Olympics’ video is that falling down only makes us stronger. Ice-skating, hockey, snowboarding, and skiing are featured, and P&G nailed just how important mothers are to their fledgling athlete children. P&G is best known for brands like Bounty, Charmin, and Tide, all products that moms need and use often in daily life. P&G was able to take the focus off of its product lines to highlight the true supporters of Olympic athletes, their mothers. The push for P&G products is subtle, and yet you’re still very aware that the brand created the ad.

The ad clearly works for TV, but P&G wasn’t just focused on traditional marketing channels like television. “[We] really think about it as digital first,” said Marc Prichard, CMO of P&G. “We think of search and social and video and display as the first focus.” Rightfully so, as although traditional marketing is still effective, it has its limitations. Social and digital reach has the potential to expand beyond the reach of billboard, radio, or television ads.

And, if you really think about it, video has dominated traditional and online advertising, and it doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. Companies are now recognizing that videos have the ability to transform customer engagement and leave a lasting impression. With video, you can quickly connect with consumers on a human level. Consumers can re-watch or replay those videos at any given time, and, more importantly, share the videos on social media. And, because you don’t have to pay per impression on YouTube or Vimeo, video marketing is much more cost effective than traditional media buys on TV. Even if you do pay to seed your video or pay for video ads, you’ll most likely still spend much less than with a traditional TV ad campaign. Consumers have re-loadable, instant access to content that otherwise would only be accessible via television commercial breaks.

One thing is certain: videos like P&G’s are so effective because they tell a story and connect with people on a human level. It’s not senseless product pushing. Instead, ads like this one promote a brand by showing that there’s more to the brand than just a product or service. While it may be more difficult to create an ad for your product that doesn’t actually push your product, it can be done. And, when done right, this type of ad can create a much greater ROI than any old product-centric ad ever could. Why? Because people want to buy from a brand that they like, trust, and respect. Ads that prove that your brand is backed by real people with a deep respect for the human experience? Now that’s a winning strategy.

Need a winning strategy for your brand? Contact Incitrio for help with your brand marketing.

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