Making ads into entertainment.
May 8, 2007
I was listening to the radio on my way to pick up some dinner for my family this evening, and there was a small segment on an international advertising agency (whose name escapes me) and how they are working to improve the effectiveness of their advertising.
The segment described a very successful campaign that was done for BMW, where they actually had well-known directors make short films about sophisticated people (like spies) who drive BMWs. The films highlighted the product, but were so cool that people wanted to go to the site to watch the films!
I got so absorbed in what the segment was about that I almost spilled dinner all over the front seat! What a fantastic idea, I thought. Making the ads entertaining, even engaging for people.
I say that the BMW series was successful because in their first push online the short films received more than 100 million viewers! Only after their initial push were they sent to YouTube, where who knows how many views they received in addition to that.
Even for a big company like BMW, 100 million eyeballs being drawn to drool over their cars in entertaining short films was a fantastic way to build brand identity. Slick, sophisticated people like international spies racing around mountain S-curves on secret missions to save the world really identifies "coolness" with driving a Beamer.
Another excellent example of an ad becoming entertainment is Joel Comm's latest project, "The Next Internet Millionaire." It's a videocast (and could-be television show) where people compete for a $25,000 prize and the chance to become Joel's next millionaire JV partner.
(And in case you were wondering, you have a chance to compete too.)
Now, of course, it's really an advertisement in disguise. Joel will make a lot of money off of it. But even the intro video on the page above is just so darn entertaining! It makes you want to be a part of what in reality is a big advertisement.
There is a lesson in these two entertainment ads for all of us in the internet marketing world. I, personally, could do better at making what I send out to my list not only informational, but also more entertaining. I know I have that ability, sometimes I just get lazy and fail to exercise it.
Now, I'm not talking about having clowns juggling the phrases and spraying water from a flower through your monitor and into your face. What I mean is making sure that what I write is appealing and impacting in a way that makes you enjoy reading it.
I, for one, know that I learn much better when the teacher is not putting me to sleep with boring copy. I also know that I am much more inclined to buy if there's a good story woven into the sales pitch.
This is something I will be putting into practice immediately. I hope to get so good at it that people will join my list just so they can read my advertisements! After all, that is exactly what BMW accomplished (and Joel will quite likely accomplish). People wanted to see their ads, because they weren't just informational — they were exciting, even exhilarating.
So the next time you sit down to write a sales letter or an article, take some time to tell a story. Let people experience the value of what you're offering (or teaching, as the case may be) through the eyes of someone they admire and respect — or at least someone that they find interesting.
Did the BMW ads work on me? Well, let's just say that I took the curves on the drive home a little bitter faster than I normally would.
Comments
15 Responses to “Making ads into entertainment.”
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Jonathan Leger has been earning his living online full-time since the fall of 2004. He regularly posts advice about search engine optimization (his current passion), AdSense and Internet Marketing. He is the creator of a suite of popular software tools, including: Jonathan L Leger 
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Agreed with what you say.
After all, what better marketing can there be than people seeking out your ads to see them?
The kind of thing BMW has done really reinforces the 'branding' of any topic. For smaller companies with a less established brand, getting people to want to see your ads is the good part.
Also, these sort of cool 'I want one of those' ads change the mindset of people, from casual interest, into one of "Where can I buy one?", which is more important for a smaller impulse buy product, than a BMW, which is likely to be more part of a larger campaign.
Must stop now or else this comment will be larger than your article…
Very clever marketing but thats what it is all about he is taking full advantage of the new wave of tools I.E. vidio and web interaction. It is a shame that the pot of money is used as the bait, not that i am against money mind you. I would have enjoyed a more creative hook to it but then again it comes back to marketing ,and the three pillars of desire,
sex, money and power
Hi Jonathan
I was interested to read about your BMW advert example, and I couldn't agree more with you. Making whatever you're trying to deliver (in print, sound or video) entertaining, as well as interesting of course, will always draw in a bigger audience.
I will always remember, however, a TV commercial in the 80s here in the UK which tried to sell a new car model. To this day, I have still not seen a more interesting, more entertaining, more repeat-viewing TV commercial. It even won a prestigious award in its industry. I, like so many others, used to look forward to watching that commercial time and time again! We were eager for that TV commercial to come on! Just imagine: people actually looking forward to watching, let's face it, a TV commercial ! That should have been a money spinner, right?
Guess what!
Commercially, the ad actually failed! It didn't sell many cars and the car manufacturer had to order a new ad — yes, you guessed it: more boring, more run-of-the-mill, more like all other car ads!
You know why it failed? It was TOO good! People concentrated on the entertainment value of the ad, the enjoyment it gave them, and forgot all about the attributes of the car it was meant to sell.
Does this story tell us something about ourselves as a species? Or as a commercially-conditioned herd with our own buying reflexes? I don't know but perhaps Marshall McLuhan was right in The Medium and The Messenger: the messenger has become the message.
Boualem Amrouche
I also heard that story on NPR. It was more about the "old school" advertising agencies with their 30 second sales pitches being replaced by up-and-coming firms with the vision to make their content so valuable and interesting that the world sought out their videos instead of pushing their work on others in a 30 second pitch.
Another example; My wife and I lived in Europe the last 4 years where Superbowl is seen from 12:30 AM to 4:30 AM. Despite having to go to work the next morning my wife would want to see the game (at least through halftime) because of the compelling quality of the ads.
Hi one n all … thanks Jonathan … I get emails from Joel (the same as every one online does dhoooh)
But this guy isn’t on my priority click finger ( Tiz ok) I'm a regular in his forum … so I read up on him there … So as you are Jon on my priority click pinky thanks to you I came across and entered this excellent opportunity… Simply because IF you’re not into Video YET!! … one day soon you will have to be … so here's a great chance to find out
Who IS!!!
All my Best to You and Yours
Phillip Skinner
Jonathon,
I got your email and rushed straight to see the video, BUT YouTUBE is CENSORED in Thailand!
I live in Bangkok, and cannot see Joel's vid!
Is it posted anywhere else?
Karridine
/with a voice like an un-dead Mel Blanc
or a kinder, gentler Keith Oldermann!
LOOKS OUTSTANDING YO
Jon. I'm still working on this. Trying to create a video that's entertaining enough to pull in viewers, but also sells the product. It's a delicate balance.
I've seen ads where I was so engrossed that I never noticed what the product was. On the other hand, I know TV ads here that are totally irritating, but have been running for years (must be making money).
Kevin
Great article Jonathan. Creating a video which is entertaining and gives attractive value along with increasing sales can be one of the ways businesses give the customers what they want.
Robert Brealey.
I agree 100% and most people that don't should think about why YouTube is #4 on Alexa. It sure isn't all the massive quality content that got them there, it's people having fun.
Basically I think they're making internet ads to look more like exciting/interesting TV ads and I noticed the most effective attention-grabbers are those with short text and a "long" web-ad (or video message). I just wonder if there's a "too long for "long". lol
I have other questions may be others can answer but I will leave it for now (like whether Sepai-toned avatars work better than my "cartoony" ones!
Keep up the great work Jon!
Just wanted to let you know that I reviewed the site about the 'Internet Millionaire.' Problem was that it's not designed to interface with an Apple Computer. Seems to be the problem with EVERYONE! And NO I will NEVER go back to a PC again. I still get people trying to sell things via PC files instead of using PDF. Wow, can you belive that one. Anyway, even though the information was a little bit 'heavy', it was good and thorough. (Especially for a newbie) But I do enjoy your material.
If you follow the acronym AIDA
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
to get people to stay and then buy -
then an entertainment angle fills that pattern admirably, especially with regards to the first two elements ie attention and maintaining interest.
Video and audio are great tools for promotion.
Hey Jonathan. Great post. This is certainly very popular. My only observation with most web site owners is the call to action.
People are so ingrossed in producing the video - they are forgetting why they did the video in the first place!
The bottom line is traffic. If the video leads to a conclusion and ends with a purpose, that is great. However, most web site owners do not convert.
My advice, as always is to take a look at the big players. See how they convert - and replicate.
Stay focused, work wise. Thank you for the post.
Sincerely,
John Adams
This had got to be one of the funniest ads on whole the internet. Better than TV. http://www.shaveeverywhere.com/