So I was in the hell that was Heathrow Airport when I spotted this lovely attempt to ‘grab consumers attention’.
Now you could argue that it worked as I not only noticed it, but secretly videoed it … however the only reason I did it was to demonstrate the sad lengths some companies will go to in a bid to make people notice them.
Apart from the fact its based on the same ‘lowest form of idea’ that I wrote about a while back, the women look so fucking bored. And maybe that’s what amazed me most – they look bored rather than humiliated.
I don’t even know what they were ‘advertising’ … but its bound to be some alcohol brand as loads of them seem to use this method to generate sales.
What gets me is that if this was a TV ad, it wouldn’t get through the strict UK alcohol advertising laws … yet in an airport, where there are tons and tons of small kids, it isn’t just allowed … it’s encouraged.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the importance/value of sales promotion and done properly, it can enhance the brand whilst also driving sales … however I can’t help but feel that in this case we have a company who has simply gone for [what they believe is] the quickest route to sales, and not given a second thought to whether it undermines their carefully crafted brand image and persona. [even though I don’t know who it is for, ha!]
I love the fact that companies go on and on and on about the importance of brand strategy … and yet when they think there is an opportunity to make a few bucks more, they’ll turn their back on it in a heartbeat.
There’s loads of examples of this … from Harley Davidson making watches [very ‘freedom’] through to MILO making chocolate bars [very ‘healthy energy’] … and all it does is show that strategy means nothing when a companies greed gets in the way!