Class 5: Advertising
- Tom Hogan
- Nov 28, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2019
Today's class on advertising took us through the basics of advertising and it's contemporary approaches in the present day.
Now what do I find interesting about advertising? Good question, especially considering that I would've graduated by now if I had not transfered from my course to specialise in advertising. I think I can narrow it down to three main reasons. Firstly it has the opportunity to allow for nearly limitless creativity and problem solving. Secondly it is constantly innovating along with advances in technology and thirdly there will always be money in advertising in some form or another so theres some peace mind due to the industries stability.
Here are two ads which I have found very interesting and thought provoking thanks to their creativity and social relevance. I am interested in discussing whether or not these advertisements are examples of brand activisim (Sarkar & Kotler 2018). Both of these ads come from Germany and were aired this year to coincide with the 30 year aniversary fo German Reunification and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The first of these ads was produced by Nike, a company whose advertising is always socially conscious and impactful.
I think this video is really clever in the way it intertwines the challenges facing German Inidividuals and society today in particular as the country continues to come to grips with the ramifications of the Syrian refugee crisis, with the united heroism which lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall.
It's not until the final shot of the commercial, the lingering shot of a defeated and dejected looking section of the wall that you understand the point it is making about the importance of unity at a time when once again Germany is facing division.
Nike's brand activism is well known particulalry it's 'Stand for something' campaign lead by Colin Kaepernick which drew divided opinion in the USA. The Kaepernick Campaign comes off as intentionally divisive within the American context with Nike making it clear that they don't care if they lose the business of one demographic in order to appeal to another 'cooler' market. It could be seen as playing a game of identity politics, driving further division within a divided country. For a billion dollar company just looking to sell shoes it comes of as a little bit uncaring and irresponsible to whip up such a frenzy for commercial interests. However this German campaign has very different message, unity. It is not attempting to be an 'activist' but rather a 'pascifist'.
I feel it is just a very emotive and well executed message and an example of how the future of advertising will barely resemble the advertising which people have come to expect and hate. And that is exactly what excites me about working in this industry.
The second ad comes from BMW.
This one is not so much an ad for a new car by BMW but a celebration of a part it's brand was able to play in changing the lives of people within the DDR. This short film is extremely well produced and has a very high production value. It is the level of production you would expect from a HBO original. Again is this an example of brand activisim? It is a socially charged campaign steeped deep in german history and politics, is that all an ad needs in order to be considered activism? I feel that brand activism within Germany is approached from an entirely different angle than it would be in the USA. It all comes down to the political context really.
In Australia, a place where unfortunately the majority is quite complacent towards politics brand activism is a lot more subversive, playing to safer issues such as on-screen diversity within the ads or body positivity. Not saying these are bad issues or anything but if the Adam Goodes saga had occured in America, he definitely would've made an appearance in a sombre yet motivational Nike Commercial by now.
Of course you could continue to look at these ads cynically. At the end of the day these ads were bought and paid for by billion dollar multinational companies for the purpose of strengthening their brand image in the collective zeitgeist however it doesn't mean it can't be something to be enjoyed at the same time. These ads are still made by people who want to make an impact upon the world through their work and I am glad that the advertising industry is changing to allow that to happen more often.
-T
Nike, 2019. Nike | Just Do It Germany: Helden. Youtube, Nov 3, Nike, Germany. Viewed Dec 11 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB3J-fzCU08
BMW, 2019. The small escape. Youtube, Oct 1, BMW, Viewed Dec 11 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkho0RB0zz0
Sarkar & Kotler (2018) The Marketing Journal: "Stand for something: brand activism at Nike". The marketing Journal. Viewed Dec 15 2019. file:///Users/thomashogan/Downloads/ADV_%E2%80%9CStand%20for%20Something-%20Brand%20Activism%20at...%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%93%20Christian%20Sarkar%20and%20Philip%20Kotler.pdf
Nike 2018, Nike releases full ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, Youtube video, The Guardian Sport. Viewed Dec 15 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-grjIUWKoBA
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