Pioneering advertising can be the solution for any company looking to stand out from the crowd in an increasingly competitive market. Pioneering advertising has been proven time and again as being one of the most effective ways for companies like yours to get noticed by consumers today.
The problem is that there are a lot of companies out there who still think that traditional advertising is the best way to reach their customers. One thing they don’t understand is that things have changed. Consumers have become more jaded and harder to impress, which means you need to do something new if you want your marketing efforts to succeed. But what is pioneering advertising?
What Is Pioneering Advertising?
Pioneering advertising is a form of marketing that uses new or innovative techniques to create an emotional reaction in people (emotional reaction) , then motivate them to act on that feeling. Pioneering advertisements can be profound or controversial, but they are always memorable.
Pioneering advertising is necessary when there is no direct competition in the marketplace. For example, in 2010 Apple launched an ad campaign to promote their Mac computers (macs). At the time, there were no other high-end computers trying to capture this segment of the marketplace. To get people excited about purchasing Macs, Apple started showing emotional ads with young men and women using Macs in their everyday lives.
The goal of Pioneering Advertising
The goal of Pioneering Advertising is to make a lasting and memorable connection with the consumer (memorable). The long-term goal is to instill an emotional attachment with the brand. Pioneering advertisements can be profound or controversial, but they are always memorable.
Profound advertising – Profound advertising is an effect that has a long-lasting impression on the viewer. An example of profound advertising is the “I Want What I Can’t Have” ad campaign for the Volkswagen New Beetle. This commercial showed people lusting after things they couldn’t have, like a man lusting after an attractive woman (Pioneering Advertising). Profound ads go straight to the heart of what matters most to consumers and force them to feel what the advertiser wants them to feel.
Emotional advertising – Emotional advertising is based on an emotional connection with the consumer, not necessarily a profound connection. An example of an emotional ad campaign is Dove’s “Real Beauty” for their body wash (Dove). This commercial showed women of different shapes and sizes posing in their underwear. Although the message of the commercial wasn’t profound, it made women feel good about themselves and their bodies (Dove).
Controversial Advertising – Controversial or shocking advertising is any ad that stirs up a debate among consumers. For example, Pepsi’s “Black and White” ad showed people from all ages and races joining together to make peace (Pepsi). The ad was considered controversial because not all people liked the idea of bringing race into an ad for soda (Pepsi).
Thought-Provoking Advertising – Thought-provoking ads aim to get people thinking about a particular issue. An example of this type of advertising is Nike’s “Write the Future” advertisement that aired before the 2010 Football World Cup (Nike). This commercial showed professional football players acting out scenes of their life after the game, with messages encouraging viewers to write their own future (Nike).
What Pioneering Advertising Is Not?
You know what is pioneering advertising, but what Pioneering Advertising Is Not? Pioneering advertising is not high budget. An example of a low-budget pioneering ad that was highly effective is Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” (Blendtec). This series of videos showed Tom Dickson, the owner and founder of Blend-Tec, blending various objects like iPads and golf balls in a blender. The videos were irreverently funny and very inexpensive to produce.
Pioneering advertising is not traditional advertising such as radio, television, or print. Traditional advertising is everywhere in today’s society, but it does not make an emotional connection with the people watching or listening to it. For example, a popular television show might have a high advertising budget and be seen by most of America, yet still lack for customers for its advertisers. This type of advertising can give information about a product, but doesn’t make an emotional connection.
Pioneering advertising does not aim to get people talking about your company or product like viral ads do. Viral advertisements are ads that spread rapidly through the Internet and social networks. They are usually funny and evoke strong emotions; however, they don’t focus on creating an emotional connection with the consumer.
Why business needs pioneering advertising?
Every business requires pioneering advertising because it is important to stay ahead of the competition. If a company uses only traditional marketing techniques, then it will never stand out from its competitors (traditional marketing).
By using pioneering advertising, a company knows it will be getting attention from customers, media outlets and future advertisers. Pioneering products are often advertised before their competitors can even copy them. The advertisement for the product becomes an integral part of the product itself (integral to the product).
For example, Apple is known for creating commercials that are not about the product itself, but rather how customers feel while using their products (emotional reaction) . The company has created advertisements that are typically about empowerment, heartfelt moments and even music.
These commercials have become so popular that they are widely shared on social media sites such as YouTube. They have also inspired many other companies to create new marketing strategies.
How Pioneering Advertising Is Measured
Pioneering advertising is usually measured by the strength of the connection between the consumer and the brand. This connection can be measured in terms of loyalty, consideration, or purchase intent (Pioneering Advertising). If a company’s pioneering ad campaign creates a strong emotional link to its product or service, the campaign is effective.
Pioneering advertising is difficult to measure because it often targets a very specific group of people and creates a unique connection with them. An example of this type of advertising is the Subway Jared ad (Subway). Jared, who lost 245 pounds by eating 2 foot-long Subway sandwiches every single day for 6 months, was looked up to by many people who wanted to lose weight or eat healthier. This ad created a strong emotional connection with Subway’s target audience, making it an effective pioneering ad (Subway).
Effective Pioneering Advertising Campaigns
The following are examples of some successful Pioneering products examples:
- Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” (Blendtec) – Blendtec’s “Will It Blend?” campaign made the company popular and increased their revenue. The videos showed founder Tom Dickson blending various objects in a blender, which garnered millions of views on YouTube (Blendtec).
- Honda Life – Honda Life is a car that can fit into smaller parking spaces. The Japanese ad agency that created the ad took a very different approach, showing the absurdity of owning a big car in Tokyo. The ad went viral, making people all over the world laugh, while also creating an emotional connection with the Honda Life product (Honda).
- Pepsi – Pepsi tried to create an emotional link between their soda and peace taking place in the Middle East by creating an advertisement showing young people from different religions coming together. It didn’t work, due to the public’s interpretation that Pepsi was trying to sell more products in order to have peace take place (Pepsi).
Pioneering advertising is a unique and innovative way to promote a product. It often targets a specific group of people and creates a distinct emotional link between the consumer and the product or service provided by the company.
Pioneering advertising is difficult to measure, as its effectiveness depends on what the general public thinks about it, which means that any technique used can be successful or unsuccessful.
