By Ollie Tunmore,

With a recent report finding that the average person spends two hours and 23 minutes on social media every single day, it is no surprise that advertising brands are trialling new methods of portraying their messaging to audiences.

In one respect, agencies are taking it to the next extreme; for example, Frank PR recreating the Northern Lights over Tower Bridge in partnership with Huawei. On the other hand, however, many other organisations are opting for a much bolder, riskier method… the simple route.

McCafé by McDonald’s has been distributing a new advert campaign (devised by Leo Burnett London) which wears its heart on its sleeve: the coffee itself. In a 60-second video advert released earlier this year, the brand introduces various different narratives. For example, “we could… tell a humble origin story…”, or “we could… show a selection of models holding cups to their faces…” only to then conclude in the last five seconds with the punchline: “But we don’t. [McCafé.] Great tasting coffee.”

Another example comes renowned tongue-in-cheek brand, Oasis drinks. The drinks company has never shied away from pushing the boundaries of acceptable tone in adverts, and this year made no exception.

In 2015, the company released the ‘Refreshing Stuff’ campaign, which saw the adverts approach tackling its sales targets head on. With a poster and ad campaign simply detailing: “It’s summer. You’re thirsty. We’ve got sales targets. Refreshing Stuff.” Fast forward to 2019, Oasis has continued to release unapologetically bold and confident campaigns, this time, titled ‘#NoMoreAds’. With posters, social media content and advertisements on the London Underground, these ads varied in length and form, but ultimately were focused around the message of ‘buy more Oasis, we’ll stop advertising’.

Considering the above two examples, it has to be questioned if more brands will follow these routes. In a world of complex, scientific and research-led advertising strategies that surround us on a daily basis, the imagination behind this almost-reverse-thinking approach really must be applauded, particularly in the crowded market of advertising space in 2019. The average person reportedly spends no more than six seconds reading an advert before they decide if they are going to continue reading.

So, with this in mind, the above approaches surely are a recipe for success? Quick messaging, a bold statement, transparent brand values – done.

Jack Goss, a recent graduate in advertising at Bournemouth University and advertising professional was intrigued by the adverts shown to him, praising the originality behind them. He commented: “I completely see what these brands are attempting to achieve with this approach. Consumers want new, they want different, and they don’t want to see an ‘us Vs them’ technique anymore.

“Not enough time has passed to be able to fully evaluate the success of these campaigns, nor if the approach itself is a valuable and worthwhile one. One thing that is certain, however, is that audiences will be gripped by anything that they are not used to seeing, so this approach to advertising could well be a technique that’s here to stay.”

Ollie Tunmore is a PR professional and recent graduate from Bournemouth University.

Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash