| Wise
Words is a growing collection of contributed articles,
by an impressive assortment of experts, gurus and
ad biggies, that are germane to our subject.
|
| SHOULD WE CALL YOU NOW? |
| John
Crowther,
Planning Director, Banks Hoggins O'Shea/FCB
in London describes what happened to consumer
response when a commercial's endline was
changed
A planner for 12 years, he joined BHO
in 1997, having spent the preceding four
years at Abbott Mead Vickers, where he
worked on award-winning campaigns for
Ikea, The Economist, and The Famous Grouse.
This article first appeared in Admap,
January 1999, and was sourced from the
World Advertising Research Center. Reprinted
with permission. © 1999 NTC Publications
Ltd |
| If
you have an article that
belongs in Wise Words, contact
Timothy R V Foster in London
on 44 (0)208 763 2225
or fax him on 44 (0) 208 763 2011
e-mail: 
|
|
|
|
| What a Little Endline Can Do |
| It is always
dangerous to generalise, but if the endline has ever had
a golden age, then it certainly is not now.
There are few obvious contemporary equivalents
to 'For mash, get Smash', 'Milk's gotta lotta bottle' or
even 'If only everything in life was as reliable as a VW'
&endash; lines which were not just there to decorate
an end-frame, but which delivered much of the punch of a
campaign. Talk to creatives, and it is now quite common
to find an assumption that an endline is a piece of worn-out
ritual that has little relevance to the impact and effectiveness
of the ad, rather than a fundamental and essential part
of the communication.
|
This makes a
piece of research that we have just conducted with our client
Sara Lee of particular significance, since it demonstrates
just how crucial an endline can be to the success of an
ad.
When presented with scripts for a new TV
campaign, the Sara Lee client was naturally concerned that
an endline which suggests that the brand is unnecessary
might be taken literally, and asked the agency to develop
an alternative line which could be tested alongside 'Nobody
needs Sara Lee'.
|
| The alternative
endline developed was 'Utterly, deliciously Sara Lee' &endash;
an equally clear and logical summation of the creative idea,
but one that avoided the risk of ending the ad on an apparently
negative note.
Two versions of the finished film were cut,
identical in all respects apart from the end-frame and voice-over
&endash; differing, in effect, by just two words from
one another.
|
The two versions
were shown monadically to matched samples of 78 and 74 consumers,
with consumers seeing the ad twice before being interviewed
about their recollections and attitudes. The research was
carried out by Consumer Insight.
It was immediately clear that the choice
of endline had a very significant impact on consumers' reaction
to the ad (Exhibit 1).
|
|
EXHIBIT 1: SELECTED RESPONSES TO
THE ADVERTISING |
| Opinions |
Per Cent Agreeing |
|
'Nobody needs' |
'Utterly, deliciously' |
| I liked the style of the ad |
49 |
29 |
| It was an ad I'd like to see
again |
29 |
16 |
| I found the ad irritating |
18 |
25 |
| It made its point very well |
51 |
20 |
| I found the ad amusing |
27 |
10 |
Source: Consumer Insight
| What was perhaps
more surprising was that changing two words did not simply
alter the degree to which consumers liked the ad, it also
changed their whole involvement with it.
For example, 89% agreed with the statement
'I can identify with the woman in the ad' when shown 'Nobody
needs', but only 47% agreed when shown 'Utterly, deliciously'.
|
Similarly, 32%
made a spontaneous positive comment about product taste
when shown 'Nobody', against 18% for 'Utterly'. This was
despite the fact that the photography, actress and product
description were identical.
Most importantly for the advertiser,
these differences in response to the ad carried over into
markedly different attitudes towards the brand (Exhibit
2).
|
|
EXHIBIT 2: RESPONSE TO THE BRAND
|
| Opinions |
Per Cent Agreeing |
|
'Nobody needs' |
'Utterly, deliciously' |
| Sara Lee makes high-quality
desserts |
92 |
76 |
| Sara Lee desserts are really
indulgent |
100 |
84 |
| Sara Lee is moving with the
times |
82 |
55 |
| It improved my opinion of
Sara Lee |
24 |
14 |
Source: Consumer Insight
| The Power of a Strong Endline |
| In short, the
choice of endline had a crucial effect on almost all levels
of consumer response to the brand.
Why did this happen?
One explanation for the scale and breadth
of these differences might be that consumers suspended some
judgment on the ad until the end of the two showings of
the commercial, and then edited their reaction (positively
or negatively) in the light of the 'quality' of the endline.
If so, this would suggest that the endline may, in fact,
be a crucial element in the way in which consumers deconstruct
an ad and access its message.
The alternative explanation would be
that having seen the endline once, reaction to it was fundamental
to consumers' receptiveness to the whole ad on subsequent
viewing.
|
If the endline
failed to work first time, then this acted as a block to
their involvement with the ad subsequently. This would,
in turn, suggest that the role of an enjoyable, involving
or challenging endline may be critical in affecting ad impact
and wear-out &endash; perhaps to a much greater extent
than is normally expected.
The methodology used makes it impossible
to decide which of these explanations is the right one in
this case. In all likelihood there is an element of both
present.
In either case, the purity of this test &endash;
where the endline was the only possible variable, and where
varying it produced such a clear difference in reaction
to the ad &endash; clearly indicates the power of a
strong endline to affect all aspects of consumer involvement
and response. However unfashionable a conclusion that may
be.
|
|
APPENDIX
Sara Lee script
|
|
Video |
Audio |
| Close-up
of a Sara Lee Individual Double Chocolate Gateau. It looks
very, very tempting indeed. Not quite perfect, some of the
cream is oozing out, but absolutely delicious.
|
Voice Over: |
| Behind
the cake, a woman's face appears. |
You don't
need one of these. |
| She walks
forward and we realise that the cake is, in fact, an individual
size.
|
You
don't need it. |
| Cut to some
clothes drying on a rotary line turning in the wind.
|
What
you need is to iron that lot. |
| Cut to an
empty shopping trolley rolling past the cameras. Empty,
that is, except for a baby in the carrier seat.
|
And
you need to do the shopping. |
| We cut back
to the woman looking intently at the Gateau.
|
But
you don't need a Sara Lee Individual Double Chocolate Gateau |
| Next
the woman is standing in a room with the light flickering. |
You need
to change that light bulb is what you need to do.
|
| Then she's
rushing around the room so quickly that she's a blur.
|
And
a bit more time, that's what you need.
|
| Now
we return to the woman and the cake.
|
But
you don't need two layers of Sara Lee's moist chocolate
cake.
|
| Suddenly,
with a mischievous smile, she leans forward and sticks her
finger into the cake.
|
...
not need you don't. |
| Cut to the
Sara Lee Individual Double Chocolate Gateau pack.
|
|
| Title appears:
Nobody needs Sara Lee. |
Nobody needs
Sara Lee. |
|
AdSlogans.com -- Wise
Words/5
|
 |
|
