Another day, another Christmas ad. And today we’re taking a look at Zalando.
What’s their core message?
We will hug again
Zalando offers fashion and lifestyle products to customers in 17 European countries. They had their work cut out creating an advert that would resonate with such a diverse target market. Were they successful?
Nope. And here’s three reasons why:
1. The product is never presented to the viewer.
Zalando sells clothes and, yes, everyone in the ad is wearing clothes. Standard stuff unless you’ve made a trip to the local nudist beach.
But the spotlight is not on the outfits. Instead, the viewer’s eye is drawn to the faces and physical interactions of the actors.
I forgot what I was watching and when the ad finished my final thought was: ‘what are they selling – hugs?’
2. There’s no call to action (CTA).
Most copywriters would agree that you learn the rules only to break them. But a CTA? It’s the one thing you never mess with if you want any chance of attracting new customers.
People are lazy. Don’t make it harder for them by having to think what steps to take next. Tell them what to do.
3. The emotion is not justified by logic.
Using emotion in TV adverts is nothing new. David Ogilvy – the ‘Father of Advertising’ – recognised its power in winning over viewers’ hearts and their cash.
But he also said, ‘consumers need a rational excuse to justify their emotional decisions.’ (Ogilvy, 1983, p.109).
Zalando go full throttle on the emotion but have no objective reasons to back it up. The message falls flat and viewers are left confused.
My score: 2/10. Sorry Zalando.
References: David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising, 1983.
Image credit: Getty Images/EyeEm
NB I originally wrote this post for my LinkedIn page on 24th Nov 2020.
Natasha Katz Writing 