Rachel Walker, chief strategy officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Australia, writes that one of the biggest opportunities for brands is being OK with their own (and their customers’) imperfections.
2024 has been an interesting year for ‘real’ globally.
This is the year that in the UK, Burger King dared to feature post-partum women eating fast food. Not the idealised, glowing mum, newborn babe in arms gazing adoringly at their little chubby faces. And definitely not how royalty emerges from the maternity ward to the nation’s cameras, neat and tidy, perfect hair, and in heels. No – the real, hungry, exhausted women who’ve given it all, and deserve a feed. The Burger King work – and the backlash – made global headlines.
And still making global headlines in 2023 and again in 2024 – former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson ditched makeup. She’s on red carpets, facing cameras, and owning what real looks like for her.
JD Sports’ UK Christmas spot shines a light on the Christmas festivities of its young urban audience. Not a perfect mistletoe, log fire, or mince pie in sight. But hanging out with mates who are your family, in the local Chinese restaurant, or at the corner shop.
There’s a humorous TikTok trend, Suspect on the Run Challenge, where friends, relatives and couples playfully insult each other while taking on the role of a cop chasing a running suspect. A partner reveals ‘Suspect says she’s a fashion influencer but can’t get dressed without 200 peoples’ approval’. It’s refreshing to see people laughing at themselves. They’re not perfect, and that’s OK. In fact, it probably attracts more followers.
It does feel like globally, communications are getting more real.
So, what’s happening in Australia?
The majority of Australians (60%) prefer seeing “real-looking people” in advertisements according to YouGov in 2024.
And there is ‘real’ happening.
I love how Uber Reserve’s campaign recognises that moment of truth, when a family member is triggered, and you know what’s coming. Better still, you can plan your escape. Mood tea’s observation, that people who buy their product are no angels. Just because they buy a tea that gives back to society, doesn’t necessarily mean they are nice people. The little human observations in Aldi’s work, the way dropping the bags by the front door mean they block the way in. We’ve all been there.
In psychology there’s an effect called the similarity-attraction effect, which is that we generally like people who are like us. When we find someone with one matching interest, we reason that they will share their broader worldview. What I see in these campaigns is that they show they are like me in some way. Consumers aren’t perfect, and these brands understand that.
A less-than-perfect image of the consumer and their life can be a challenge, even for brands with big budgets to experiment with, let alone for smaller brands who need every cent to work hard.
But the benefits of getting it right, the emotional connection created to the brand, pay off.
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