The modern CMO is a role that has many facets and responsibilities, but you don’t often rise to the very top if you haven’t been involved in a brilliant advertising campaign or two. Therefore, who better to ask about advertising than some of Australia’s leading CMOs.
As part of this year’s B&T CMO Power List series, we asked six top marketers for their favourite ads, whether they had personally worked on them or not, and there are some absolute bangers in the mix.
In addition to picking out their favourite ads, a few of the CMOs shared their tips for what makes a great ad.
McDonald’s CMO Chris Brown, who will soon be leaving the Golden Archers, said the fundamentals of great advertising have not changed over the years.
“It starts with a really clear and compelling insight or truth; at McDonald’s we talk about a kind of fan truth, but getting a really clear understanding of that fan truth or insight is critical for any great ad,” he said.
“Then you need a brilliant idea that sits off that insight, and is then executed and in a way that’s incredibly interesting, fun and compelling.”
‘Science & Magic’
Uber and Uber Eats ANZ head of marketing Nicole Bardsley agrees on the importance of nailing an insight and presenting a clear brief to the advertising agency.
“Tapping into culture is really critical. What’s important for the Uber brand is making sure that we’re bringing to life the essence of our brand, and that self deprecating humor,” she said. “This means doing things that are unexpected, that will really generate cut through and making sure that you’ve got all of your distinctive brand assets ready to present so that it’s really memorable to your brand.”
Tourism Australia CMO Susan Coghil doesn’t believe there is a single formula to great advertising, but there are three key components: “it connects with consumers, it lands your brand message, and it impacts culture in a meaningful way”.
Coghill said the best ads are a combination of the science (using data to understand your consumer, what appeals to then and where to reach them) and magic (the emotion of great storytelling).
“You do need to be a bit surprising and a bit disruptive to stand out and be remembered. It’s a combination of being fresh and familiar. These are the brand codes that we believe will activate consumers’ memories,” she said.
The ads chosen below combine many of these traits and more.
Airbnb, ‘Get an Airbnb’
Chosen by Kirsten Hasler, IKEA
At the moment my favourite TV ad series is Get an AirBnB, which shows the advantage of staying in an AirBnB over a hotel. What I love about these ads is what I think makes good advertising: each ad has a simple message, is insight-driven and relatable, shows the differentiation of their product and has a distinct creative style.
Volkswagen, ‘Surprisingly Ordinary’
Chris Brown, McDonald’s
Volkswagen Surprisingly Ordinary Prices from the UK is absolutely a favorite of mine. It’s a great example of doing brilliant value advertising in a way that is so brilliantly branded. It has an incredible insight at the heart of it, great strategy, great idea, great execution to show that Volkswagens are much more affordable than you think. There was a famous TV ad where a dentist is trying to get a customer to open their mouth (video above). Another that is very hard to go past is Old Spice.
Uber Eats, ‘Shaz & Kim;
Susan Coghill, Tourism Australia
I’m a huge fan of Uber’s marketing. I think I love that it is an amazing creative export from Australia. And full credit to the Uber and Special Group teams, I think they’ve landed a platform that is distinct, it’s consistent, it’s flexible, it’s funny, and I love that they have committed to the idea. I love the ad starring Magda Szubanski and Kim Kardashian Shaz and Kim, and also the one starring Brian Cox.
Miller Light Beer, ‘Man Who Wags Like A Dog’
Chosen by Shaun Briggs, Specsavers
I like this partly from a sense of nostalgia. Having worked on the beer category a long while back we always reviewed ads from the rest of the world and this execution from Miller has always stuck with me. It’s the absurdity and completely offbeat sense of humour that I find appealing. Instead of a beautifully lit shot of the beer we get it splashed about by a man as uncontrollably happy as an overjoyed dog. Unpredictable and, for me, unforgettable!
Cadbury, Gorilla
Nicole Bardsley, Uber
One of my favourite ads of all time is from the archives – the Cadbury Gorilla ad from 2007. Why I love it? It’s 18 years old and still salient in my mind. A great example of distinctive brand advertising that uses an iconic music track to make you feel something. It also challenged the norms around traditional TV advertising at the time to achieve cut through and cleaned up with numerous awards.
McCains, ‘Super Juicy’
Chosen by Dean Norbiato, Kia
The McCains ‘Super Juicy’ corn advert from the 90’s is an absolute favourite of mine. Outrageously simple, yet as clever as an Aussie ad has ever been. They really tapped into middle Australia in an authentic and memorable way. It was also so sticky, salient and most importantly effective, that I remember hassling my mum for ‘corn from the ad’ in the local supermarket in rural NSW.
