This month’s poll reveals that people like ads to be cosy, Harriet Green
writes
Will she, won’t she? Punters are gripped by the latest romantic twist in
the Gold Blend saga as glamorous mother advises dithering daughter not
to marry boring old James.
McCann-Erickson’s coffee spot tops this month’s table as the ad that
most warmed hearts among the People’s Jury (particularly among women).
It beat 19 other commercials surveyed this month, and was also the ad
most likely to encourage jurors to use the product - scoring an
impressive 56 per cent. Which perhaps goes to show that what the public
really loves is something cosy and familiar.
Each month, People’s Jury gauges public reaction to a selection of
mainstream ads, either new or recently back on air. Jurors give each a
mark out of ten: from one (did not like at all) to ten (loved). We then
rank the ads by their mean score (top table). The panel (right)
illustrates the five ads that convinced the biggest percentage that they
might buy the brand.
Not far behind Gold Blend was Ammirati Puris Lintas’s launch spot for
Peperami’s new turkey version, the Gobbler. The film, entitled
‘slapper’, sustains the broad humour of the original Peperami ads with a
raucous female character who whacks an oven-ready turkey on the rear and
shouts: ‘You don’t want to end up like your mother, do ya? Only
Christmas to look forward to?’
Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper’s racy commercial for the Peugeot 306 also scored
highly with 6.4 - impressive for a car ad. It features the erotic
memories of a mother and father, including a scene where they make love
in a car and get caught by a policeman, and another in which the wife
parades around in a red rubber outfit. Phew.
The rest of the car ads didn’t fare as well: the latest Renault Megane
‘it talks your language’ ad came tenth, Ogilvy and Mather’s Ford Probe
film (to be toned down after triggering epileptic fits) came 15th and
Saatchis’ Toyota Starlet spot came 16th.
The ‘ahh’ factor did well for Whiskas catfood. The mould-breaking ad
that shows cute cats refusing to live up to stereotypes was the first
commercial for Mars from M&C Saatchi since it joined the multinational
giant’s roster in May. Sharing joint fourth with M&C is Abbott Mead
Vickers BBDO’s new ad for Bisto, starring Julie Walters as ‘Yvonne’, a
daytime TV cookery presenter.
Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury’s epic new spot for Blackcurrant Tango,
featuring the manic, purple-shorted Ray Gardiner, also pleased the
punters (if not Tory MPs and ardent Francophiles with no sense of
humour). It came sixth.
Less popular were Yardley’s launch ad for its Baroque fragrance, which
shows the supermodel, Linda Evangelista, in an old-fashioned frock;
Grey’s new ad for Nokia mobile phones; and the bizarre Visa Delta ad by
Saatchi and Saatchi in which Mel Smith’s rock ’n’ roll star keeps saying
‘kerr-ching’.
Those who consider Ferrero Rocher’s ‘ambassador’s party’ ad a kitsch
masterpiece will be surprised to see how its follow-up has bombed. The
pan-Euro ad scored just 5.5, coming 14th. Chin up, though, Herr
Ambassador - 41 per cent of jurors said it had encouraged them to buy
the product.
Audience Selection carried out the telephone interviews between 25 and
27 October, selecting 1,000 adults who represent a cross-section of the
population by age, class, sex and geography.
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PROPENSITY TO BUY
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We asked the people’s jury whether the advertising was more likely to
encourage them to buy or use the product
Ad % likely to buy
Nescafe Gold Blend 56
Ferrero Rocher 41
Hovis 36
Bisto 34
Blackcurrant Tango 32
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Selected ads: 4 November 1996
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Rank Ad campaign Agency Points
1 Nescafe Gold Blend McCann-Erickson 7.0
2 Peperami Gobbler Ammirati Puris Lintas 6.5
3 Peugeot 306 Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper 6.4
4= Whiskas M&C Saatchi 6.3
4= Bisto Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO 6.3
6 Blackcurrant Tango Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury 6.2
7= Cussons Imperial Leather GGT 6.1
7= Hovis DMB&B 6.1
9 Volkswagen Golf BMP DDB 6.0
10 Renault Megane Publicis 5.9
11 Scottish Widows Dewe Rogerson 5.8
12= Nissan Primera TBWA 5.6
12= One-2-One Bartle Bogle Hegarty 5.6
14 Ferrero Rocher Lansdown Conquest 5.5
15 Ford Probe Ogilvy and Mather 5.4
16 Toyota Starlet Saatchi and Saatchi 5.2
17= Yardley Baroque Gotham 5.1
17= Nokia Grey London 5.1
19= Ericsson Young and Rubicam 5.0
19= Visa Delta Saatchi and Saatchi 5.0
Source: Audience Selection. Further information and copies of the full
results are available. Tel 0171-608 3618
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