Birth control yogurt

by Dekker Fraser
Web designer and marketing strategist
dfraser@flamedesign.ca
Google+

2 things women love: yogurt and birth control. Why not combine the two? That’s exactly what Dannon does in this faux advertisement.

Consumers are increasingly skeptical of real advertising. That’s one reason why marketers are relying more and more on viral marketing and inbound marketing companies. There’s less focus on trying to persuade people and more emphasis on entertaining and educating them. Consumers are more receptive to what you have to say if you’re giving them something for free in the form of entertainment or education. And they’re also far more likely to share your message with others through social media.

One of the reasons this “ad” will be so successful is because it’s posted on a women’s online magazine. You can’t find it on Dannon’s YouTube channel. They probably don’t want to take ownership of it because it’ll lose its authenticity if perceived as an ad.

This video analyses several ads that were designed to persuade women 25+ to buy yogurt:

It’s usually best not to use humour in your advertising. Just because your ad is funny doesn’t mean it’s effective. And there’s a high probability you won’t be funny at all. The goal of advertising is to generate a return on investment. And this can be done with boring, repetitive ads that people don’t even like! The question is whether they understand the benefits of your product and are motivated to purchase it.

When it comes to viral campaigns, however, humour stimulates the desired behaviour: sharing.

Flame Design helps companies with their online marketing campaigns, including inbound marketing. 604-801-5585 | email@flamedesign.ca