Branding and the Future of Advertising (a new rule)

See this wonderful ad from Haagen-Dazs and Goodby, Silverstein:

It suggests two things, I think, about branding and the future of advertising.



1. That we are now prepared to give the viewer a little credit.

Note that the brand and the agency are prepared to go with a foreign language.

And you can imagine how difficult this conversation would have been just 10 years ago. To trust anything to subtitles! To slow the ad! To turn the viewer into a reader! Unthinkable! Quite enough to make you want to throw a piece of crockery! AND POSSIBLY START YELLING AT SOMEONE!



There may once have been a time when the ad world treated the consumer is a dolt, a moron, an idiot but those days have passed. Or in the Cluetrain era, they are passing. 



2. That we should be able to give the viewer more and more credit.

Some day, the brand and the agency will be brave enough to go without subtitles.

Have another look at the ad and put a post-it over the subtitles. The emotional power of the scene is undiminished. Indeed, it's more powerful because we don't have to take our eyes off these beautiful people, this splendid acting, and this moment of delicious outrage.

I will grant you this much.  Without subtitles, we would miss two really wonderful lines from the actress: 1. "Isn't it your turn to apologize to me?" and 2. "You shouldn't yell at me!" (This from someone who is prepared to turn "honey, I'm home" into World War III.)



Subtitles give the viewer quite a lot of work to do. Giving them no subtitles would give them still more work to do. With no subtitles, we can I think guarantee 5 or 6 viewings.



Plus, I think we could assume that many people would take to the internet to look for a translation. And assuming they end up at a Haagen Dazs website, we have another brandable moment and our ad will have gone transmedia, a very good thing.   Everyone is now a googling machine.



The two assertions come back together again in what is perhaps a new rule for the ad world.



The more credit and work we give the viewer, the more engagement, meaning and value they will give the brand.



Tip of the hat to the people responsible for this splendid work:



Ad Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and Client Häagen-Dazs

Brand Manager at Haagen-Dazs: Cady Behles



Creative Department

Co-Chairman / Partner: Rich Silverstein

Associate Creative Director/ Copywriter: Will Elliott

Senior Art Director: Patrick Knowlton



Production Department

Director of Broadcast Production/Associate Partner: Cindy Fluitt

Broadcast Producer: Melissa Nagy



Account Services Department

Group Account Director: Leslie Barrett

Account Director: Erin Fromherz

Account Manager: Kristen Baker

Assistant Account Manager: Lacy Borko



Brand and Communication Strategy

Group Brand Strategy Director: Kelly Evans-Pfeifer

Senior Brand Strategist: Molly Cabe



Business Affairs

Business Affairs Manager: Mary Marhula



Outside Vendors

Production Company: H.S.I. / Person Films

Director: Michael Haussman

Director of Photography: Paolo Caimi

Executive Producers: Cecile Leroy, Michael McQuhae

Line Producer: Gianluca Leurini

Editing House: Union Editorial

Editor: Marco Perez

Assistant Editors: Nellie Phillips, Francesca Vassallo, Jedidiah Stuber

President / Executive Producer: Michael Raimondi

Executive Producer: Caryn Maclean

Producer: Sara Mills