If you have been watching “Mad Men” on AMC, or if you are simply interested in how advertising works in different cultures (hey, its a GLOBAL economy, after all, right?), you might want to throw a glance at how German advertisers pry open some of the stingiest wallets on the planet. They do it in several ways. Enjoy the examples and think about how portable these might be (or not be) from one culture to the next.
Shock-Effect:
It has been said that Americans have only a 6 second attention span. For this video you will need a bit more than 12 seconds of patience, but the message is clear (translation below, video first!):
For you non German readers, the translation: “You have never been so awake” – an ad for a Caffine-based energy drink.
The Creative Touch:
This ad effectively presents a theme familiar to the eyes and ears of the younger set.
The spoken word is cut to the bare essentials “1,323 Liters of playing capacity” - “Jazz” is the market name for the “Fit” in Germany, but in either language, the ad says: “Let’s play!”
Sex Sells:
Obviously! But the text seems to be just plain lewd until the advertiser is revealed at the end.
The printed words on-screen translate: “We’re stacked” – literally, “We have a big pile of wood stacked in front of the cabin”. The advertiser is a wood products warehouse.
Politically Incorrect:
German advertisers take far greater liberty pushing the border of what is tasteful and acceptable. Would this even be possible in America?
Viral Marketing:
The internet is a great place to experiment and “viral marketing” has taken off across the web. Here are my two all-time favorite examples, both from German car companies:
Filed under: Business, Society/Gesellschaft Tagged: | Advertising, creativity, German, mad men, politically incorrect, sex sells, shock ad, viral marketing
