Do I moan a bit in my Creativepool columns? Don't answer that. As a fully paid-up, grumpy old copywriter, I know I probably do. But you can relax, because today I'm discussing something I really, really like. And handily, it's an advertisement.
Washing powder has been a mainstay of consumer advertising for more than a hundred years. After all, it's a product bought by almost every household, so the market is vast and the competition fierce. Remember Radion (first non-white packaging), or Dash? They chanced their arm in the detergent wars and eventually faded from view. And it's not difficult to see why Omo fell from grace.
In truth, most of these products are actually made by the same giant corporations - Lever and Proctor & Gamble. So, much of the advertising strategy is about market share, rather than winning in a multi-player game. Nevertheless, the advertising must still strive to be convincing. The renowned 'Washes Whiter' line may have served Persil well for many years, but in the modern arena, its simplistic proposition wouldn't really do the job.
There isn't much appetite for launching new washing 'powder' brands these days. Instead, manufacturers focus on delivery mechanisms (little bubbles of gunk placed directly into the machine seem to be popular right now) and, of course, effectiveness. In fact, effectiveness is the only convincing proposition in the soap wars - and always has been. All the consumer really wants from the product is cleaner, brighter clothes, so they're likely to choose the 'powder' they believe will best deliver. Everything else is window dressing - but as every shop owner knows, window dressing is pretty crucial.
No surprise then, to see Ariel building their current campaign around the effectiveness gambit.
'My Ariel' is a series of ads from Saatchi & Saatchi featuring recognisable British social types, extolling the virtues of the Ariel brand in humorous sketches. Most of the executions are fun, but one ad stands out as a stroke of brilliance.
Set in a launderette, our stars are two female students, away from home for the first time; one blonde, one brunette. The blonde girl does most of the talking and is a bit daft, in a ditzy, lovable way. To camera, she describes how her vintage dress has been spoilt by a stain - the origins of which are unknown, but she's guessing at coffee. She explains that her long-suffering mother has sent her some Ariel which has restored the garment to its former glory. Doesn't sound very special, does it? And it wouldn't be, were it not for the interjections of her friend who, seated on a bench, makes gently sarcastic and affectionately exasperated expressions and comments throughout.
I admire the copywriting here - it's tremendously understated and perfectly pitched. But the greatest praise must go to the actresses. In the thirty available seconds, they expertly convey the characters' relationship, the back-story (and when was the last time you saw an ad with a back-story?) and, of course, the selling point. It is all genuinely funny, truly authentic and actually quite touching. Encapsulating the absurdities of student life, the spot leaves you eager to know the girls better and see them in other situations. Better still, it makes you like them enormously. In short, the ad is a little triumph in a sea of mediocrity. I could do without the spoken 'That's my Ariel. What's yours?' payoff - but that's splitting hairs, because I absolutely love it.
If somebody, somewhere isn't planning and writing a spin-off campaign featuring the girls - or even putting a whole show together - they're missing a trick.
See? That wasn't grumpy at all was it? Now, wait until Thursday.
Magnus Shaw is a writer, blogger and consultant
