Buzz advertising, or the ability for your advertisement to create conversation, is an art, slowly being perfected through past decades of advertising history. Many advertisements achieve good buzz marketing naturally, through internet and televised placement, but others, such as vehicle wraps and surface graphics really need to grab attention to inspire the engagement they seek.
Nine West recently launched a campaign that was criticized by bloggers worldwide for being outdated and misogynistic, and at the time was viewed as an embarrassment of sorts. Now, weeks have passed, the smoke has cleared, and their brand awareness is off the charts. This is just another example of how Buzz works, and effectively, for that matter.
Alcohol brands embrace a rugged and darker feel with the use of celebrities
In recent months a trend has developed across multiple brands of alcohol, revolving around not only celebrity endorsement, but a specific rugged and darker feel. For example, Miller has Mark Strong (Green Lantern, Sherlock Holmes) walking around the city streets educating the viewer on how their night will be more fun, and classier than it would normally, just by drinking Miller High Life. Along the same lines, Makers Mark uses Titus Welliver (Sons of Anarchy) in a commercial consisting only of him sitting at a desk randomly placed in a city alleyway explaining what they refer to as "the Order of Gentleman", their own way of making you perceive affluence.
Beam's spin on this was revolutionary to the current trend, as they realized, the target of these ad's can be approached from other angles. "By introducing Mila Kunis, a currently coveted cultural icon, they opened their advertising to a broader audience, and will therefore likely capture more attention. This dark, rugged approach began with Dos Equis 'Most Interesting Man in the World' campaign and has really kept momentum since it's first airing. People want to feel interesting or classy, it has natural appeal", stated TJ Panell of JMR Graphics, nationwide car wraps manufacturer.
