If you have watched television in your life, chances are you have seen adverts. If you have gone online in your life, chances are you have been targeted by adverts. If you have gone for a walk, chances are you have touched an advert. 

With such an infinite supply of adverts, it has become more and more difficult for adverts to impact their spectators because they are becoming less and less original. For example, almost every yogurt advert seems to involve an attractive woman eating the yogurt with a soothing voice describing the yogurt’s slimming properties. 

What adverts are trying to do can be clearly defined into two separate groups. The first is to sell products and services, and the quality of the advert is less important in this situation. The second are adverts that try and boost a company’s reputation, and these are more interesting adverts.

Big budgets

With their massive budgets, some betting companies like the ones listed here have really developed niches in the market. Because of how much some events depend on betting and sponsorships for funding, UK laws are more relaxed than other countries when it comes to television advertising, and the gambling companies dominate advertising space and time during matches for example.

 This allows them to advertise live bets at half time for example, which is the optimal time to target their audience with adverts. Predictions are always thrown around in pubs and before games, and sometimes when people see a bet with long odds that matches their prediction, they think they have received a sign. This is a very particular example but shows the efficiency of advertising during football matches. 

John Lewis Christmas Ad

A good example of this is the John Lewis Christmas advert, which has been turned into a big marketing scheme clearly capitalising on the feel good aspect of the Christmas spirit. Although this may seem cynical, the advert still needs to deliver this feel good feeling to satisfy its target audience.

 John Lewis usually tell a story with their Christmas advert, and viewers get invested in their characters. Some companies use this for their adverts and when implemented correctly, it can be hugely effective for marketing purposes. However, they cost a lot to make, so they are high risk ventures.

Cadbury’s Gorilla

A simple place to look for marketing inspiration is to look at the most successful ones in history, or the ones that have stuck in the public mind the longest. Cadbury’s made one of these in 2007 with the Cadbury Gorilla. The advert is just a gorilla sitting in front of a drum set while In the Air Tonight plays, and the gorilla plays out the part of the song that has given it its fame.

 This had nothing to do with the product, but it was enjoyable to watch and made people laugh, and made people watch again. Humour is a great way to make people more interested in the advert, and they will lend their attention to it if they think they might get a laugh out of it. Its simplicity makes it intriguing for the first watch. 

Rhodri Giggs’ loyalty

This is not the only way that companies make funny adverts though. There was a famous advert which Paddy Power made after it was discovered that Ryan Giggs slept with his brother’s wife. Though this was banned from television, the fact that many still heard about it and shared it on social media did as well as airing on television. Rhodri Giggs spoke of his ‘loyalty’ compared to Ryan (implicitly), and it was described as hilarious by many.