Kantar Insights unveils the results of the second edition of the Creative Effectiveness Awards. This ranking rewards the most effective ads among the 13,000 rated with Link (Kantar’s ad test solution) in 75 countries in 2021. Consumers are the jury of this ranking. “The prizes for the best television, digital and display commercials are thus assigned to those who, according to consumers, are the most effective in motivating them to purchase (short-term predictive indicator) and in preparing them for the long-term choice of brand. / or to accept a higher price. The best campaigns exceed these two dimensions, and between these three French campaigns“says Kantar Insights. Anne-Lise Toursel, director of Media & Creative expertise at Kantar Insights, explains it in France,”Ads in 2021 that show engagement, promote inclusion, and incorporate humor are very likely to be effective. After a difficult period of COVID, the French are expecting optimism or even lightness, but also sincere and transparent commitments from brands. At the same time, creative good practices remain valid: for example, consumers will always need a brand to show them what it offers, what makes it unique or modern.“. In the TV campaign category, the” One-Twist Hair Color “campaign orchestrated by the McCann Paris agency for L’Oréal Men Expert, and broadcast in the UK, ranks 5th. In the poster and print category we find two campaigns broadcast in France: the “L’Apéritif à réinventer” campaign for Lillet, from the Gangstères agency (Anaïs Novembre, photographer) ranks in 4th place, followed in 5th place by the Chromebook campaign of the R / GA Berlin agency Used from one third of the TV commercials, according to the Link database, the analysis of the winning creatives shows that “product demonstration remains a must in advertising, whether it is integrated into the heart of the action, as with the L’Oréal Men Expert (TV) campaign, or whether it is the advertising concept itself, as with the Chromebook campaign (10 – second digital display). Either way, the demo is compelling and engaging, creatively showcasing the unique benefits of brand communication.“says the experts of Kantar Insights. Lillet’s poster campaign also stands out: while made in France has never been so successful, (re) discover to the new generations the iconic brand of the Roaring Twenties by drawing inspiration from its history and its codes The brand retains the creativity and modernity that made it successful, but revisits them to make them current: as before, the female character is central and in the air, and now celebrates the brand by preparing cocktails.
The five “creative sparks”
Among the 13,000 advertisements, five “creative sparks” distinguish the most effective advertisements from the others. Here they are explained by the experts at Kantar Insights:
1 – TV commercials are aligned with digital communications
In the TV category, the best ads often refer to digital themes and environments. Perhaps to recognize the place of digital platforms in our daily life. The use of virtual world codes inevitably brings interest to TV commercials, making them captivating thanks to a storytelling that starts faster and allowing them to integrate more easily in a cross-media and multi-screen environment.
2 – Every second counts
With award-winning announcements ranging from 6 to 136 seconds, this ranking shows you can tell a story effectively regardless of the duration. Although digital ads are often short to fit short attention spans on the internet, one of the winners in the digital category was a 2-minute 45-second commercial for the Colombian beer brand BBC. The main thing is to keep in mind that the story decides the format and to make good use of every second.
3 – Global campaigns with local heroes
Many brands want to be consistently perceived across the globe, but understanding the local market is essential to making relevant creative choices and supporting the brand’s vision as a whole. Diageo’s Johnnie Walker brand has won awards for its advertisements in the UK, Mexico and Thailand, with effective local adaptations contributing to a cohesive overall strategy.
4 – Show, don’t tell
Despite the slew of new technologies pushing the boundaries of creativity with cutting-edge audio and visual techniques, the winning announcements show that product demos are still just as effective. “At L’Oréal, the key to success rests on proof of effectiveness. Attention needs to be earned and consumers notice what is relevant to them. The best way to achieve this is to simply and explicitly demonstrate how the product works and what the benefits to the audience are. The demonstration must be accompanied by a creative connection of the first scene, for example a strong intuition, in order to trigger the desire to discover more.“explains Stéphanie Navarre, Deputy Head Media & Creative, Kantar Insights.
5 – The power of humor
Laughter has long been one of the essential ingredients of advertising. However, humor has been used less and less over the past two decades as purpose (or mission) marketing has grown in importance and brands have become more cautious in their communications during the pandemic. A recent analysis by Kantar shows that humor is a powerful tool for making advertisements original, expressive and engaging. Podium brands such as Rappi, Zespri, Amazon and Chromebook demonstrate that using humor in campaigns is a profitable choice.