"This is your brain..." And despite all the drugs we took, everybody remembers this video!
By Natalie Burg
If video marketers were in charge of reimagining the Gregorian calendar, it would be divided into BYT and ADV: "before YouTube" and "anno digitalis videmini" ("the year of digital video," naturally.) After all, everything from how videos are filmed to how we share them with the world changed that special day in 2005 when YouTube appeared, sandwiched between the births of Facebook and Twitter. Together, they made video more accessible, shareable and social than ever before.
But just because we're creating film in a new era doesn't mean the marketing videos of the 20th Century—television commercials, as we called them back in the day—have no relevance to filmmakers today. Here, we dig into six of history's most iconic marketing videos to learn a few lessons that are newly relevant to 21st Century video marketers.
Bulova - 1941
At ten seconds long with just one static image of a clock over a map of the U.S., the world's first (legal) television commercial aired on an NBC affiliate during a Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies game in 1941. The script for was simple—"America runs on Bulova time"—and the investment was even simpler: The spot cost the watch company just $9.
21st Century Lesson: You don't have to spend a lot to be on the cutting edge. Sure, it was 1941, but even adjusted for inflation, that groundbreaking ad spot would cost $145.91. And for that pocket change, it's still getting views today because of its historic relevance.
Today, innovation trumps financial investment even more than it ever did in the 20th Century. With so many digital channels and networks, a viral moment is always one ingenious, resonant idea away, regardless of how much the video cost to produce.
Oscar Mayer Wieners - 1965
A half century after an adorable troupe of cartoon children marched down a sidewalk singing about wieners, we dare anyone to look at the Oscar Mayer logo without instantly getting one of their jingles stuck in their head. The original song began, "Oh, I'd love to be an Oscar Mayer wiener," and we obviously don't have to finish, because whoever you are, regardless of age, you know the rest.
21st Century Lesson: Authenticity always wins. According to Oscar Mayer ad man Jerry Ringlien, the idea for pairing processed meats and catchy songs came from "the second Oscar." He insisted to his marketing team they take an old Mayer family song and sell his hot dogs with it. If those origins aren't authentic enough, the idea of having children sing the tune came about when the hired songwriter had his kids sing on the demo because he was such a terrible singer.
Those kids marching along, singing a silly song about wieners struck a chord with Americans, not only because it's an earworm, but because it was playful and cute and remarkably authentic. Kids do like hot dogs. They do sing silly songs. They do like to be in impromptu parades.
Today, you can't fool anyone. With comments sections, forums and social media, inauthenticity will be called out in an instant, and right on the same channel as the video itself. Staying true to your vision, your product and your audience resonates with people. And they'll respond in the moment when it does.
Apple's 1984 - 1984 (sort of)
Though it technically aired on in a few small local outlets minutes before 1984 began, Apple's famous "1984" was primarily viewed 22 days later during Super Bowl XVIII. And just that once. It announced the Macintosh brand, launching two days later, promising "you'll see why 1984 won't be like '1984,'" implying Apple would soon be saving society from some sort of alternate, Orwellian future. Or at the very least, it promised to change the world.
21st Century Lesson 1: Shock, then deliver. Many people don't need to look any further than the device on which they're reading this article to verify that Apple made true on that promise. In 1984, however, the literary allusion was provocative, audacious and mysterious. Apple did have something paradigm-shifting to share with the world, and it sure got the world's attention with such a shocking ad.
21st Century Lesson 2: Trust your gut. According to an agency account manager for Apple, Jobs loved the ad concept, but both his board of directors and a focus group hated it. With no crystal ball to tell them all just how genius Jobs's gut was, it's surprising it even made it on the air. But even decades after it aired, marketing minds have compared its impact on the industry to John F. Kennedy's declaration about putting a man on the moon or Woodward and Bernstein's Watergate investigation: It inspired a generation to get into the biz.
These days, it's easy to make big, shocking pronouncements—and they may even test well. But somewhere between balloon boy and the fake eHarmony bio of the girl who loves cats way too much, the world has grown a bit cynical. But by delivering on your big promises—and trusting your gut when it's time to announce them in a big way—you can stand out from the crowd. Not unlike Apple promised Macintosh would do.
Partnership for a Drug Free America - 1987
Regardless of your politics, no one can deny the war on drugs scored a major messaging win with an egg, a frying pan and one simple line: "This is your brain on drugs."
21st Century Lesson: Storytelling is the most compelling way to deliver a message. Prior to the 1987 commercial, the idea that drugs were bad was being delivered to the American public as a concept. The moment that egg hit the pan, it became a story, and a powerful one.
Never has storytelling been more important for advertisers than it is in the digital age. Skeptical? When is the last time you clicked on a banner ad? Content marketing is where the engagement happens. From Chipotle's "Back to the Start" video to Budweiser's moving "Best Buds" commercial, the best marketing messages are being told as stories.
Metaphor is just one way to tell a compelling story. It's time to bone up on the great literary devices to tell great stories to audiences eager to hear them.
The Blair Witch Project - 1999
Admit it. When you were standing in line to see The Blair Witch Project in 1999, you had no idea what was going on. Were you about to see a documentary? About an evil witch that kills people? Surely, it's fiction. But was it? The only reason you were standing in a movie theater doubting everything you believed about reality was because of some really great marketing videos that no one knew were marketing videos. They actually seemed more like evidence.
21st Century Lesson: Capitalize on the unexpected. The marketing of The Blair Witch Project ushered in a new age of marketing. The world's first viral marketing campaign began with a trailer proposing the idea that the horror movie was a documentary. It then directed people to the website, where the curious would find supposed video interviews and news reports about the missing filmmakers. It seemed very real. And it created a rumor mill that churned out audiences in droves.
It might not work so easily now. Today, we expect hoaxes and attempts at viral marketing campaigns. But before we learned to expect it, it was genius. The example teaches us to be the first through the gate. Do something now that won't work once the next era is upon us. Be the first viral marketing campaign in a world before viral marketing campaigns existed. Give the world something they have no way of expecting and they'll be hooked.
