Why do people watch their favorite television shows week after week? Do they tune in for the complex, intricate plots? Sure, those help. But that's not the only reason.
The reason TV viewers are so loyal is that they care deeply about what happens to the characters in the show. Will the heroine succeed? Will the villain fail? TV fans make a regular investment of time and emotion. That's a powerful phenomenon, one that all marketers can harness to help audiences form strong connections to products and brands.
Take a look at three examples from companies that have successfully developed characters to ingrain their brand and product into the market:
The Geico Caveman
In 2004, Geico followed up their first "spokescharacter," the iconic Geico Gecko, with the Caveman campaign. The Caveman spots worked because of a simple statement - "So easy a caveman could do it" - and the reaction of one or more intelligent, erudite Cavemen taking offense to the political incorrectness of another character making the statement in their presence. This was an insurance commercial that had almost nothing to do with insurance - something so entertaining and out of left field the audience couldn't help but be intrigued.
Taking this a step further, Geico brought the Caveman to Twitter, allowing customers and prospects to interact with him. The best part of his social media conversations: He rarely discusses insurance. Instead, he connects on a personal level, befriending the targets Geico wants to pursue. Lately, he's been chatting and engaging with football fans. Take a look at his recent Twitter steam below:
The caveman certainly knows how to make friends and gives an otherwise ordinary insurance buying process a (semi) human face.
The eTrade Baby
Whether he's typing away in his crib on a concealed tablet PC, critiquing the song stylings of a friend, or even puking, the eTrade Baby has been a phenomenon since his debut during Super Bowl XLII in 2008. What works here? It's a cute baby (or babies) talking stocks with a smart-alecky attitude. It's another "so easy a (blank) could do it" riff. The result? Following the Super Bowl debut, eTrade registered more new accounts than they had on any other day in their history, and the ads became a standout in the annals of Super Bowl ad history, helping eTrade reach nearly 768 million people. The baby is still trading and advising from his crib and you can follow his stock tips and product suggestions on Twitter.
Discover's Peggy
A recent entry into the "spokescharacter" space is "Peggy" from Discover. A bearded Russian man claiming to be "Peggy," the customer service rep from USA Prime Credit, delivers substandard customer service. Guiding befuddled customers through the process of changing credits to tokens, tokens to credits and so on, "Peggy" is the embodiment of our frustrations with credit card customer service. The "Peggy" campaign succeeds because it shows a reviled institution (credit card customer service) not taking itself too seriously. Discover is telling its customers, "We get it, and we're not like that. Do business with us!"
What do these characters have in common?
Three key traits:
Simplicity. Cavemen take offense to the political incorrectness of "so easy a caveman could do it." The eTrade Baby talks about stocks and the simplicity of eTrade with an attitude. "Peggy" offers abysmal customer service. That's it.
The product is mentioned only at optimal moments. None of these campaigns pound you over the head with the greatness of the product. Instead, they are 30-second sitcoms that just happen to advertise a product - and the product isn't even mentioned until the optimal moment.
Interactivity: Classic television characters have always acted in a vacuum. They're visible on your screen, but you can't interact with them. In these instances, each company breathes life into their characters through social media and entices consumers to fall in love with them. So much so that a young man recently had Peggy ask his girlfriend to marry him! Peggy also gives shout outs to engaged fans on Facebook by holding up signs for the world to see:
Audiences care about characters across all media, and advertising is no exception. Craft a campaign for your product following the key tenets of simplicity, funny and irreverent "spokescharacters," and optimal advertising moments, and you will position yourself to engage customers, drive revenue and nurture brand loyalty.