For many brands, the digital campaign is where more is allowed compared to the offline campaign. It is allowed to be more daring, more creative and especially more playful. Brands are looking for interaction online. How do you achieve that? By creating very ''fun'' content. But how do you make sure those fun campaigns also contribute to your brand?
Albert Heijn - Bottles with Vjeze
Albert Heijn has developed a series with Vjeze Fur (Freddy Tratlehner) of the Youth of Today. Vjeze has his own Instagram channel ''Lekker Fred,'' where he cooks while making fun of food bloggers and vloggers.
Lekker Fred is hip and going fast on Instagram. AH saw in him the ideal partner to make an unorthodox series about its house wines. Well that worked out, the series is going rock hard on social media and when I watch the videos I am completely in tears. I have even forwarded them to friends and shown them to colleagues. A big hit you could say. However, the problem is that you keep watching the videos because of Vjeze and not because it is Albert Heijn.
AH has made a crucial mistake with this campaign. Because Vjeze Fur is an outspoken personality that is at odds with the image of AH and the new branch manager mother campaign. In addition, Vjeze has numerous other collaborations including with the beer brand BeerWulf, reducing credibility.
Of course, creating a fun campaign that also contributes to your brand is a difficult task. But because Vjeze Fur's brand fit with AH is not a one-to-one match, all the credit goes to Vjeze, rather than Albert Heijn. So, a laughable series, perhaps the best in its segment, but it does nothing for your brand.
Chocomel - Letter Campaign
Digital and genius. That's what you're looking for and Chocomel found. The letter campaign launched this month. Two guys in a supermarket making puns with chocomel packs. Inspired by an earlier video of the two in Ikea, Chocomel enlisted the men to create a genius video.
The strength of this is that Chocomel has subscribed to the core of this idea, namely word jokes, and made itself leading object. Unlike AH which comes up with a new format, Chocomel builds on a strong idea. The campaign goes viral on social media and interaction is found as people start making and sharing word jokes themselves.
So by definition, the funniest campaigns are not bad for your brand. Just make sure you stay leading object and use the right humorous tone that fits your brand. Then you will also make the funniest campaign the most effective for your brand.
This is a column by Matthijs Kloezeman
