Snap, Crackle, & Pop: Marketing with short films

Some of the basic principles of advertising have remained the same even when the vehicles that distribute the information rapidly evolve.

This 1939 Rice Krispies’ Ad intersects entertainment with advertising, just as advertisers do today.  Although today’s short films are far more advanced and have the advantage of the limited advertising regulation online that creates a breeding grown for viral marketing such as Dove and Coca Cola ads.

It comes down to consumers wanting to be entertained.

In a 1994 NY Times article, Philip Durbrow, vice chairman of Frankfurt Balkind, suggested that advertisers “not think of consumers as targets in the cross hairs, in the traditional warlike way” and should look for more emotional appeal because

advertising’s voice and humor is its own, different than the voice and the humor in the popular culture.  And that’s why people tune out.

I think Mr. Durbrow had an excellent point, one that we have seen grow in the last 14 years with technology advancements and explosion on the web.  Yet, we must remember that this is no new advertising strategy…  and Snap, Crackle, and Pop are there to remind us.