When we think of creativity, advertising often stands out as a medium where it shines brightest. However, while every advertising agency does its best to create a fascinating ad campaign to successfully showcase the product/service of its clients, it must take care of a few crucial points to avoid an untoward situation.
Today we will talk about the potential risks that every advertising agency should take care of while making an ad.
Ignoring the Importance of Balance
While creativity makes an ad successful, too much of it could make an ad appear confusing. This happens when there is an overload of heavy texts or visuals which can hamper the message you wish to convey.
This leads us to another important point, i.e keep the ads balanced and simple.
Not Having an In-Depth Market research
Behind every successful ad lies thorough market research. Good research calls for an in-depth understanding of the target audience, identifying the objectives, and choosing the right communication channels to show your ad.
This research helps top advertising agencies create campaigns that are not only appealing but also strategically sound.
Breach of Privacy
While market research plays an important part in advertising, it must be conducted without interfering with the privacy of its consumers, or its competitors. The ad agencies should be aware that while gathering data, unauthorized collection of personal information should always be avoided.
Not Understanding Societal Implications
Ads that attain popularity on a global level may face several challenges. This is because the perspectives of the people vary.
If the ad promotes certain stereotypes that go against a particular religious group or an ethnic community, it could attract negative attention and be at risk.
Therefore, every ad agency must consider this factor while making an ad.
A Glimpse Into Some Ads Gone Wrong
After we have discussed in brief about the cautionary points, we bring you a list of popular ads that were badly mired in controversy due to the crucial factors they overlooked:
Burger King, 2020:
With the motive of enhancing its brand image, Burger King put out an ad to convince its buyers that it serves meals without preservatives. In 2020, Burger King put a picture of a burger covered with mold, making it look messy and dirty. To many people, the ad appeared to be in bad taste.
This case is a perfect example of trying to be bold but failing badly.
Kent RO in 2020:
2020 was a time when the entire world was being plagued by covid. Hygiene was the primary concern for all, and Kent RO had its way of promoting it.
It came up with its new product Atta and bread maker. The idea was to persuade the consumers to use this machine to kneed atta, instead of making their housemaids do it, as their hands might be infected, thus making everyone around vulnerable.
While some took it in a proper spirit, several others opposed the idea, labelling the ad as racist and biased against the housemaids. The ad received a severe backlash as the people found it highly disrespectful towards the maids, for which Kent later issued a public apology & withdrew the ad.
Nivea, 2017
In the year 2017, Nivea put out an ad featuring a deodorant with the tagline, ‘White is purity’. The phrase instantly raises a question in the minds of the viewers, is BLACK NOT PURE? In the ad, a woman wearing a white cloak.
To many, the ad appeared to endorse racism and promote the importance of being fair-skinned. Now imagine what would the people having a dusky, or dark-skinned complexion feel about it!
So whenever you plan to make a good ad in the future, do keep these considerations in mind. These are the Guru mantras of success in the ad world.
