PG Tips advertising returns to form
Howard Lake | 5 January 2009 | Blogs
Whilst not related to fundraising specifically (PG’s links to the Rain Forest Alliance aside), I thought it worth a mention because I think it is an excellent example of 21st century, coordinated advertising.
PG Tips’ latest TV advert sees a heavyweight return to the screens for ‘Monkey and Al’ in an homage to the famous Morecambe & Wise breakfast sketch. But other than being charmingly funny, this campaign highlights a handful of techniques we could all adopt more widely.
- PG Tips actually advertised their forthcoming advert! A viral campaign was created for You Tube and emailed before Christmas to create a ‘buzz’
- The pre-advert was hugely topical as it featured Monkey in a parody of the Queen’s Christmas message and registered tens of thousands of views in its own right
- The company proactively utilised You Tube to increase the viewing figures of its advert as well as group together its previous adverts and short movies featuring the two main characters (including out-takes). This provides an online chronicle of the adventures of Monkey and Al which has developed a cult following possibly not seen since the Nescafe couple! (my humble opinion)
- The consistency of characters and simplicity of message is present throughout the advertising whether it’s on or offline, leaving the viewer in little doubt as to the subject matter
- The choice of the new characters with the Morecambe & Wise sketch as inspiration is a stroke of genius. Not only does it have very positive associations with this time of year but it should also appeal to older and younger audiences alike.
Which charities don’t want to develop a younger supporter base whilst maintaining appeal with older members / donors?
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Kevin Baughen is founder of Bottom Line Ideas, a speaker for Cancer Research UK and a long-time advocate of blurring the lines between best practice from both the commercial and charity sectors.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.