Talkback: Judging when to release shock troops

Despite continued protestations from consumers that advertising controls our lives, the marketer has never been so much at the mercy of consumer power.

The marketer is under continual pressure to produce innovative products. As an advertiser, the marketer is also faced with the daunting prospect of reaching a market through phenomenally fragmented media.

To break through the clutter barrier, you have to create impact. But consumers are extremely cynical about advertising "tricks".

Advertising is seen as being less about reaching the right market and more about being manipulative and devious. But is "shock advertising" the easy way to grab attention for lazy advertisers?

I don't actually like the term shock advertising as it implies a deliberate attempt to be offensive.

Blatant offensiveness in itself will not only turn the meeker consumers off your brand, but will likely alienate the more cynical consumers by failing to impress.

To shock a reluctant audience into hearing your story, you need to have a message that is arresting; one so powerful or surprising that it catches one's attention immediately.

Some of the most arresting commercials on our TV screens today are the LTSA campaigns.

The violence of these ads stops you in your tracks. But with a marketing-savvy consumer base, creating arresting advertising that actually delivers the message is anything but easy.

When AJ Hackett Bungy wanted to promote naked jumps on National Nude Day, blatant nudity was hardly going to surprise their market.

The final concept (with an image of a shaver that had clearly been recently used to create a "Brazilian" and the words "Be prepared for National Nude Day") was a visually arresting poster that stands out in a cluttered environment.

It also takes AJ Hackett back to its raw edgy roots - an important distinction for a brand under attack from new competitors.

What is important is being able to understand your market. Depending on your target, controversy may or may not add to the message.

Most audiences today appreciate honesty. The key is to isolate the real values that represent your brand and live up to them.

Hell's irreverent brand values place it in a territory that the more dominant family-oriented competition cannot safely encroach.

A recent billboard campaign for Hell effectively depicting George W. Bush as an "evil bastard" had the council threatening to pull it down, but Hell received hundreds of positive emails from all over the world.

Many young people in New Zealand share a lack of respect for the US president and, in today's society, being the leader of the free world does not protect you from the public voice.

Pizza and politics are strange bed fellows but Hell Pizza is a brand that by the very virtue of its name is in a position to share its judgments - and its market likes the brand for that reason.

A few words of warning, however. It is said that there is no such thing as bad publicity. I don't agree. Do not make false promises.

If you are going to create arresting advertising and you want it to shock, or create controversy, then be prepared to live up to the promise. Don't attempt to appear rebellious if your brand is all about family values.

Make sure your message is relevant to your target. Saatchi's Toyota "Bugger" commercials were initially shocking and controversial. The ads from the normally conservative car manufacturer got away with it because they are relevant for that product's market.

Last, don't carry it too far.

I draw the line at personal suffering. There are few things that pull our fragmented market together more than sympathy for fellow mankind.

* Tod Crosby is general manager, Auckland, for Urlwin McDonald & Clients, the agency which has just won Hell Pizza's ad business.