No matter how much we as humans believe in logic, it truly all does come down to one thing: Emotions. This is something we, as marketers, must take into account! As much data and insights we might have, people can be irrational, so though numbers can guide us, it all comes down to understanding human emotion.
We all strive to be part of a community and that sense of belonging comes from a shared interest or feeling. Content marketing is powerful when it evokes emotion, which in turn allows it to be shared authentically. We can pay to have content shared, but what use is impressions if people are not genuinely interested? The Super Bowl that occurred this past weekend is a prime example of brands tackling (HAH – pun intended) human emotion to entice people to share.
After watching the many commercials that get aired during this game, the one that drew me in the most was Olay’s #KillerSkin ad. The two words that come to mind when I think of Olay’s Super Bowl commercial are odd and funny. In between the noise of brands all competing to be seen during this time, playing it safe is not an option. That is exactly why this commercial stood out to me. If you have not seen it yet, see video below (or click here to watch Olay 2019 Super Bowl commercial), I HIGHLY recommend it!
From the beginning, this commercial built anticipation for the viewer (I genuinely thought this was going to be a horror film trailer), but quickly threw them off base through humor. As she states in the ad, it only took 28 days, and she looks so different that even Face ID could not recognize her. What started as a trailer to a slasher film, led to a bit of humor alongside a brand message of what Olay does for the skin.
In addition to tackling human emotion, Olay did a wonderful job when choosing the celebrity, Sarah Michelle Gellar. As someone who is widely known for her works such as, “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, Gellar is a 90s queen that is extremely relatable to the Olay customer. As stated in this Forbes article, even just one endorsement (done properly) can show a 4% increase in sales. The Olay customer who would be using anti-aging products is in the same age group as the women who would have been watching Gellar back in the day!
Of all commercials, I absolutely loved that Olay was a prime example of push vs. pull marketing. Throughout the whole ad, you never felt that they were “pushing” a product onto you. You were able to engage with the story, where they showcase the brand of anti-aging products and that was it. Olay did not promote any specific product, and focused solely on engaging the audience through shareable content. In less than 10 days, the ad garnered over 16M views on YouTube, and the use of #KillerSkin has allowed Olay’s tribe to be a part of the conversation and share their own content. Olay wanted to ensure they spoke to their tribe of women who actively watch the Super Bowl. Though the Super Bowl was traditionally always thought of as a male dominant viewership, this could not be further from the truth. As TVision points out, women paid 26% more attention to the commercials than men, and typically account for nearly half of the NFL audience.
As Stephanie Robertson, Brand Director for Olay, stated, “Olay wants all women to be bold and empowered, and in a way, we’re doing just that, as a brand, by showing up in a place that is historically focused on men.” With this is mind, Olay and others have made a conscious effort to reach the underrepresented female audience!
The passionately curious 