DIVISIVE ELECTION SPELLS ‘HARMONY’ FOR AD EXECS
Promos emphasize togetherness, hope and acceptance
LOS ANGELES It’s the end of the year, a time for heartwarming images from marketers.
In 2016, brands are pouring it on but with a twist. Togetherness, after the heated presidential election, is pushed as well.
“The spots resonate more than they might in a less contentious year,” says Nat Ives, the executive editor of Advertising Age, a trade magazine for the ad industry.
Apple’s holiday ad, “Frankie’s Holiday,” shows an oddball Frankenstein monster type in a Dickens-like community town square, who finds acceptance. “Open your heart to everyone,” Apple urges viewers.
Microsoft’s tag on its holiday ad, which features a group of people the company says is “making a difference” in the world, is to “spread harmony.”
“For many, this has been a challenging year,” Microsoft Vice President Kathleen Hall says. “Our objective with the Art of Harmony campaign was to offer a sense of hope and positivity.” Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s proclaims it’s “one sweet world,” and we don’t “live in a one-flavor world,” in a spot that’s running in Europe, which saw in 2016 massive protests against immigration, plus a vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. “It’s sometimes easy to think the world is becoming increasingly divided,” the company says in a YouTube description for the ad. “So we’ve been thinking about how we can amplify a message of unity and love using the thing we know best ... ice cream!” Beyond marketers, charities look to unite folks.
“We must continue to seek new means of moving forward together,” the Polyphony Foundation, which works to bring together Jewish and Arab musicians, wrote in an appeal to donors.
Ives says that after the holidays, he’ll look to the Super Bowl to see whether the election will have an impact on how brands sell on what is traditionally the No. 1 day for showcasing advertising in the USA.
The Super Bowl is TV’s most viewed event of the year, and 2016’s edition brought in 167 million viewers.
“Will the new administration and the campaign themes it won on be reflected in the ads?” Ives asks, mentioning patriotic and “Made in America” themes. “Or will they be lighthearted? Everyone’s looking to the Super Bowl to figure it out.”