What's this ad doing here?

12 Dec 2012

We have all been stunned by seeing an advertisement in an environment that we do not think is right for the brand. I was shocked when seeing a canned food brand (I'll not mention the name as I'll have the agency, media planner and client on my back in a tick) advertised on the DStv Super Sport 2 channel at 4pm during a cricket match on Sunday, 9 December. As a big brand, I am familiar with it and could not fathom why the client / agency would be advertising during a cricket on a DStv channel.

Due to the level of my amazement, I decided to pull some data to see whether I'm cuckoo. I called on my friend AMPs and DStv data to assist me to do the evaluation. The results are as follows:

Need I say more? But then I tried to rack my brain as to why or for what reason this could have been planned. The only possibilities I could come up with are:

1. "A great deal". There are fantastic packages on offer and sometimes we have not got complete control as to where the "discount" (we know it's added value that costs the broadcaster nothing) is placed. The question is: does a wrong placement do your brand harm?

2. Trade advertising. It is common practice to place advertisements in channels that do not necessarily target the primary target market perfectly, but does encompass some trade viewers so as to make the trade aware of the support the brand is getting. In my experience, one does spend some money in this area, but never exclusively to reach the trade as TV is by no means a cheap medium.

3. Bad media planning. Need I say more?

4. A technical error by DStv, resulting in the spot being flighted at the incorrect time on the incorrect channel.

I would be grateful to my learned colleagues out there to give me another reason that I haven't found for this oops!

I'd like to use this opportunity to wish you all a great festive season and may we come back and do the right things for our brands in 2013.