Chocolates and/or Beers for you?
September 13, 2009
Throughout our lives we have seen hundreds of thousands of commercials, but really, how many can you recall vividly if I ask you to at this point? Not much (for me at the very least). It has nothing to do with our memory capacity whether or not we can recall information/messages within seconds. It has to do more with the way they present the product, how touching/funny/useful they are. One of the funniest commercial I have seen is the “The Cadbury Eyebrows”.
It is funny, witty and original. The concept is simple: twisting of eyebrows, simple music and two props (watch & balloon), and variations of camera angles. It is able to capture the audience’s attention and retain them for as long as the duration of the video (which many other advertisements fail to do). Why is it so special then?
The very act of twisting eyebrows tickles our logic and curiosity. It captures our attention because it is fresh, something unheard of. This alone is enough to guarantee the undivided attention of the consumers. We, as humans, are naturally curious. We would wonder if it is really possible to twist and “control” our eyebrows to such great extent and move them in any way we want to, therefore the video has logos (logical appeal) or rather, it challenges our logic. Coupled with a good dose of humor which is, essentially, pathos (emotional appeal), this video certainly made its mark in consumer’s mind.
As we all know, an element that is crucial in all communication models today is feedback. Most commercial in the form of videos is seen as a replica of the first model of communication.
(Credits : http://www.digitalworshiper.com/2008/05/communication-and-gospel.html)
Consumers are seen as passive on the receiver’s end. They are only able to decode the messages through the video, not have a simultaneous exchange of messages with the sender. This video is one of the few that managed to add that special element, feedback, through many emerging DIY Cadbury brows videos that are easily available on youtube (www.youtube.com). One of them, is done by a reputable singer, Lily Allen.
A competition was even organized to mimic the idea of this video a month back, here in Singapore (http://dothecadburyeyebrow.com). All these can be viewed as positive feedbacks from the consumers.
– Silians, 3rd in “Do the Cadbury Eyebrow” competition.
Cadbury producers certainly delivered an effective message to the mass, which in my humble opinion is simply, “Cadbury exists”.
The video did nothing of the sort to promote the chocolate itself, as a desirable or superior product as compared to others.
In conclusion, in terms of communication, the producers did an excellent job. As for a firm producer, it may not have been as effective in promoting the sales of Cadbury chocolates. Whether or not these two variables (being aware and the act of purchasing) have a correlation, we do not have a definite answer.
On a side note, Heineken’s advertisement is both memorable and promotes the product. To equate Heineken beer with shoes, clothes, and jewellery? This is certain to evoke some reaction from women. It may even reward Heineken Company with higher market share with regards to female consumers. To the general mass, it portrays Heineken beer as an indispensable, highly valued product through the use of simile.
A Matter of Perspective 
September 13, 2009 at 4:39 PM
NICE!
September 13, 2009 at 4:48 PM
I like how you managed to identify the factors which makes a great commercial aptly. Commercials are everywhere, yet what is it that makes us attracted a certain commercial more than others? Commercials are, afterall, just another means of informing people.
Personally I agree with what you said, its the manner in which they present the commercial. As much as we want to be informed, what lasts in our mind is usually something of a different sort, something creative and not normally seen on TV. The cadburry one is definitely one stuck in my head for the unusual yet refreshing new idea used to captivate the minds of consumers. Its now almost like a label, I can never think about cadburry chocolates without remembering eyebrows =X
Great job with the entry!
September 13, 2009 at 5:08 PM
What worked for the Heineken commercial was the element of surprise. You never expect men to be capable of such clamour and execute it with such elegance and poise.
If you are made to conclude that beer is equally important to men as bags and shoes are to women, then there will be more conviction in that argument- rather than having Heinken telling that to you in the face!
So Heinken has successfully promoted its beer- without telling you anything! That is one ploy of good commercials!
September 13, 2009 at 5:12 PM
i thought the cadbury commercial was quite disturbing at first. anyway, it seems that the use of amusing expressions is able to effectively captivate and engage the audience.
September 13, 2009 at 5:44 PM
The points raised in this article are rather valid, in which I would have never contemplated about. It is true that the producers of the Cadbury commercial uses the tactic of tickling the viewers curiosity and logic – by doing so it allows viewers to be attracted to the commercial. The defiance of “logic” prompts us viewers to think about how it can be done, and as far as our memory serves us, this example will always remind us of the Cadbury commercial. Indeed it is a marvelous way to promote their brand.
“Whether or not these two variables (being aware and the act of purchasing) have a correlation, we do not have a definite answer.”
For individuals, this principle applies. But for a mean distribution for a world like ours, being aware would definitely raise the chances of the act of purchasing being carried out – the question is only, how effective is the method employed to increase knowledge about the product? Is it measured by the sales of the product due to the commercial?
Commercials today do not have to be exactly in relation to their product, I feel. As long as the baseline(attracting the attention of potential consumers) is achieved, anything and everything is okay.
Interesting essay, though.
September 13, 2009 at 6:17 PM
I love the Heineken advertisement!
I think the idea of protraying Heineken and men in the same light as what shoes are to women is very clever.
It doesn’t requires much verbal promotion of the product but the message is clear to all it’s target audience.
I belive that different advertisements aim to serve different purpose but ultimately, one of the main aim of advertising is to ensure that the masses know the existence of the advertised product/company, and both advertisements certainly have achieved that with humour.
September 13, 2009 at 7:01 PM
This post is enlightening.
At first I never really understood what Cadbury was trying to do with this commercial. The commercial really has nothing to do with their product, which is, chocolate. I tried to make sense of the commercial by thinking: perhaps the children got a sugar rush from eating the chocolates, which caused them to get all hyper with their eyebrows and the balloon? That in itself didn’t make much sense either.
However after reading this post, I agree with you on saying that this is merely a “Cadbury exists” commercial. Cadbury was never really going to tell us why they are better than KitKat or Toblerone or Mars (maybe only that they make funnier commercials). And it doesn’t really guarantee a jump in their chocolate sales. But they did manage to achieve their goal in harnessing the attention of the public by, like u mentioned, toying with our curiosity and perhaps tickling our funny bone.
This seems to be the direction in which brands are adopting to make themselves known to the world, through humour. Some would think that commercials should tell you why a product is better than another. But perhaps that is not the favourable route to choose because that would make commercials boring and very assertive. Although having better commercials that will linger in the consumers’ minds is definitely beneficial, does this mean the brand with the better commercials will triumph over their competitors? Does this diminish the purpose and value of commercials? This is perhaps some food for thought.
Thank you for the interesting read! I look forward to more!
September 13, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Advertising is about catching attention. And the fastest way to do that is by humour. Humour can work both ways. If done right, it can be very effective as generally, people like funny things. It can put you in a good mood and leaves a good impression of the company. That’s what both advertisements have done by using humour to entertain us. It’s not always about how an advertisement can push up sales for the company, but it’s how can they leave an impression in our heads for good. So when you go to the supermarket the next time, you will probably buy heineken instead of tiger perhaps. Or a cadbury chocolate bar rather than hersheys right? lol :))
September 13, 2009 at 9:15 PM
true as they say,
first impression counts.
and thus have the biggest impact on consumers.
I suppose in recent age where consumerism is rife in society, ( inclusive of people of ALL ages, even kids ,
advertisers tend to steer their advertisements not simply towards a suitable age group or gender, but more towards a strategic manner, as they play their game in such a way that the advertisement reflects our identity as a person.
not just the heineken advertisement that portrays clothes and accessories as the essence of a woman, and beer to men, note also the high end advertisements such as Prada, Chanel or Jewelleries advertising. People are drawn to them, because they portray and symbolises a higher societal class when the bright labels of branded goods shine from their dressing. Such possession gives people a sense of wholesomeness, even contentment ( even if its just temporary ).
Life in modern age is stressful,
who wouldnt kill for a ‘quickie’ for stress relief.
RETAIL THERAPY to most, works better than ANYTHING.(haha)
Alas,
‘advertisement’ is in short a more likely than not wonderful paraphrase for ‘visual seduction’. 🙂
Ps: keep the posts going ! it’s quite a pleasant read.
September 13, 2009 at 10:02 PM
Good take with this article.
I would have to agree, that more than often, the viewer (and therefore also a potential consumer of said product) is regarded as passive and unable to convey his(her)reply directly other than casting their dollar-vote. Alas, that is what commercials are for, no? To inform and perhaps, entertain the general public.
While I would also concur that the Cadbury advert was more humour-inducing than effective in convincing me to buy the chocolate bar, it was still entertaining anyway because I found myself speculating if I could wriggle my brows like them 😉
Anyway, lovely post. 🙂
September 13, 2009 at 10:26 PM
I agree that both the Cadbury and Heineken advertisements are extremely memorable. Having seen Cadbury’s advertisement a grand total of two times and yet being able to recall it much later definitely says something.
Sure, the eyebrow twists and catchy jingle created a wave of talk value for the advertisement, but does the advertisement that, by the way, hardly relates to its product really help sales? I doubt so unless Cadbury was trying to say that eating their chocolates sends you into a series of eyebrow twitches that make you look like you’re suffering from a sudden onset of epilepsy and in which case I’m sure sales will plummet.
So while Cadbury’s advertisement created tons of hype and its creators will probably win a couple of advertising awards for its creativity (cause as Marshall McLuhan once said, “Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century.”), Cadbury sales will hardly shoot up magically like the eyebrows on those kids. Personally, despite the lack of Hershey commercials, I’ll always find myself reaching past the Cadburys and grabbing the Hershey.
In this case, the advertisement is at the forefront while the brand and its products more like a vague afterthought.
September 13, 2009 at 10:26 PM
I think what you mentioned about the fact that only certain advertisements capturing people is certainly true. We are exposed to all sorts of advertisements in different forms every day, on television,at the bus stop, in and on public transport,in the supermarket,almost anywhere and everywhere.
Yet, not many of these advertisements are able to catch our attention and make an impression. A company has succeeded not when it produces a really good product but when its advertisement really sells.
Great essay,keep it up!
September 13, 2009 at 10:30 PM
i love the heineken ad! still find it funny tho its been up for quite some time.
it is obvious heineken is trying to attach the luxury image to its product, i suppose, by comparing it to what every women desire as what is conducive to her sumptous living.
do agree on your view that advertisements nowadays mostly work on emotional appeal to the public, which is how the public relates to them. compared to the past, ads focused on how the products are better than its competitors, in cases like being more durable for shoes or more functions in phones. advertisements now relate to you by potraying a brand image on products. cadbury=joy (nt only tt it exists, pardon me), heneiken=luxury for men, adidas=impossible is nothing.
one of the highly marketable products seen today is the ipod. remember the very first ads by apple for ipod? ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjxSNwenylk&feature=related ) why is it so sellable? because it COOL. the white gadget and earpiece looks really appealing on the black shirts ppl usually wear. it’s that simple. having an ipod = cool. ipod doesnt even support radio function.
products you carry today shows your lifestyle/ attitude all thanks to the advertisements we’re seeing today. i belief ads do actually have an impact on its product sales, when successfully capturing attention from the public.
matter of perspective, nice (:
September 13, 2009 at 10:56 PM
I agree with most of what you said, and picking the rather famous Cadbury ad is a smart choice. I think it’s really interesting how certain ads can spawn such widespread reactions, enforcing the original message, and others fail so hard at it.
Good work.
September 14, 2009 at 1:13 AM
Advertisements are often deemed as ways to promote a certain product (mostly for profit maximising purposes). Your usage of the Cadbury advertisement has, in my opinion, challenged this stereotype. The advertisement is not appealing because its promoting for the all time favourite – chocolates. It is enticing because the eyebrow movements are unconventional, unique or maybe even weird to some which glued them to television screens each time it is being showed. In contrast, Heineken’s is very clear – Heineken is THE choice.
Choice of advertisements to discuss about media communication is interesting and apt. Discussion is certainly very engaging and stimulates thoughts in readers, I like (:
September 14, 2009 at 1:35 AM
Awesome.Communication now is harder than that in the past, for consumers these days are harder to please, and yet commercials have to create a lasting impression. By choosing the Heineken and cadbury commercial is a smart choice, because everytime the cadbury commercial is played on screens, people stop and watch .
September 14, 2009 at 4:26 AM
i think the most important of advertising is to make people remember. there isn’t a need to have a corelation with the product and the advertisement itself. why? because when people remember and finds it interesting, they will tell people about it. this is what those advertising people want. i agree with u about the corelation part, but i think when u advertise, the main aim is not only to sell your product, but to let people know your product exists and hope u will tell people about it, and that naturally will make people buy those product.
i think remembering your product is a start, buying it will come naturally. 🙂
September 14, 2009 at 8:50 PM
hey adeline! haha i totally agree that this ad doesn’t emphasize anything at all on their product which is a chocolate bar, but it serves as a reminder to everyone that “Cadbury Exists” and we should buy it. I remember seeing the ad for the first time with my family and we were all puzzled as hell but we just kept watching because we were curious. In the end when we realised it was a cadbury ad, the whole family said “CHEYYYY” at the same time, but even though we just brushed it off like that, it certainly left an impression and may even bring a smile to one’s face when they think about how ridiculous and ad it is.
This obviously points out the company’s confidence in their own product and that everybody has tried it and has at least tasted it’s goodness. Cadbury is probably one of the bigger selling chocolate brands in supermarkets and convenience stores all over Singapore, with it’s dominance (together with Van Houten) and familiarity since the old days when chocolate was a delicacy only affordable to the rich and everyone led a simple life.
With it’s agenda in mind, I’d say Cadbury has done an excellent job at attracting the attention of the viewers!!
September 14, 2009 at 10:03 PM
I agree with the above mentioned… Ironically if it were to be attributed to the chocolate product then it would be a negative effect – hyper, fidgety kids. But like you said that wasn’t the point.
The music and the choreography of the head tilting to the camera angles and the squidgy balloon made me laugh. I saw this while walking around Raffles City and I had to stop to actually watch the entire thing – that’s how effective it is! I even waited to find out what product was being advertised to my surprise Cadbury!
I love the Heineken ad too (TOTALLY beats Tiger and Carlberg ads!) Haha.
September 15, 2009 at 1:03 PM
On the other hand; it really depends on the target audience/consumers.
Honestly, those two advertisement didn’t really make me go wow. (Maybe because I already have my two best liked advertisement so far- the Honda so called most expensive ad of all time till now, and ‘Big beer ad’ from Australia).
It’s probably a certain element in an advertisement that would be taken differently from different audience/consumers. I don’t dare to generalise that there would be a certain adv sticking to the mind of all (all as in all!!).
(seriously, I don’t know what to discuss other than different advertisement would cater to different types of audience)
your post shows and explain a communication model. And I guess since its really general. It would apply to most cases.
Either THAT or I’m really slow in catching what would be discuss-able material!
— emm
September 15, 2009 at 9:31 PM
The Cadbury advert indeed does not display its chocolates to promote it. Instead the power lies in them engaging the audience and upping their brand power. Like diapers and Pampers, trying to direct immediate connection between the product and brand name.
On the other hand, the Heineken ad sold itself as a stereotype i.e girls and clothes, guys and beer. As you mentioned, I’m pretty sure women might be won over to its beer!
September 16, 2009 at 12:46 AM
Cadbury and Heineken have used the soft sell approach to advertising their products, or rather their name, since no actual product was mentioned in their ads. I think this approach is risky, but highly productive when effectively used, as can be seen from the 2 ads. 🙂
September 16, 2009 at 5:42 PM
i like your analysis on how cadbury’s advertisement is rather successful in its communication to its consumers even as it is not actually promoting its chocolate products directly. when i first chanced upon this advertisement, i was rather amused and to a certain extent confused as well. because really, what has cadbury have to do with twisting eyebrows right? haha! but on hindsight, it was probably like what you said, they aimed to create a lasting impression of its brand and appeal greatly to our senses. could this also be a privilege of an established brand as well? to adopt a much more creative way in advertising that does away with directly selling you its products? like in this context, their advertisement has nothing to do with chocolates beacuse almost everyone already know what is cadbury about!
moving on to heineken’s advertisement, i feel it is much more direct and relevant, yet as interesting as cadbury’s. heineken, like cadbury, is rather established as a brand, yet they stuck to the conventional kind of ideas as to what an advertisement should point to. i actually liked it better!
despite the two advertisements being very different in their approach to persuade its consumers, i do think that they are both effective in selling their products. A good advertisement, in my opinion, is thus one that is able to create a lasting and good impression in consumers, regardless of its approach.
i enjoyed reading your entry (:
September 17, 2009 at 9:51 AM
certainly, advertisements do help to create brand awareness, but i do agree with you that we do not have a definite answer to the correlation between the act of buying and being aware. afterall, human behaviour are unpredictable.
however, if an advertisement is able to capture a person’s attention, i believe the product is successfully in reaching out to a bigger market. let say we put cadbury’s advertisment and royce choco’s long established name together in comparision, i believe cadbury would be at a greater advantage. despite the fact that many have known the name royce, they are quite unsure about what royce sells exactly, or they may only come to realise its a choco shop when they walk pass one of their counter. as for cadbury, because of its interesting adv, we will definitely know its the brand of a choco at the instant when we mention “cadbury”, instead of “cadbury choco”. ya so i do think that you have made a good point that we know “cadbury exists”.
also before the walk in closet commercial, i believe many were not able to clearly differentiate the adv for both heineken and carlsberg cause both are beers with green bottles. and after that adv, it does portray that heineken is way higer value compared to carlsberg, and to conclude, the producer is getting a larger market share because of the success of its adv.
you have analysed the impact of adv on human behaviour using concrete examples. these examples have made your essay more distinctive and interesting. by reading your essay, it really make me recall those adv, and think about the impact on me. your way of approach is indeed very innovative, in the way that it creates opportunities for one to learn more knowlegde and also help one to think more in depth, so it is pretty much like a two-way thing. GOOD JOB!
September 18, 2009 at 2:15 AM
I think the best way to capture consumer’s attention is to produce a new and unique image or perception of the brand – aiming to advertise the brand rather than the product itself. Why is it so? Because people nowadays are brand concious!
In this case, Cadbury had managed to capture people’s attention by producing such a creative “Carbury Eyebrows” advertisement. Everyone gone mad with this ad. Some can’t stop laughing everytime they see the video, some tried to immitate the twisting eyebrows and some use the music as their ringtone.
It starts from ADVERTISEMENT > ATTENTION > PREFERENCE
In term of chocolate, everyone would have “Cadbury” in their mind.
Thus, create a superior image compared to other chocolate manufacturer company.
As for the Heineken ad, I Love it!
I never get bored watching the ad. Indeed, it’s very different from other beer ad like carlsberg and tigerbeer. It’s unique, simple, amusing and straight forward..
I believe it does affect the viewers choice and creating an image of a top brand of beer.
Thanks for sharing this post.. It’s interesting..!
September 20, 2009 at 1:19 PM
Advertisements are vital in businesses. Good products without proper advertisements (depending upon ear to ear news / rumor) are very unlikely to succeed. Thus, advertisements have to be unique to make people aware of the product.
As for Cadbury, the advertisement is really vague. For people who already know what is Cadbury, the name ‘Cadbury’ and the advertisement will stick in their memory for a while. However, for those who do not know what is Cadbury, it is very likely they will remember about the advertisement but not the name of the product (Cadbury).
Heineken’s is one of my favourite advertisements, it is hilarious to see a group of men screaming just like how they did. When I saw this advertisement for the first time, it made me wonder whether the beer really worth that much (compared to what were inside her cabinet) or whether the beer is that good to make those men screamed that way. For this, I think Heineken’s was a blast and one of the successful advertisement.
In my opinion, advertisement is good as long as it can catch consumers’ attention and make people wonder about the product and the quality.
You analyzed them well and explained clearly.
Good post and thank you for sharing. ^^
October 9, 2009 at 10:21 PM
In essence, commercials are targeted at raising product awareness amongst consumers. In order to convey a message to consumers, commercials have to firstly be catchy enough to attract their attention.
The Cadbury and Heineken commercials are examples of attractive commercials. In the Cadbury commercial, the catchy music, along with quirky eyebrow movements, serves to leave viewers intrigued by what exactly the commercial is about. The revealment in the end that it is a Cadbury promotion might leave viewers stunned and in wonder of what the commercial was trying to convey. By successfully gaining the attention of viewers, Cadbury is able to remind consumers that it exists in the market, and also, to promote itself to people who have never heard of it. Thence, whether or not viewers get the message that the commercial is trying to convey is not of paramount importance. What is important is that the commercial has left an impression.
The Heineken commercial on the other hand, has a more straightforward message that it is trying to convey. By comparing a walk-in closet full of clothes and accessories to a walk-in fridge full of Heineken beer, the message being put across to viewers is that, just as a walk-in closet is every woman’s dream, a walk-in fridge filled with Heineken beer is every man’s dream. Hence, it would be that Heineken is what every man desires, and should desire. The laughs that the commercial gets contributes in making it catchy, as the audience tends to want to watch it repeatedly, hence subjecting themselves to be influenced by the message that the commercial is trying to convey to them, i.e. Heineken beer is desirable.
I agree with you that whether or not a commercial is memorable depends on how catchy it is. Great post. (: