There are ad campaigns that are cool and somewhat creative. And then there are ad campaigns that grab your attention and make you pay attention! DDB Group Düsseldorf’s “highlight the remarkable” ads for the Stabilo Boss highlighter fall into the latter category. Not only did they win gold in Outdoor and Silver in Print at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, but they went viral on multiple platforms.
The idea behind this ad campaign was to “highlight” women who had forged history from behind the scenes but never properly received credit for their contributions. As you can imagine, this ad campaign quickly became one of our favorites! Here are the three lessons we learned from this ad campaign:
Join the conversation
What’s a big movement that’s happening in society? Gender equality? Ding ding ding! We’ve got a winner! From sports, to the workplace, all the way to the #MeToo movement—this is a year for gender equality. DDB Group Düsseldorf didn’t just create their own conversation but became a part of the conversation, and successfully integrated the product in a brilliant way.
DDB Group Düsseldorf explains, “Everyone knows the phrase, behind every great man is a great woman. But what does it mean? That the man is always the hero and the woman his sidekick? The truth is, all too often women were upstaged, and their actions and successes not mentioned. 2018 is the year to rewrite history: with Stabilo Boss.”
Now, we’re not saying you need to become a part of every conversation out there. Instead, look at what your company stands for and become a part of those conversations. For example, here at Satori, we have a huge heart for animals. We work closely with the Houston SPCA and add our voice to the ongoing conversation in any way we can. #Adoptdontshop
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Utilize Social Media
We’re sure you already know this, but social media is incredibly powerful. When this ad campaign won at Cannes, they could’ve congratulated each other and stopped there. Instead, they shared these ads with the world. And the world took notice. DDB Germany Chief Creative Officer, Dennis May, explains:
“We are very excited about the fact that the campaign and its message has gained so much traction in social media over the past days. Within only a few days, for example, we reached more than 10 million impressions on Twitter. The more we can help to highlight that topic together with Stabilo, the better.”
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Don’t overbrand
This ad worked so well because it wasn’t trying to sell you highlighters. There was no call to action in any of the campaigns saying “buy our highlighters” or “our highlighters are the best” or any similar marketing jargon. Instead, they cleverly used highlighters in context and instead “advertised” for the remarkable women who are worthy of the recognition they never received.
Consumers have become wary of companies that simply say “buy our product” or shove the brand in their faces. These days, you have to market WITH consumers. Talk about what they want to talk about and creatively integrate your brand just like DDB Group Düsseldorf did.
So, now what?
Creating clever and successful ad campaigns can be difficult. But, if you can remember these three lessons from the “highlight the remarkable” ad campaigns, you’ll have an easier time. So, what are you waiting for? Go create something beautiful and change the world.
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