Switzerland’s toothbrush attack, Italy’s airport vineyard, and why context is king everywhere
The Ad is Only Half the Story
Stick with me… this intro is a bit longer than usual!
Dear friends and colleagues in ad agencies – you put tons of creative energy into coming up with original concepts, writing engaging copy, and designing eye-catching visuals. But that’s only half the job. What we usually miss out on is the context in which our ads appear. We have delivered our baby, nourished it to maturity, and then sent it out to do its best. But after that, we have no clue what our offspring gets up to.
Our ads have to scrap it out in the real world, and they sometimes go down dark, dangerous alleys or hang out with the wrong crowd. This is the context that determines their effectiveness as much as the ads themselves.
Context is the hardest thing for advertisers to control and yet I’m convinced it’s the most under-valued aspect of creating an impact. So, what exactly do I mean by context?
Let’s simplify things:
The ad itself is the Who, What, and Why.
The media buy is the Where and When.
The context is the How.
The “how” can be tough to pin down. A person who corresponds perfectly to the target consumer for a car might be exposed to a creative, beautifully crafted ad for that car while scrolling on their phone with two kids fighting in front of the TV on which the ad is playing. That’s the context. Or you see a billboard while stressed and tired on your commute home. That’s context. Or a banner ad on a news website appears next to photos of death and destruction. That’s context. How we are influenced by an advertisement depends as much on its context as its content.
Why does context matter so much? It comes down to very basic human psychology regarding location and association.
Our brains evolved to create memories by linking emotions with locations. These locations are positive (“Go there – you might find food!”), negative (“Stay away from there – you might get killed!”), or neutral (“Chill, bro.”).
This sounds obvious for our ancestors on the savannah two million years ago, but these neural pathways are so powerful that they might work in the exact same way in the modern world when we’re in virtual “locations”. So, if a consumer visiting Twitter or Facebook experiences outrage and hate, those emotions might transfer to any brand advertised on those platforms. Conversely, if the Economist is associated with calm analysis, the positive emotion of a predictable, rational world might also transfer to advertiser content on the website.
It has also been demonstrated that we are susceptible to a cognitive bias known as the mere association effect, which, in scientific terms, is the implicit transfer of meanings or affect from logically unrelated stimuli. In other words, we just can’t help transferring meaning and emotion between different items that are presented in the same context.
Last November it was revealed that ads by Apple and Oracle appeared on Twitter/X next to antisemitic material. Ads from Amazon, NBA Mexico, NBCUniversal, and others were shown next to white nationalist hashtags. These and other major advertisers have canceled campaigns on Twitter/X, leading to an Elon Musk toddler meltdown. What are these companies’ CMOs worried about? Brand safety. Why? Because they know how important context is.
Cognitive psychology researchers have been aware of the context effect for some time, and you might think as you read this, “Of course nobody wants an ad to appear in a negative context!” And yet billions of dollars annually are poured into media that provide a negative context for advertisements. It’s almost like an addiction. Marketers know this stuff is bad for brands but can’t seem to help returning to these toxic media environments.
Are there examples of positive contexts? Let’s take podcasts. By definition, podcasts are an intimate medium with a focused, willing audience. But that’s not why I’m bringing them up. In a recent episode of his popular Prof G podcast, NYU Stern School of Business marketing professor Scott Galloway discussed the extra boost that podcast ads receive when read out by the host, noting that,
“Host readovers get twice the CPM of inserted ads. People listen: 70 to 90 percent don't skip.”
Imagine how powerful that is… It’s so easy to skip an ad on a podcast and yet the vast majority of listeners don’t. A host-read ad lacks the creative frills of an agency-produced commercial with a professional voice-over and catchy jingle, yet it outperforms the agency ad by miles, and this is due to the context in which it appears.
To be clear: I’m not advocating for marketers to abandon traditional advertising, I’m providing an example of where context makes a concrete difference to ROI.
So what’s the takeaway here? How can context be better leveraged?
Media properties that provide positive contexts for brands to appear in need to find ways to identify and measure these benefits and demonstrate ROI to advertisers who have become hooked on SEM and social media ads.
Media buyers who focus on numbers would serve their clients better by paying more attention to context. And their plans should be held to account for brand performance.
Advertising agencies should explore ways to incorporate real-world audience contexts into the creative process.
There’s more to context than this brief overview. For example, ethnographic data may help determine a powerful cultural context, advertiser-owned media boost control over context, and there’s always an opportunity for ad creatives to play with context when proposing concepts.
To wrap up, here’s a fun example of how powerful the mere association effect can be. My latest novel is coming out this spring. If the book blurb says, “I am not a New York Times bestselling author” the placing of my name in context with a famous brand should have a positive impact on my own credibility, even though the claim I’ve made is negative. Crazy but true! I’m even considering running A/B tests with some online ads. And if I do, I’ll let you know whether context is indeed king.
Florence Airport Gets Vineyard Makeover
US firm Rafael Viñoly Architects has released visualizations of its design for the new international terminal at Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci airport. What makes it especially cool? Sure, it’s targeting a LEED Platinum rating. Yes, it will allow more people to experience the beauty of Tuscany. But the simple yet crazy idea that makes it unique is its rooftop vineyard. That’s right – grapes will be grown above the passenger area in 38 rows of vines to be cultivated and harvested by one of the region’s leading vintners.
Wine made from these grapes will then be crafted and aged on-site in specialized cellars below the area where the ground begins to slope up to become the terminal’s roof. Not only will the vineyard provide thermal insulation to contribute positively to the airport’s ecological footprint (yes I know, it’s an airport but people aren’t gonna stop flying!), but the green roof will hide the suburban terminal when viewed from Florence’s central landmarks such as the Duomo. I’ll raise a glass to context-inspired architecture such as this any day.
The Internet of Scary Things
ZDNET reports news from Switzerland that 3 million smart toothbrushes were commandeered by hackers to shut down a local company for several hours. Yes, you read that correctly. If you have a “smart” toothbrush, it might have been used to shut down a foreign company’s website by flooding it with traffic. The article notes that IoT (Internet of Things) devices and appliances will become increasingly attractive to cybercriminals because updating their software is more difficult than relaunching a browser or installing an antivirus program. It’s possible that this toothbrush attack (I can hardly believe I’m writing those words!) was simply a trial run for something more substantial and potentially damaging to a corporation or even a country’s IT infrastructure. Expect this headline soon: Fridge Fiends Hack Hospital.
Shopify Becomes ShopifAI
We are nowhere near having general AI. But specific AI can help with specific tasks. For example, ChatGPT is great at chatting (the clue is in the name), even though it falls short when attempting creative writing. AI can beat humans at chess and find new ways to fold proteins to combat viruses. When it comes to marketing, a specific task can sometimes be very straightforward, like placing a product in an exciting or cool context. Canadian indie retailer platform Shopify has just released several AI-powered tools to give entrepreneurs a leg up in the battle for global retail visibility. Semantic search “goes beyond keywords to better understand a shopper’s intent,” while Shopify Magic helps store owners instantly generate product descriptions, email copy, and product image backgrounds. Can you say kAI-ching?
Dalziel & Pow, brand innovation studio
D&P is a London-based international design firm that was hired last year to reimagine the Toronto flagship store of iconic Canadian book and home goods retailer Indigo. I was curious to find out about their design methodology as an outsider to the market, so I his up the D&P team with this question:
Q. Indigo has made a big investment in in-person shopping experiences with the recent opening of a “total lifestyle emporium” in Toronto. Dalziel & Pow were hired to design the new 16,000 square foot store, so as a UK-based studio, how did you approach making design choices that would be culturally appropriate for Canadian shoppers?
A. It was a pleasure to work with Indigo, it is always exciting and daunting to work with a business that is more than just a brand, Indigo is part of Canadian culture that many people hold in high affection. The concept brings to life a book lover's paradise in the heart of downtown Toronto offering shoppers a range of books curated for the location in addition to a paper & stationery shop, home fragrance counter, and music corner, equipped with a juke-box, for a playful nod to the nostalgic. The design ultimately aims to create warmth with designated dwell areas to kindle family connections, allowing all generations to engage in the space.
In terms of how we approached this project, this is a question we (as a London-based studio) often get asked by our international clients. We are always tracking global trends (Macro / Micro, design, consumer, retail, and more) across markets to understand what’s changing and why. For us, every project is unique, we strive to find the nuances we can act on as we join our clients on their transformative and creative journey. We’re not prescriptive, no assumptions, no cliches, no prescribed opinions.
Luckily we have worked in Canada for several years, working with brands such as Reitmans, Ardene, and Shoppers Drug Mart to name a few so we had a head start, but that still meant we had to immersive ourselves in all things Indigo. We first ask good questions, and we listen hard, to truly understand why this is happening now.
Thinking specifically of the location, Toronto is one of the most multi-culturally diverse cities in the world it so really about making a space that feels approachable, warm, and welcoming for all. Leaning into and honoring the local community and culture was key - Localization is a global trend, with brands becoming more local/community focused in their activities, being less corporate and 'cookie cutter', but in an authentic manner. The concept is a response to the Canadian market, and especially the open and creative nature of Toronto and the ambitions of the development, of The Well. This new urban community development is focused on a fresh approach to work, play, and life, and the new Indigo space perfectly fits this idea. Ultimately, the concept was to create a fresh experience that honors the Indigo’s Canadian roots and the community that makes each Indigo location a self-declared “happy place” for customers, alongside an ability to flex and react to the ever-changing cultural make-up and surrounding neighborhood.
Dalziel & Pow’s ambition is to build brands that are purposeful, inspiring, and helpful. Through our expertise in Vision Setting, Branding, Experience & Retail Design, we define and create pioneering brands and retail, service, and cultural experiences. For over 40 years we’ve been working globally to redefine brands and their experiences across beauty and wellness, fashion, homewares, sport, and leisure with clients such as Lululemon, Indigo, Shoppers Drug Mart, Lego, Samsung, Toyota, Google, Guinness and many more.
Nomad Narratives Meet Migrant Misery
The story we hear in Western countries is that a tsunami of migrants would flood across our borders if preventative measures weren’t taken. I won’t be exploring the politics (fear-mongering wins votes) or economics (immigration creates jobs) of welcoming new residents as part of this newsletter, but an article last week in the Harvard Business Review gave me an entirely different perspective on the flow of human beings around our planet. Despite their relatively privileged situation, young people in the West are now faced with an economic situation that is far worse than for previous generations. The digital nomad trend is therefore not only driven by a craving for sandy beaches and a hatred of office space – it has become a preferable option from a financial standpoint for people who cannot afford a mortgage, rent, or basic amenities on their current corporate salary.
The narrative is therefore becoming complex and somewhat ironic. As people in the Global South risk their lives to flee violence, famine, and oppression for the perceived security of life in the West, many young Westerners are fleeing their native lands because they don’t foresee a secure future there.
The HBR article focuses on business and marketing opportunities related to the digital nomad lifestyle, but there’s something significant happening here with regard to culture and (of course) politics. After all, nomads and migrants do not have equal access to international mobility. Governments and companies in non-Western countries are working hard to attract the nomads, while populists in the West have gained political traction by building walls and discouraging boats.
Why Being Number 2 is Better
British marketer Adam Morgan, author of the international bestseller Eat the Big Fish, is the man who pioneered the idea of the challenger brand. In this episode of Jon Evans’s Uncensored CMO podcast, Morgan explains how to be a successful challenger, being obsessed with execution, and how having zero budget can actually spur creativity
Gobsmacking Gummy
Here’s the second installment of the new Discomfort Zone feature showcasing Midjourney’s AI images that fail to capture what the prompt aimed to produce. Today: the world’s biggest gummy bear. Maybe this should be a real thing. Maybe not.
Send me your comments on Discomfort Zone at john@johnbdutton.com and please connect with me on LinkedIn if you haven’t already.