by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki) Halo Advertising has used humour to great effect in a radio campaign for Elliott Mobility, the moving company (which used to be called Elliott International, and before that, I believe it was Elliott Afrovan). The campaign is called “Smooth Move” and comprises three radio ads. The humour is tongue-in-cheek, and plays upon stereotypical situations, but adding an original twist.
When I heard the first one, at first I was sceptical. “Brian, do I look fat in this?” is the opening line, and I was ready to be disappointed, because it’s such a clichéd line. But the humour is as much in the performances and production, as it is in the copy. And all three are top-notch.
Sonorous voice
What comes next delivers the ‘funny’. A dramatic chord plays, and a sonorous voice declares: “Brian, stop. Before you answer, think. ‘Fat’ is an extremely loaded word, that can wreak emotional havoc if not handled with great care. Appearance issues, reassurance needs, feelings… consider all the implications. Think: what would Elliott do?”
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The dramatic music is replaced by an angelic “Elliott!” — it’s the most-cutesy jingle I’ve heard in a long time, and the producers clearly had their tongues firmly in their cheeks. It made me picture Monty-Pythonesque angels with shiny haloes and bobbing clouds.
Brian answers his significant other with the following inspired line: “You look good. If you’re actually asking how I feel about you, you’re amazing. But all that really matters is: how do you feel in that dress?” The perfect answer to the most-loaded question ever.
Punchline
The ‘voice of wisdom’ comes in with the punchline: “Smooth move, Brian. Smooth move.”
This is the connection to the actual business of Elliott Mobility, the moving company, and it’s reinforced by the subsequent line from the voice: “For well-considered smooth moves, Elliott… is amazing.”
For many years, the brand has been built upon the slogan “Elliott is amazing”, and it’s still a strong association, so it’s smart to keep this payoff line, and tie it in with a new campaign, as Halo has so cleverly done.
The two other ads in the campaign feature ‘smooth moves’ by characters faced with similar quandaries: there’s Dave, whose wife asks him if he thinks her best friend, Jennifer, is “kinda hot”; and, lastly, Dad is asked by a young daughter, “Dad, where do babies come from?”
Perfect advice for the perfect answer
In each case, it’s the ‘voice of wisdom’ that adds the humour, providing perfect advice for the perfect answer.
Each ad is aptly crafted, with sound effects, music and performances that do the great copy justice. It does the job in terms of my five-point checklist below, providing a bright spot in the midst of advertising clutter:
- Great production values: sound is everything in radio, so every word, tone and timbre count. They’ve got to be done perfectly because dissonance is a turn-off, unless it is part of clever creative.
- Simplicity and clarity: normally, you’ve just got a couple of seconds to engage and make your point. Often ads are undermined by complexity.
- Authenticity: don’t try to be all things to everyone. Align the mood and ‘story’ of the ad with the personality of the brand. For example, humour can work, but does it fit your brand?
- Appeal to both emotion and logic — and do this in a balanced way.
- Sell benefits rather than features or ‘how it works’ (which is Advertising 101, but no more relevant than in a 30-second radio spot).
Theatre of the mind
Radio is amazing when it is used well, to its full “theatre of the mind” capacity. And we don’t often feature radio campaigns on Ad of the Week, which is why I’m smiling from ear to ear this month.
The Elliott International campaign is a case study of why radio works, and I’d love to hear from Elliott what it does for the relocation and removal company’s brand. I’m sure it is going to get business moving toward Elliott in a big way. And that, my friends, is what great radio advertising does. It doesn’t just build brands; it delivers business.
Credits
Ad agency: Halo Advertising, Johannesburg
Creative directors: Charles Foley, Greg Harrison
Copywriter: Charles Foley
Sound engineering and production: Louis Enslin, Produce Sound
Ad of the Week, published on MarkLives every Wednesday, is penned by Oresti Patricios (@orestaki), the CEO of Ornico, a Brand Intelligence® firm that focuses on media, reputation and brand research. If you are involved in making advertising that is smart, funny and/or engaging, please let Oresti know about it at info@ornicogroup.co.za.
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