[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKnwouBWKg8]
I believe we can learn about advertising and marketing from any industry. Today we will look at HBO and their ads for their new service.
(Disclaimer: I don’t watch HBO and I am not recommending these shows. I just want to take a look at how they are marketing their new format.)
The Product: HBO Go – It is a mobile way to watch HBO. So, you can watch it on your phone or Tablet.
How they are Marketing: Awkward scenes with parents and kids.
Target: The ads are targeted at older teens and twenties who are still living with their parents.
Ninja Trick: What I like about the videos is the way they use humor to connect to family situations. People love to share humorous idea and espcially if they can relate. (Who can’t relate to parents sharing awkward things??) Then, here is where the magic of these ads come in. On these humorous shareable videos, they show a clip from some of their more popular shows. Indavertently, you are exposed to their whole line up because you wanted to see the awkward situations. Brilliant!
Subtle Message: I don’t agree with one thing, maybe I am old fashioned. The subtle or maybe not so subtle idea is that you should be watching intimate scenes somewhere by yourself, not in your parents living room. Yes, you don’t want to watch scenes like that with parents, I get that. But, do we want people hiding in a dark room just to watch racy scenes? Is HBO selling porn? (Hmmm…maybe they are?) I have to ask, have we come to the point where parents can not intelligently have conversations with their kids?
Quick Wrap Up: I like the ads and love the use of humor and video. I don’t like the stab at the American family.
Marketing Idea(s): Use humor and make your content sharable. Go a step further and create a series to build momentum. Video is a powerful way to communicate ideas and humor really.
