Did Magnum’s Traditional Advertising Work?
July 26, 2008 – 2:24 pm | by Daryl TayI take the train to Dhoby Ghaut station most days to work, and there’s this huge (one level high) Magnum ad with Eva Longoria, as well as this large Magnum prop that’s easily two to three times my height.
One day I walked past and in my usual cynical manner with all things traditional, thought to myself “Does this actually work? Is someone going to see this and buy a Magnum from the 7-11 upstairs?”
Then a few days ago my boss purchased a Magnum and I asked “Did you buy that because of the ad at Dhoby Ghaut?” He said no, but then we proceeded to have a conversation after that about the ad and the huge Magnum and how my boss always likes to grab a Magnum.
So did the ad work? It didn’t lead directly to sales but I did remember the ad enough to recall it talk to someone about it, which is more than I can say for most ads. And I remembered it was Magnum and not a Cornetto or something else, compared to the ads for TVs that I can never tell apart. Thinking about why that is, I’ve got a couple of reasons:
1) I pass by the ad almost everyday. Maybe there’s something to be said for repetition after all?
2) The giant Magnum is huge and impossible to miss. On the verge of being remarkable?
If you’ve seen the ad or the huge Magnum, did it make any impact on you?
Tags: advertising, being remarkable, eva longoria magnum ad, outdoor advertising
13 Responses to “Did Magnum’s Traditional Advertising Work?”
By Daphne Maia on Jul 26, 2008 | Reply
ads aren’t just about making sales, directly, right? it’s also about image, branding. so, i guess in the latter, the ad has worked. magnum seems hotter now cos of longoria.
By Jasmine Lim on Jul 26, 2008 | Reply
Hi Daryl, for the fact that you remembered it was a Magnum and not a Cornetto ad, goes to show that this ad had already succeeded in its brand awareness and recall department (at least in the short term). I think with Magnum, their right choice of celebrity endorsement is to achieve just that, plus creating their USP by adding a new “sexy” association to their ice-cream.
A Magnum ice-cream is no longer just an ice-cream, it’s about sexuality and seduction.
So did it make an impact? Yes for me… well… at least for now. I am more interested to see how they leverage on this success to build long term brand stickiness.
By your junior on Jul 26, 2008 | Reply
oh come on. aren’t you terrorized by the Brand’s Essence of Chicken everywhere? the one with Utt? I see it everywhere!! Noooooooooooooo.
and to think that i’m working with them.. makes things worse.
By Jo on Jul 26, 2008 | Reply
Ads make little impact on me unless the deliver something useful in themselves.
I am more likely to buy something if it meet my needs when I experience them and I don’t have to work too hard to make a choice or the purchase.
Hence Coke makes sure a cold coke is in reach where people want them in the quantity they want them. And they reach corners of the world that governments can’t reach with water, electricity, policemen, essential medicine, etc.
BTW the concierge in my hotel in Singapore played that role superbly. He was able to focus me on what I needed to buy/do and stop me getting distracted from stuff that wouldn’t meet my needs. It creates such a good impression that one’s propensity to spend money shoots up. I probably spent 10x more money in Sg than I intended because it was easy to do it. And I don’t regret any of the purchases or feel conned!
Advertise to the concierges rather? I think I subscribed here because of your article on concierges!
By Walter on Jul 27, 2008 | Reply
I’d say that its a mixture of both brand awareness, top-of-mind-recall and mindshare which ads like this seek to perpetuate. There is also an association of lushness, with Eva Longoria’s image blending in with Magnum’s positioning as a premium ice lolly. Frequency of course matters too, and in this case, size makes a difference.
In this case, I don’t think Wall’s (part of Unilever) is looking at direct sales per se, although that may also be in the cards. What these FMCG giants normally do is to have brand associated advertising, coupled with hard selling roadshows, sampling opportunities and promotions. These are usually targeted at other media like press ads, flyers and so on. Outdoor posters and standees are more often used for branding purposes.
There has been considerable debate about advertising and its link to sales versus brand awareness/equity. For established FMCG brands, the battleground is hotly competitive and they simply cannot just offer promotions after promotions to wage the war. What they do then is to look all ways and means to get into your brain, using TV ads, press ads, outdoor advertising, ambient and so on. Once a positive association is made, their promoters and sales folks can then work hard on the channels of distribution to get the product right where you want it, and this is where the battle for shelf space occurs.
By Jonathan Wong on Jul 28, 2008 | Reply
Anything with Eva Longoria on it will make an impact on me. She could be holding a twig, and it will give me the urge to squat down and try to pick one up from the streets.
By Jael on Jul 28, 2008 | Reply
Agree with you Walter. Well written. For FMCG brands- a lot of it is reminder advertising. (Used to work on the P&G account whilst at Zenith)
By Natasha on Jul 30, 2008 | Reply
It reminds me yet again that I live in a world saturated by bland communication.
The ice cream is as bland and cheap as the ad, so in that sense it works. If I’d never had a Magnum I’d know what to expect from it and I wouldn’t be disappointed.
I don’t think I’m in their target market but I still have to look at the darn thing. And I do like to whinge about the visual pollution of my environment, on occasion.
By Kelly Tay on Aug 5, 2008 | Reply
Do you have a Disclaimer? I did a cursory look at your site and it doesn’t seem to have one… You might want to get one, considering your tendency to be opinionated, and in a contentious way.. :]
By Jade on Aug 8, 2008 | Reply
I didn’t know that Eva would endorse such a cheapo product
It’s like having Nelson Mandela endorsing your Epson printer. They just don’t go together.
But if putting a giant-size poster of Eva whets people’s appetite and makes them grab the nearest stick of Magnum, well then if it works, it works.
By Rozzle on Aug 28, 2008 | Reply
The thing that grabbed my attention the most in the ad was Eva’s makeup, I paused it at the bit where she closes her eyes to check out the eyeshadow, being a makeup artist myself I would love to know what products were used, I’m assuming Mac. This is not the first time Magnum has “gone sexy,” remember the 7 Deadly Sins special editions, those ads were very sexy…