A Lesson from Pringles: How to Promote Your Brand More Creatively

It’s always a smart idea when you can get a practical (and free) marketing lesson from a multi-million-dollar ad agency.

Today we thank Pringles for picking up the tab and giving us a great example of brand-based versus product-based messaging.

Recently Twitter published the findings of a study that looked at the marketing mix of branding and product advertising with an emphasis on video. They found – and this won’t shock anyone – that product advertising had a much higher short-term ROI than brand-only marketing: $2 versus 30 cents on their platform.

However, it was a couple of video messaging examples that I felt were interesting. One message was product based, the other brand based. Neither was intended to immediately sell a can of Pringles. Each was designed to get the viewer involved in a contest.

Here’s the brand-based Tweet with video:

https://twitter.com/Pringles_UK/status/743091773820391424

I think this is the kind of presentation most of us would use if we were to promote a contest or something else of general interest – as opposed to promoting a direct sale of a product.

However, the second example below shows how Pringles (or their ad agency) featured products in a video designed to get people involved in a contest.

https://twitter.com/Pringles_UK/status/707166502911234048

I think the second video is very creative and demonstrates an approach that most of us wouldn’t come up with on our own.

Because the video is embedded in a Tweet, there’s no question about the brand; the familiar Pringles graphic is an integral part of every Pringles Tweet. And by using the Pringles cans with their flavors well displayed, there’s no question that Pringles products are also being “advertised.” Finally, because the video segues into a promotional pitch, the video does a good job encouraging viewers to participate in the contest or program.

As you design your graphics or produce videos to promote your products, services, and brand, don’t allow your thinking to be pigeonholed. Marketing assets that look like product ads can actually be used to increase overall brand awareness.