Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Sandra Stojanović, copywriter, McCann Beograd
There is something quite awkward when we tackle communication with those younger than us. Advertisers which find themselves in such unenviable positions due to the needs of brands, too often resort to bizarre jokes and outdated slang, as if it’s some public, spasmodic expression of capitulation in face of the generation gap. Some, like the creatives behind the Clearasil’s campaign, simply admit that they don’t know anything about youth culture, and pick up points through brutal honesty.
New creative solution of McCann Belgrade for mts prepaid service uses a somewhat different strategy. For the purpose of this campaign the agency went a step further in order to establish an authentic connection with customers, which is initially obvious from the very selection of creative who share the ethos and priorities of those whom the brand addresses.
In developing the idea, two things were crucial: to intelligently define the terms of service that perfectly correspond to the needs of younger users of internet and social networking, as well as the interest of the client to become a truly relevant factor for the target group.
The core of this campaign are the YouTube tutorials – short videos that represent real problems of the digital generation, and (anti)advice on how to overcome them. Tutorials were implemented at several levels: in collaboration with the already known YouTubers (Marija Žeželj, Jana Dačović, Miloš HD and Kovalska) on their channels, and on mts’ YouTube channel, as well as in the framework of special editions for TV broadcasting. In accordance with the already long outdated dichotomy digital vs. analog, a single, authentic YouTube format has expanded its media space and optimized the traditional channel of television. Due to their uniqueness, within the advertising block tutorials are clearly distinct, and the placement of content works on the principle “who understands will understand.” It’s something like a coded message, which acts as a notification and makes room for a rational, social and emotional identification for those who have been sophisticating their digital behavior and handling identities on social networks for years.
A like on ex-bf’s Instagram post from 58 weeks ago, that painful ‘seen’ on Facebook chat, an unprovoked unfollow, or dealing with persistent relatives who insist on leaving their mark on every single post – these are just some of the now common places that belong to the experience of (digitally) active users, whom the mts addresses with this campaign. These represent events, places where mts builds its empathic relationship to the world in which the user lives, and with a prepaid service allows a prerequisite to make seemingly hopeless and subjectively dramatic situations something to be overcome in the future. This optimistic and humorous tone is contributed to by an animated character that illustrates the key moments in the tutorial.
Speaking in favor of the popularity of such approach are the excellent results that the campaign has so far recorded: over 224,000 hits on YouTube playlist with the tutorials, about 12,000 reactions on Facebook and a 20% increase in the number of followers on mts’ YouTube in the first week of campaign alone.
The campaign for mts owes its relevance not to expensive production, infectious bit nor linguistic gags. It is based on the truth that young people live, a disciplined focus on the channels they use and a clear vision for mts as a brand at times when their users communicate and grow as individuals and as a generation.
You can watch the videos below:
Or at the mts’ YouTube playlist:
