Analysis by Kantar has revealed the techniques in Australian commercials that grabbed attention during the Olympic  Games 

Kantar tested a six ads airing in Australia through AdNow on Kantar Marketplace.

“As Australians are celebrating the winning performance of our Olympians during the current lockdown, we wanted to investigate the traits of winning ads commanding their attention during the Games,” says Kantar Australia’s Head of Brand Guidance, Gareth O’Neill.

 The techniques:

1. Branding is integral, but captivate using clear brand cues to be effective and impactful, such as in this ad by Samsung. 

2. Humour if employed well drives involvement, as shown in this ad from AAMI .

3. Be memorable through consistent but unique storytelling – as Woolworths does.

4. Difference and affinity is even more crucial in these pandemic times – such as this ad from Australian Beef.

“Just as winning athletes have learned how to perform to their peak, show the discipline to get there, and live their values – and as a result built a dedicated fan base, so too must brands,” says O’Neill.

Irene Joshy, Kantar Australia’s Head of Creative, says no athlete is able to achieve greatness without being true to who they are as a brand, delivering their best consistently and pushing the boundaries.

And the same applies with brands and creative expressions.

“Attention and effectiveness go hand-in-hand as there is a strong positive relationship between attention and impact (unaided ad recall),” says Joshy.

“Just like the package of a strong physique, fluidity and mental agility that athletes require, brand comms must be prepared for any situation – and doing so for emerging and unpredictable ad formats and increased mobility across more platforms is essential to be front and centre of consumer attention.

“In fact, Aussies pay more attention than we think to ads. We found in a recent eye-tracking study undertaken for Google that 51% of ad minutes had eyes on screen – double what participants self-reported. Just as an elite athlete is all about focus – they have a goal, research new techniques and training methods, and connect with their team and audiences – a winning ad also combines authenticity of many elements, led by the combined synergy of choice, creative and context to best impact attention.

Ilana Sanborn, Head of Kantar Marketplace in Australia and APAC: “Patriotism is driving our obsession with the Olympics but as our August COVID-19 Barometer reveals, 41% of Australians have increased their news consumption while 1 in 5 have increased how much they watch TV in bed – proving that context and creativity is key to commanding increasingly fragmented attention as we battle the current lingering round of lockdowns.”