If you think of a great advert you have seen in the past, you may think of the gorilla from Cadburys, the annual John Lewis Christmas adverts or the cheeky skittles adverts.

What do all of these have in common? They are not focused on their core product; they are selling an emotion. Whether it's laughter, heartfelt emotion or second-hand embarrassment.   

The advertisers are creating a memorable advert that you would want to share with your friends. Everyone has had a Cadbury's chocolate bar before, but only some have seen a Gorilla playing the drums to Phil Collins's 'In the Air Tonight'. I bet you are playing it in your head as you read this. 

Humour is also a key element of a good ad. This is seen every year as large advertisers all bid to be crowned the best advertisement at the Super Bowl, where most of the entertainment comes from the ad (this is the view of a British person). These are seen worldwide, and the most popular ads are viewed millions of times on Youtube after the big game. This is because the advert has people laughing; it offers the audience something unexpected and new that doesn't always need to be product-focused.

As we near Christmas, advertisers turn up the festive spirit, and nobody is better than John Lewis at hitting us in the feels. John Lewis first aired their famous Christmas Advert formula in 2007, with its first Christmas advert showing creative shadows made from a pile of the products they sell in-store. Since then, John Lewis has worked with several media houses and animation studios to create ads that captivate the nation and sometimes (well, probably all times) make us shed a tear or two.

These ads are also used for online advertising and will pop up on many streaming services such as All 4, ITVX & youtube. These companies are putting millions of pounds behind their ads to get them in front of your eyes in such a saturated online advertising space. John Lewis is rumoured to have spent £800K on creating the ad but a further £5 million promoting it on TV and online channels.

When you are thinking about launching a TV campaign for your products, remember that it's not all about the product itself, don't be afraid to get creative and inject some humour or heart into your ad. Brand association can be a powerful tool that can lead to sustained product sales for years to come.

While you have missed out on the lucrative Christmas shopping period, the January - March shopping period is huge; if you are interested in learning more about how Media Buying works, get in touch with us today!