Advertising News South Africa

#NewCampaign: The sound of Russell Hobbs

Household appliances manufacturer Russell Hobbs recently launched its latest TV commercial, 'All Day Every Day', featuring a soundtrack composed from the sounds of its products.
#NewCampaign: The sound of Russell Hobbs

“Far too often, appliances are taken for granted, but our latest TVC leverages sound and visuals to illustrate how these utlitarian objects are instrumental to our daily lives; from the moment we wake up to til the minute we complete our day,” says Marion Stander, marketing director Russell Hobbs South Africa.

“'All Day Every Day’ is a day-in-the-life narrative that illustrates the synergy between man and machine, you and your Russell Hobbs appliances,” she continues.

Here, Stander and Mike Sharman, co-founder of Retroviral, explain the thinking behind it…

BizcommunityWhat was the brief/key insight?

Stander: We briefed Retroviral to create a campaign that highlighted the almost 'unsung heroes' role that our appliances play in our daily lives, and in particular to highlight how Russell Hobbs provides an assorted range of quality appliances to fit a broad range of needs that most people aren’t even aware of.

Sharman: We were briefed to create a brand campaign that would communicate the premium aspects of the Russell Hobbs brand as well as the diversity of the range. When we think about appliances, they are so entwined in our daily lives - from the moment we wake up to the minute we go to sleep - yet they are the utilitarian objects that we so often take for granted. Imagine waking up without a kettle to make your first cup of tea or coffee? Us marketing folk couldn't survive without our first caffeine fix of the day.

BizcommunityHow did you come up with the idea to create a soundtrack using (only) the brand’s products?

Sharman: It's a cluttered category that we are competing in, with a lot of noise. We decided to put the spotlight on the audio to ensure that every time a consumer hears an appliance in their daily life - regardless of the brand - they are synonymous with Russell Hobbs as a hero brand.

BizcommunityWhy do you think ‘a day-in-the-life’ narrative is relevant to the Russell Hobbs brand?

Stander: We’ve described Russell Hobbs appliances as “unsung heroes” that assist people in getting through their days, and what better way to highlight how our appliances can make your journey through your day that much smoother.

Sharman: All Day Every Day epitomises how hard our appliances work for us, daily.

BizcommunityComment on the interactive integrated gaming component aspect.

Sharman: Audio is a huge part of the thinking within the TVC, so we considered how popular 'sounds of summer' or 'sounds of the city' campaigns have been on the radio where listeners have been asked to identify what sound correlates with which object.

As this is a TTL campaign, we extended the TVC to digital and have created a Facebook mechanic where our fans have the chance - weekly - to identify a new sound, click on the Russell Hobbs appliance that makes that sound, and if they are correct, they stand a chance to win that appliance. We have had more than 1,000 entries to date.

BizcommunityWhat is the objective?

Sharman: There is a broad range of appliance brands in the market, but no other brand can claim the range diversity that Russell Hobbs can, nor the heritage and quality reputation that the brand represents. The campaign was an ideal opportunity to highlight this in a fun and interactive way.

BizcommunityWhat has the response been?

Sharman: On the social media side of things, incredible. The campaign has been featured on Ads of the World, it has been shared by a Korean creative YouTube channel and it has been posted as a noteworthy, global interactive campaign on bestadsontv.com.

From an engagement perspective, it has been viewed by more than 30,000 people online to date, reach millions of South Africans on TV, had more than 1,000 people play the Facebook sound game, and we have had 100s of fans make their own music with their own Russell Hobbs appliances.

Stander: As a brand, consumer exposure drives retailer listings and retailers support brands that invest in themselves as it drives their own sales. This campaign has certainly reinforced our investment in Russell Hobbs with our retail partners.

BizcommunityWhat’s next?

Sharman: A big push over the festive season and hopefully a conversion to increased sales year-on-year. Sales are the ultimate KPI for this campaign.

Stander: Sales are always a primary objective of all marketing spend but differentiating Russell Hobbs from competitor brands and ensuring top of mind presence for consumers is equally important. We’ll continue to invest in Russell Hobbs to ensure we achieve these objectives.

For more on this campaign, go to Russell Hobbs on Facebook.

About Jessica Tennant

Jess is Senior Editor: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com. She is also a contributing writer. moc.ytinummoczib@swengnitekram
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