The sponsor of IPL Vivo has launched some ads that included Khan power – Amir Khan. Adding to that the two cutest pets – what happens when you have Dog and Cat? It was sure to be fireworks! But what i see is that the cocktail didnt work out as expected. What went wrong when on paper it looks a lethal combination. (similar to AI+ Dinosaur in Fallen Kingdom – miserably failed)
Well, to start with in few ads, the audio was almost inaudible and incomprehensible. What Amir is saying was tough to follow. Then the message of ad was mixed up – was it to address functional value (Superior camera / bokeh mode) or was it hedonic appeal (emotional connect). Unfortunately, marketers worldwide are still failing while connecting the two appeals. The one should be prominent supported by the second aspect. For example, if you see the iPhone ads or recent Samsung Galaxy S9 ads, you can see the focus is on the fun/entertainment/innovative value of the camera. This is where Vivo failed!
I have asked people to test brand recall, and surprisingly, many people only remember Amir/Cat/Dog and not the brand. Infact, a considerable set of people were confused whether it was Vivo or Oppo ads!
On the youtube channel of Vivo, where these ads are available, the view score is pretty good. But the problem is like/dislike score. Here is a breakup.
1. Vivo Bokeh mode 21 million views, 29K likes, 16K dislikes (see the Vivo ad here )
2. Shot refocus 6.9 million views, 4.9K likes and 1K likes (see the Vivo ad here)
3. Ultra HDR, 9.7 million views, 2.1k likes, 1k dislike (see teh Vivo ad here
Notice the dislikes carefully, they are really very very high. A cursory glance on the comments clearly shows that people love amir khan very much and which may explain high number of views. But why there are so many dislikes – that may be something Vivo should watch and analyze carefully when they are planning their next campaign!
Lastly, let me ask you “Who is the selfie-phone?”
Well, if your answer is Oppo (almost 80% people answered this) – this shows where Vivo failed on counts of positioning, brand recall and communication.
What do you think – share your views here. The ads in question are also given below.