“Timeless” covers many subjects. There is timeless fashion: think pencil skirts and penny loafers. There are timeless home furnishings: monogrammed towels and Adirondack chairs. There are timeless lessons: experience is the best teacher and always be kind.
There are also timeless ad campaigns. Beyond just a theme line, these are ideas we all can recite and bring instant brand recognition. Like …
- “Just do it”: Nike, 1988
- “Gimme a break”: Kit Kat, 1986
- “Got milk?”: California Milk Processors, 1993
- “Mayhem”: Allstate, 2010
- “When it rains, it pours”: Morton Salt, 1914
Their executions aren’t all the same. That’s what keeps them fresh. But the brand promise remains consistent. Come to find out, consumers like that consistency. It’s often marketers who think the public is bored with the message.
But just like the examples above, it takes time for familiarity and confidence in a brand to build. Sometimes it takes years. But it’s repetition that makes a brand message stick and a brand stand out. Because the messaging is the same.
In SMZ’s Detroit Tigers campaign, the ads have varied since 2007, but are never far from and keep returning to “Who’s your Tiger?” It gives Detroit baseball fans a sense of ownership, a familiarity, a way to relate with the team. And when asked, each has their own personal answer of who their Tiger is.
Proof that momentum, repetition and a defined brand personality go a long way.
Forbes: What do you call a 17-year-old campaign? Priceless.
Copyblogger: How often should you change an advertising message? (Way less than you think.)
The Financial Brand: 8 Do’s and Don’ts for Effective Ad Campaigns
Michelle Hoskins, New Business Coordinator and Trish Cowan, Senior Copywriter