As with everything, there are right ways and wrong ways to go about things.
Naked Communications’ latest campaign – the social media driven lost jacket affair for Australian fashion label, Witchery, is one of those things. Great concept, but really not there on the execution. I’ll explain why in a moment.
The campaign has already seen some significant criticism from smart folks in the marketing industry – both Tim Longhurst and mUmBRELLA’s Tim Burrowes have done significant analysis of the campaign and generated some interesting conversation. Tailored’s Brendon Sinclair has been brief but scathing.
So, to my perception of this campaign.
I think the concept, which borrows heavily from real life, is very clever. But there’s one problem. It told us fibs. It pretended to be real. It’s not. It aimed deliberately to deceive. The whole campaign sock puppets as reality. And that’s where it breaks down.
In spite of the (frankly belligerent) protestations of Naked’s Adam Ferrier at the abovementioned blog posts, and claims of success for his client, Witchery, this campaign is disingenuous at best and a PR disaster at worst. My view is that it might just lose Naked clients. It’s disrespectful of the (former) audience. It treats them as a group to be deceived rather than a group with whom Witchery and Naked could have had a conversation and really engaged in an effort to build some brand affection and brand loyalty.
In spite of Adam’s note that Naked’s campaigns for clients are there to “build demand led growth”, I very much doubt that this campaign will have that effect. Yes it’s grabbed attention, even in the breathless heritage media. They have attracted eyeballs.
But eyeballs, as we are evermore increasingly aware, are no longer enough. How many of us will consider Witchery’s new men’s line because of this campaign? Conversely, how many of us will remember the campaign because of the fakery and deliberately avoid Witchery? How many of us will tell our friends the same thing?
I know I will.
This campaign had the potential, with a focus on using exactly the same tools, in much the same way – with the added ingredient of honesty and openness – of being a real success for both Witchery and Naked. Of drawing favorable attention rather than the scathing criticism it has.
Clever use of social media as a campaign tool is fine, and I do think Naked’s concept is clever. I don’t however, think the execution was right. Naked has tried too hard with too little attention to the way social media actually works. They assumed they could go viral and take the win.
Wrong.
I’ve been saying to any of the agency folks I know that will listen to me that agencies need to pay more attention to the way social media works and the way communities behave in the face of social media. I’ve said on more than one occasion that the agencies, in spite of best intentions, should be much more careful about how social media gets included in their business and their campaigns. I’m saying it again now – it’s not enough to just include this stuff in campaigns. You need expert opinion and advice fed into your strategy. Here in Australia there are probably half a dozen independent expert voices (me, Laurel, Lee, Trevor, etc.) who would be happy to help you. On top of that, there are a couple of agencies who are specialising in social media driven marketing.
If that sounds like a bit of a pitch, it is. I’d love to be helping agencies with this sort of learning and thinking. But I’m equally happy if it’s the others in that list that are doing it. Karma, baby.
But seriously, wouldn’t Naked have been better off to get one or two days advice from one of these independent expert voices and not messed this up? Frankly it’d save them money and maybe make sure the campaign didn’t backfire as it looks to have this time.
UPDATE: Blatantly disingenuous mea culpa published, trying to maintain the campaign. Oh dear, why do these people not learn? It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall during the conversation that resulted in this.
mUmBRELLA and Marketing is a dirty word pick over the bones. If Naked are still advising on this, Witchery should drop them like a hot potato and ask for their money back. Both Naked and Witchery look very, very silly now. Naked continues to flog the dead horse, trying to justify themselves.
