Ask the Experts: An Examination of Leading Online Retailer TVCs

From YouTube to the small screen at home, everywhere you look there’s a new TVC from Australia’s online retailers. We had a look at the latest campaigns from Catch, THE ICONIC and MyDeal, and examined what they got right and where they could improve. We have chosen Alita Harvey-Rodriguez, Managing Director of MI Academy and Mark Salzmann, the Marketing Manager at Click Frenzy, to break down these three TVCs – let’s see what they think.

 

THE ICONIC – Sport Has a New Player

“When we entered the sports market four years ago we wanted to ensure we did this in an ICONIC way,” said Alexander Meyer, the Chief Marketing Officer at THE ICONIC. You can find out more about the new TVC here.

 

What are your thoughts on this TV? Does it capture your attention?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: No big sparks of inspiration went flying watching this ad. Who was the hero?

Mark Salzmann: Fun launch of a new category for THE ICONIC. They’ve done a nice job of subtly incorporating the key brands that can be found on their site. Some people might say the special effects are a bit corny but I’d disagree – more reflective of a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

What are some of the best aspects of this TVC? Is It effective?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: Pure brand play. THE ICONIC is memorable.

Mark Salzmann: Really engaging ad, I was compelled to watch it through and would happily rewatch.

Where could this TVC be improved?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: Relatability should be improved. This ad needs a hero because it’s not an impressive range. Creatively there was no emotional connection., I know it’s okay to let the product do the talking… which I think is where they were going with this, but I don’t think it did that as well as it could have. Do they even sell Volleyballs? (Trick question).

Would you shop with this retailer after seeing this TVC?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: Yeah, I’d check them out. See what they’ve got because I love the Iconic and I know they’ll have a huge range. This just reminds people they are in the game.

Mark Salzmann: Yes! This is right up my alley so I would definitely check out the site after seeing this ad to view what they had on offer!

 

Catch – Everyday Aussies are Getting Great Deals

“We always put our customers first, so it made sense to turn them into everyday heroes, placing them front and centre in the campaign, all while ensuring our fun and playful personality shines through. We love the tagline ‘Checkout Catch’, it rolls off the tongue, it’s a strong call to action, it’s also the last action when shopping online, plus it’s Aussie as. Just like Catch,” said Ryan Gracie, Chief Marketing Officer, Catch.

 

Does this TVC capture your attention?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: Made me smile. Fun, clear, memorable. An ad that really speaks to its audience, making the “Everyday Aussies” the heroes. Pokes fun in a delightfully honest way. Yes. It got my attention. Well done!

Mark Salzmann: I would watch this ad through every time and probably recite the voiceover with each viewing which is obviously next-level engagement. The key message of Catch’s broad range of products is communicated in the most entertaining of ways. There is also a healthy serving of branding in there.

What are some of the best aspects of this TVC?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: I think this ad is up there with the Aldi ads of the world. It has a similar creative vibe to it. It does everything a great ad should do (price, product, people, brand) and it’s simple.

Mark Salzmann: I just love it. There can never be enough funny ads / puns in the words so this is ticking all my boxes.

Where could this TVC be improved?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: What’s not to like about this ad? I’d hang out to watch over and over again.

Would you shop with this retailer after seeing this TVC?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: Yep.

Mark Salzmann: Yes! Well, I’d at least visit their site to see if they had any more ads like this one to amuse me! But in all seriousness, the ad does a great job in making me think ‘I bet Catch has something I need, even if I don’t know It yet.

 

MyDeal – Everything For Your Home

MyDeal has chosen to focus on its home and garden offering for its TVC, showcasing the retailer’s ‘most popular’ category, its bedroom range.

 

What are your thoughts on this TVC? Does it capture your attention?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: Mmm it’s okay. It blends in a bit, it functions. The creative concept is a budget version of the hugely successful Trivago ads with Gabrielle Miller.

Mark Salzmann: Clearly this is a big brand awareness play for MyDeal. Mydeal.com.au gets a mention in the first second and the brand logo makes multiple appearances throughout the ad including the entire screen for the closing five seconds. Overall, It’s a pretty conservative ad. Doesn’t do anything major wrong but likewise, it’s not exactly jumping out at me and I’d suspect a pretty significant drop in viewer engagement after the first few seconds.

Is this TVC effective? Where could it be improved?

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: It’s very clear and easy to understand. “Everything for your home” good tag, nicely highlights why I should check out my deal to remodel my spare bedroom on a budget. You’ve got to pluck at the heartstrings of your audience. This ad is very functional. No emotion, nothing to be excited about but a good price.

Mark Salzmann: It gets across the key messages of price, quality, and range and is full of MyDeal branding. However, it definitely lacks an X-factor.

Would you shop with this retailer after seeing this TVC? 

Alita Harvey-Rodriguez: If I needed to give my spare room a facelift, they’d go into my consideration list or retailers to check out

Mark Salzmann: Personally, I’m not the target market for what they’re pushing in this ad. My concern is some people may see this and actually think MyDeal is limited to this sort of homewares products. In reality, there are a lot of things on MyDeal that would appeal to me – just not what they’ve featured in this ad.

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