This Thai Pantene commercial recently made the rounds thanks to a glowing review and article on Seth Simmon’s blog about how to use storytelling in advertising.
“Do you identify with her story in some way? I did. Struggle, disappointment, rejection, and eventual triumph in spite of great odds are things we can all relate to. If a shampoo company finds value in advertising that isn’t directly about shampoo, is it possible that you might find value in telling stories that aren’t about you? I think so. It’s not enough to just grab any old story and tell it. You need to find a story that resonates with a message you want your brand to be known for.”
Seth Simmon’s goes on to explain just how you can find stories that are “not about you” out their in the social media world (or make them up) and then use them to illustrate the message of your brand. It’s a good message. We are all moved by the power of stories. They connect us emotionally to an otherwise inhuman, intangible brand. But a word of warning, if you are telling stories that AREN’T your own, you can be perceived disingenuous… or worse, manipulative.
Organic employee Fang Yu Lin had a very different take on the Pantene ad:
“I have a different perspective to offer regarding this shampoo commercial. The story over which Seth Simonds went ga-ga doesn’t seem truly ‘extraordinary’ to me but yet another melodramatic saccharin fest typical for east Asian commercials (wait till you see our soap opera). Seth’s post exemplifies the problem with self-appointed cross-border cultural agents. They quite often fall into one of these two traps that they dig for themselves: naïve misunderstanding or willful misrepresentation.”
While I can’t speak from the cultural perspective that Fang can, I too felt the emotional manipulation of this “melodramatic saccharin fest”. (I swear my tears were only pregnancy hormone induced). It felt painfully over the top, and a thought kept dragging down on me through out the entire piece… in the end, this is about shampoo?
Maybe brands resort to making up stories or overdramatizing their customer stories, because they don’t know how to tell their own stories in a way that makes feel them human. But there are plenty of companies out there, such as The Moth, who can teach anyone the art of telling THEIR OWN story. Something I recommend to everyone in this field. Because if you can’t speak with genuine passion about your own life or product, how do you expect anyone else to care.
Marta Strickland
Comments
Connections
A real human connection is made in this spot, because we have all experienced the emotions the main character goes through in her story. And we all have dreams of overcoming obstacles in our lives. Yes, shampoo is just shampoo. But Pantene is a company made up of real human beings. Much like a club, after seeing this spot, it makes you feel like you want to belong to this club because you feel that connection with the story it’s telling. It doesn’t seem insincere. What does seem insincere in advertising today is where there is not human connection, no story, no reason to care. I don’t want to hear about how awesome your shampoo is and how it will make my hair shine like the sun – because honestly, it won’t. But if you tell me a story, one that is inspiring and makes a real human connection, then I want to be your friend, be part of your club and the chances of me buying your shampoo are greatly increased. But don’t just tell me that story once to get me to buy that shampoo. Stand firm behind your message and tell it to me over and over. That’s my two cents.
This is interesting. Brands catching up with social media are sometimes going to far (but at least they’re trying). A few months ago, I was at a meetup and someone said that social media is a good fit if your product/service has a social aspect in it. So true. Everything becomes easier then and you don’t need to go overboard to tell a story. But a shampooo…mmm…I see a big difference between marketing in social media (i.e: more of the same marketing/advertising but through the new channel) vs social media marketing (which is about a brand/organization participation in the right communities where they are relevant, transparent, real etc..)
i’m a graphic designer specializing in print marketing so my credibility in feedback on video campaigns might not be of much worth. however, speaking from the asian female perspective, i have to say this is an effective campaign in that it tugs at the heart.
in my experience, i’ve come to know that an effective campaign does not have to revolve around the obvious – yes, the shampoo has to make my hair shine, it has to make my hair strong, it should diminish, if not eradicate instances of hairloss but that’s a given. i want something more. i would certainly buy for myself products that meet my needs but to patronize the developer or the company, i need to know the kind of people making the brand. if the people are ones who acknowledge loss, hardship, perseverance, and all other real-life issues, in spite of their monetary success, then that means the company is worth my time and money.
this ad reached out to me. pantene has not only sold me their product, they won me over as a person not just as a consumer.