Make Digital Marketing Work

There is a campaign that has recently launched that I think highlights many of the issues surrounding marketing at the moment.  It was developed by London Agency Rufus Leonard for Macmillan the cancer charity and features a viral campaign where celebrities talk about their most embarrassing experiences.

The aim is to bring out into the open the embarrassment that men feel about breaking their silence concerning cancer.

These sound bites have been edited and placed on Youtube.  The best one is provided by Ray Winstone who relates a wonderful story of getting drunk with a group of British soldiers during which he agrees to go to Afghanistan.  As someone who has had the pleasure of a drink with his dad (and if the ability to consume alcohol runs in the family) this story conjures up a truly impressive picture of drunkenness, and one which is brought round at the end to an on brand message that facing up to an embarrassment can change your life in a good way.

I don’t know if Ray Winstone was just better briefed or cared more than the other contributors or if they ignored the brief but the other celebrities didn’t manage to relate anything like the same level of interest or a brand message.  Ricky Gervais only manages to say that he has never regretted anything he has said or done which whilst I am sure he is telling the truth is hardly on brand at all (and some might say is completely off brand).  The opportunity was there for all of the others to add to the message but all of them fail.

That leads me to wonder where the viral element for this campaign actually is.  We rely so heavily on celebrity endorsement for much of our media communications now but simply placing a celebrity in front of the camera isn’t enough.  A campaign needs a concept which is delivered, and all good communications include a fundamental truth about the product.  In this case, one part (Mr Winstone’s communication) accomplishes, this whilst the others do not.

Having said that of course we certainly hope that the campaign is a success and the cause is certainly a deserving one.  We just think that with a little bit more thought it could have achieved a greater level of cut through and led to a viral campaign that would have had more life, and more relevance.