Victoria Luck is managing director at Buzzoole UK, an influencer marketing platform founded in Naples, Italy’s fast-growing tech centre. Buzzoole connects brands with influencers to help them take their message beyond the traditional marketing channels.
Luck (below) has spent her career at the forefront of media sales and marketing. She headed up the international advertising division at Hearst Magazines and more recently, ran international sales at advertising tech business InSkin Media. She has also held senior positions at Publicitas and Iceberg Media in Dubai.
Desert Island Ads
Brands are constantly engineering new ways to reach us. But the same principles remain: any communication should entertain, inspire and make us think. My favourite ads all tick these three boxes.
As a keen rider too, horses were always going to find their way into my list. But most of all I’m fascinated by campaigns that strike a chord on social media. Going viral isn’t easy. And humour can be just as delicate as poignancy.
In any case, whether it’s a TV spot, a YouTube video or a hashtag, the ads I’ve chosen genuinely stayed with me.
#WearYellowForSeth – online awareness campaign
First up, an excellent awareness campaign delivered pro bono by Digitas Health LifeBrands. Five-year old Seth Lane (below) suffers from Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) – a rare genetic disorder which means he’s entirely without an immune system. After Seth’s first bone marrow transplant failed, his parents sought extra support for a second transplant.
The campaign, encouraging people to wear yellow on the day of Seth’s operation, drew support from the likes of Ashton Kutcher and William Shatner. What’s more, Seth’s story was the first charitable cause featured on Snapchat Stories, reaching 26 million users.
The award-winning campaign didn’t just boost Seth’s morale, it raised a great deal of awareness for the Bubble Foundation, which works to save children with the same condition as Seth. It proves social media can be a force for good.
Cathay Pacific – #LifeWellTravelled
Next, one of my favourite influencer marketing campaigns. Cathay Pacific knows how to work with influencers and for its #LifeWellTravelled campaign the airline showed it truly understood how to be authentic. It handpicked travel bloggers Jessica Stein and Tyson Wheatley, funded their trips and gave them complete freedom over what they posted.
That wasn’t Cathay’s only smart move. The global ad campaign that followed, which hinged on user-generated content, had just the human edge it needed to take off. Why? Because the #LifeWellTravelled hashtag was rooted in real people from the start.
Emirates – Casey Neistat
For Emirates, the dream influencer collaboration fell into its lap. YouTube star Casey Neistat was already flying Emirates from Dubai to New York. The airline gave Neistat a free upgrade to First Class, he videoed the whole thing and the rest is history. Free publicity with tremendous reach.
Neistat filmed himself eating caviar, drinking champagne, even enjoying an in-flight shower (with his modesty blurred). An instant viral hit.
The $21,000 first class airplane seat is currently the most viewed video on his channel and it’s clocked up over 25m views. Neistat’s Emirates journey is a powerful testament to the power of influencers.
Always – #LikeAGirl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs
What does it mean to do something “like a girl?” It’s a loaded phrase: Always developed a debate that was striking in a thoughtful way. Society might have told us that running, fighting and throwing, “like a girl” are to be mocked – but this ad shows us that the female sex is strong and ought to be respected.
It takes a level of nuance to tackle an issue like this head-on. Always did so sensitively and that’s something to be celebrated.
Amazon – Lonely little horse
A classic heart melter. It’s irresistible: a cute Shetland pony is shunned by the other horses, only to be saved by an act of kindness. It doesn’t hurt that the brand in question, Amazon, saves the day.
Ever since John Lewis’ The Long Wait, there’s been no shortage of heartwarming Christmas ad fare. Consumers might be growing tired of John Lewis’ efforts, but the recipe still works a treat. Shareable ads like these will always spread across the Twittersphere. I look forward to seeing what Christmas 2016 has in store…
Choose beautiful – Dove
#ChooseBeautiful’s message of belief and empowerment really hit home for me. It deftly asks the viewer to reconsider the way they feel about themselves. Faced with one door titled ‘Average’ another entitled ‘Beautiful,’ which one would you walk through?
The campaign was especially effective because it was universal. Shot in London, Delhi, San Francisco, Shanghai and Sao Paolo, ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Average’ figure just as heavily in Spanish, Hindi and Mandarin.
