Happy New Year to all my readers and voyeurs!!! I am well aware that some of you are still in the honeymoon period of your New Year resolutions. My advice to you is to keep pressing on. In my case I have been going to the gym every other day, but in the back of my mind I keep seeing visions of myself burning out and retreating back to my old ways. My aim is for that to never happen.
Whilst I was contemplating about going to the gym I came across the Lucozade advert created by Grey London. I was initially drawn in by the scientific approach, so I automatically assumed it was something serious (I guess this was what they were planning the whole time). I really appreciate the scientific theme of the campaign, it slightly reminds me of a scene from Frankenstein. Through introducing this theme, it created a sense of tension and expectancy. This is the same type of tension and expectancy you get when your sport team is playing in the final of a major championship game. Through triggering these emotions, it encourages the competitive individuals in the audience to actually pay attention.
The advert is imbued with the spirit of competition. It presents Lucozade as the superior product and water as the inferior product. I must admit that the advert does make some pretty bold claims. For instance, it states that Lucozade is 'Better than Water.' On one hand I think that such a bold claim may cause the audience to be quite skeptical. On the other hand, the advert may spark curiosity and encourage the audience to try out the product to see if it is all function or just fizz.
Lucozade is produced by GlaxoSmithKline (a pharmaceutical company) and this advert solidifies the brand's leadership role within the growing energy drinks market. Since its launch in 1927, Lucozade has been very innovative in bringing value to the customer through its formulations and scientific development. I think they presented the advert as a lab experiment so they could communicate the brand's dedication to scientific innovation. We as consumers love our products to improve and it is an added bonus when improved products also improve our physical performance.
From a critical point of view it would have been great to see a group of average Joes and Joannes doing the physical sport test. I think it would have given the advert a perfect balance between comical and informative. In addition, I think Lucozade and Grey London could have taken the campaign further by giving the audience a chance to write reviews or diaries of their sporting development while consuming the product. This could perfectly align with those fitness related New Year resolutions. Through adopting this approach it will diffuse skepticism and also lead to further product development.