It’s my time to blog and I couldn’t resist a stab at the recent Snickers ad campaigns – or so I thought. Every time I see one of the outdoor ads I cringe at the thought that a viable agency actually put these out as creative (TV ads aside – I will admit that the Patrick Chewing commercial is pretty funny.) Each of the ads has a chocolate-brown backdrop and a phrase of ‘Snacklish’, the make-believe language Snickers has created to evolve around their brand. Things like ‘Administer the Chocodote’, ‘Drop me off at the next avenchew’, ‘Peanutopolis’ – you get the picture.

But then I got to thinking about the way that advertising success is measured – return on investment is definitely part of it, but what about brand resonance and memory recall? The fact that the Snickers ads are irking anyone surely says something about their advertising. After all, I’m writing about it. So instead of a cold-hearted jab, I thought I’d explore something larger than a candy company – is there such a thing as bad advertising?

I’ve been paying attention to ABC’s The Gruen Transfer, a show that is dedicated to picking apart advertising and features a stand-up comedian and a panel of ad industry experts as its hosts; if for no other reason the comic appeal is worth a watch. Russel Howcroft, one of the panelists, makes an interesting statement on one of the episodes: he says that all advertising works, it’s just a matter of how much. I’m not sure I agree to the extent of his statement, but I definitely see what he’s getting it.

If the purpose of advertising is to generate a return on investment, either through increased sales or brand loyalty, then in some cases a campaign could have a negative effect on sales but the likelihood of this result would vary depending on industry and the brand in question. In the case of the Snacklish campaign, Snickers is a well-established and recognized name, so even if people find the ads irritating, it won’t make the brand any less prominent – and in fact it might bring the candy bar to mind more frequently. I don’t foresee an end to my griping but I will give them this – the Snacklish campaign, for positive or negative, definitely leaves a lasting impression.