You must have noticed various brands jumping onto a burning issue or a news trend by creating a catchy campaign around it, irrespective of whether it is related to their brand or not. This type of advertisement in which brands take the advantage of a recent news or a trending topic for their own benefit is known as topical advertisement or in recent times, moment marketing.
Why do brands indulge in this?
Brands do it because it gives them a wider reach among the audience as people tend to relate and engage more with latest trends. Also, in a way it helps in developing the brand’s identity as more aware, diverse and approachable to people.
How do brands participate in it?
Brands and agencies use social listening cells to track real-time trends that could emerge out of sports, culture, news or anything that takes place online or in real life.
Take the example of the time when the Covid-19 was in its initial stage, almost every brand across categories shifted its focus to preventive and personal hygiene, activities that can be done at home and so on, only to make their content relatable and in some ways reduce panic among the audience.
However, there are times when jumping onto the bandwagon can have an adverse effect. A few months back, Kent RO Systems got into trouble for their bread and atta maker ad which portrayed the brand as insensitive towards domestic help as far as the hygiene is concerned. The backlash was of such magnitude that the company’s chairman had to issue a public apology.
On the other hand, brands such as Fevicol and Swiggy have a minimalistic and witty approach in moment marketing campaigns.
Although, topical advertisements have been there quite some time but they still put a lot of pressure on the brands and their agencies to continuously deliver clever pieces of content that will help the brand in sailing the waves of the latest trends.
Which are some of your favourite topical advertising campaigns? Write in to us, we’d love to hear from you.