Love-to-hate advertising

Ever heard of a guy called Wynne Evans? He’s a former Welsh rugby player and opera singer. Er (perplexedly) no…

Ever heard of Gio Compario the much-celebrated star of the Go Compare adverts? Er (grudgingly) yes…

Same guy.

This month, the insurance price comparison company Go Compare released its full 2010 pre-tax profits to the market. Stunningly, for a company that serves as an intermediary, it saw a whopping 35% increase in profits last year which were just shy of £30m. Operating in a fiercely competitive market, much of this success has been credited to the ‘memorability’ of Go Compare’s advertising.

So the question we’re asking ourselves at Liquid Graphic this week is: since when do brands need to annoy their audiences to achieve stand out?

Interviewed in Marketing Week, Go Compare’s Head of Marketing Nick Hall calls it the Marmite campaign: people either love it or they hate it. He pinpoints character-based advertising and a love-hate relationship with the audience as key to the success of the campaign but acknowledges this alone is not enough: “We run a through-the-line marketing campaign. TV and radio is supported by active online campaigns through search, affiliate networks, online display, social and email.”

Annoying adverts? Yes.

Astute use of online and social media? Yes.

A short-lived trend for character-based advertising? Let’s hope so.

Will we buy Gio Compario’s CD? No.

To find out more about how online marketing campaigns work and how you can use social media and search engine optimisation to support your less-annoying advertising contact Liquid Graphic.