Then vs now. With vs without. Dream vs reality. Comparison ads are the quick and lazy option for advertisers. They’re so simple it’s almost comical. But just because they’re simple doesn’t make them bad or ineffective – far from it.
In fact, because they’re so often the ‘go-to’, they reveal insights into how we think and, thus, what makes them so effective. Using today’s comparison ad from Comfort, we’ll dig into why. We’ll also look at how they cleverly layer a handful of techniques to make what could have been a very mundane fabric softener ad into something that’s actually very engaging.
Before we do that, however, let’s look at who made it.
Who made the ad
Copywriters: John Bayley and Nick Parton | Art Directors: John Bayley and Nick Parton | Photographer: Peter Rauter | Agency: Ogilvy & Mather | Client: Lever Brothers | Year: 1992
Telling a story with two images
Let’s start at the top. Comparison ads. What are they? And why do they work?
You can think of comparison ads as a tale of two scenarios. Something you don’t want… next to something you do, where the link is usually the product or service you’re selling. They communicate – or can communicate – with images alone. And this makes them particularly useful for getting a message across to people who simply don’t care what you have to say.
Here’s why…
The old. The less old. And the even less old.
You see, our brains are formed of 3 parts: the new, the middle and the old. The new brain thinks and processes rational data. The middle brain feels and processes emotions. And the old brain pulls the trigger.
Whilst it still considers the input of the others, the old brain is the primitive brain. It’s been with us the longest and has enabled us to evolve into the creatures we are. So it continues to control our decision-making.
Advertisers should always target the old brain because, well, why take the scenic route?
Image-first advertising
Relatively speaking, language is a new development. It’s only existed for hundreds of thousands of years – when we’ve existed for hundreds of millions. So, our old brain (or then, current brain?) needed to make decisions without language. It used visual data. Life in front of us. And this means it has evolved particularly well to process imagery.
Comparison ads work, in part, because we understand them so quickly, and they require such little effort to process. Literal comparisons are the easiest to grasp. And many advertisers stop there.
Today’s ad goes further.
Comparison x visual metaphor
Now, if you’ve followed my breakdowns for a while – or read a few – you’ll know that visual metaphors get my blood pumping. I love ’em. Today’s ad uses one too.
But unlike others I’ve looked at, Comfort’s is cleverly layered into the ad.
So rather than just showing dry and soft socks, the literal alternative, they play with the idea. They utilise associations of something undesirable with sock-wearing (…sharp spikes…) to make the outcome of their product more desirable. I’ll revisit this in more detail soon.
The “quick get”
Whilst easy-to-understand concepts are important, making them too easy can be insulting. So, it’s important to find a balance.
Many successful ads throw down a little challenge. Luke Sullivan calls this a “quick get”, which is something you can figure out pretty much instantly but is complex enough to hold you for a second or two. It’s like a big dot-to-dot puzzle, only you selectively remove a few dots.
Of course, there are lots of ways you can do this. But today’s ad uses a visual metaphor. It works by bringing something already well-known and understood (like a cactus) and putting it into a new context, like (wearing socks) to communicate a message.
We then spend time figuring out what the context change means, and when we solve it, we feel good. These associations rub off onto the brand and product and aid mental availability, so the product comes to mind with less effort in the future.
For other visual metaphors, try these: British Airways’ “Yo-yo”, Land Rover’s “Steve” and Dunlop’s “Life Ring”.
Changing the comparison set
We, humans, don’t make decisions in isolation. We’re always using the information in front of us or comparing it to information we’ve learnt in the past.
This psychological trait is particularly influential in pricing. For example, in “The Choice Factory”, Richard Shotton shares that people were willing to pay more for bottled beer when it was served with wine vs other beers. And that Red Bull can charge more than Coca-Cola for an energy drink because theirs comes in a smaller can.
Anyway, it’s the same principle at play here. Just, rather than pricing, the visual metaphor anchors an (exaggerated) unfavourable context. Anything compared to a spikey cactus will seem soft and comfortable.
Sharpening the sensory experience
We’re naturally drawn to contrasts. The simple metaphor of the cactus being rough and the socks being soft catches and holds our attention. This broadens the appeal of the ad, allowing the message to reach more people.
But, more importantly, this metaphor evokes an emotional and sensory response.
Tom Roach reminds us in his brilliant article here that it’s not the ad’s emotional input that leads to behaviour change but the emotional output. So, by triggering our mirror neurons and allowing us to “feel” the ad, the metaphor acts as a sharp reminder of how uncomfortable dry socks are and, thus, how relieving (and enticing) their soft equivalents are.
Balance
Before I close off, I also want to bring your attention to how balanced the ad is. Not just in terms of art to copy but actually within the art.
There’s a lovely symmetrical balance between the cacti and socks, leading you to double-take the comparison (playing into the “quick get” we mentioned earlier). There’s also a textural balance between the sharpness of the cacti and the softness of the socks and even a satisfying colour balance too.
Although it’s subtle, I think it still feeds into the ‘feel’ of the ad.
Next time
So there we go. A comparison ad layered with a visual metaphor and sensory triggers.
If you enjoyed this and would like to learn more with the next one, every two weeks or so, I send out an accompanying email with subscriber-only info. (This breakdown included some extra ads from the same campaign and some other clever comparison ads)
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