Advertising is Timing
The term ‘timing’ is most popularly used in the arena of cricket, commentators sing their hearts out when a particularly beautiful shot is played. “Glorious timing from Tamim” or “Mahmudullah at his very best, what a timing”. This ‘timing’ is when the bat meets the ball at the fraction of an instant when everything is just right! And the balls soars or rolls across the ground to the boundary and beyond. The batsmen holds the pose for a few photos for glory.
Advertising as a medium, as a language, has plenty of these moments to offer. And just like cricket, one needs a keen eye, skills and plenty of practice to make that perfect hit count. Consider the Durex ad for father’s day. On any other day and this may-be considered vulgar. But they picked that right time of year, the right context. And boom, there she goes.
You see, there is no point to a holiday advertisement if you start to send it out some time after the holidays have started, when the consumers have already made their mind or a month before the holidays, when the consumers aren’t even thinking about it. It requires timing.
Timing in advertising is crucial, it’s the difference between your promotion being “an offer they cannot refuse” or just falling flat. It’s the difference between what makes advertisement good and a good advertisement, bad. In the digisphere the potentials for achieving this are endless, ignoring the bit about the fickle nature of the social-media customers a brand can actually make itself heard louder than all the others.
The Jordanian Airline ads trolling Trump, a presidential candidate only received great responses because the timing was right. People weren’t feeling sympathetic towards Trump or his policies and he was trending for all the wrong reasons. That’s a right reason for an advertiser to take advantage of.
The advertisements of George’s Café is primarily based on this very idea of timing. Most of their ads are a reference to something happening in the world at that specific moment and from a perspective that’s witty and entertaining. But without ever losing the brand identity or product view. That is why they work so well, even with the niche exposure.
Just like cricket though there are misses, edges and misfires. The ‘Cyclone Mora’ ad from Banglalink is now infamous for its insensitive-ness. That advertisement in another time might as well have worked but on the cusp of a national disaster it was rejected by the people. I am sure the copywriter still has nightmares of it.
Another example is the Kendall Jenner ad for Pepsi, in response to the police brutality against Black Americans, it was way off the mark and people were disgusted at the suggestive implications of the ad. Pepsi were forced to take it down but the backlash continues. The aftermath of these debacles aren’t pretty. Timing can make a brand or break it!
We all know that great saying by now, “with great timing, comes great power”, life itself is about timing if you really think about it, all the things that have happened throughout the history of the universe itself, needed to happen, for you to be here, reading this, at this very moment. There is no escaping that.
Timing, whether in advertisements, sports or life is Key, because when you hit that volley just at that perfect moment, it ends up curled in the top corner.
