The home & personal care (HPC) industry is very lucrative. In 2020 it was a $483B industry, in 2021 it jumped to $511B — and with an annual compounded growth rate of 4.75% worldwide — it’s predicted to exceed $716B by 2025, and $784.6B by 2027. With this huge business opportunity, it’s no wonder that there are so many players in this industry, and the challenge is to differentiate oneself from the competitors.
Part of this challenge is in finding new ways to advertise these products because they are so widely used. But we’re here to help. We have studied the latest advertisement industry trends and tactics of top-performing home and personal care advertisers and would like to share with you our insights so your creativity can stand out!
Avoid complexity!
Product quality is one of the main criteria consumers use to judge products, yet the need for a creative message is also crucial. Regardless of the content of your ad, it always helps users to simplify the language or concept with easily understandable words instead of complex terms. Rather than explaining the technical aspects of a product, starting from a universal experience that everyone can relate to, will lead you down the right path.
For example, rather than explaining the technical aspects of their product, Liquid Plumr, explains it in a direct test based on a universal experience. In place of explaining the product to the viewers, this advertisement shows what the product can do.
Make sure you understand what matters
Instead of trying to address the entire marketing funnel with a single ad, you can use ad options that will get you to a specific goal. If your goal is short-term sales and performance, the most effective ads are those that focus on products. If, however, you’re looking to do brand building, ads that use a longer, more creative story tend to be more effective. Consumers want to see that the product suits them and their lifestyle.
Launching a new vacuum cleaner model, Bosch has created a 20-second ad that shows the product in action and focuses on one key feature. This was an approach that proved effective in increasing sales in the short term.
The ‘me’ inside of us
Personal care products are personal, consumers want to see that the product suits them and their lifestyle. Think about the characters you will include in your campaigns to reach all of your consumers. Incorporating more ethnicity, age, and gender will create more interest and help consumers identify with your brand’s products.
All Good, a diaper brand, managed to attract parents with this campaign. In the campaign, they show all kinds of families from different races, ages, and family structures, emphasizing that many difficulties parents face are universal. The audience can establish a real connection with the brand because they have been recognized and acknowledged.
Create a story
Users do not always form strong emotional bonds with products. This is especially true for everyday products used in household and personal care. Building those bonds is important and can help the brand stand out. A story created with creatives that go beyond the product can be very successful in capturing consumers’ attention.
Veet France‘s campaign features compelling short stories of various women lying in bed with their friends, attending a summer evening party, laying on the lawn, and admiring their body hair. Showcasing a variety of body types and body hair, the ad tells a story of the many different ways one can express one’s femininity.
Try using the sound of the product to promote your ad
Using your product’s audio in your ads can bring back memories to customers, help you put things in context, or increase the impact of your message. While audio is one of the most effective ways to increase brand awareness, it’s not a very well-known resource in video ads. Using audio increases the impact of brand names and your messages. A sound can also give clues about how a product is used – for example, when spraying a bottle of aerosol or pouring the product. Creating that aural connection is helpful to catch users’ attention because users don’t always have a strong attachment to a specific product.
Look at Nokia for instance. Nokia used the jingle as the default ringtone for its mobile phones right from the start of the brand. There’s hardly a person who doesn’t recognize it, even if they don’t quite remember where it’s from.
HPC products: Conclusion
These five techniques will maximize the creativity in your ads and help you get more effective results. These techniques will serve as a starting point for you to build a solid foundation as you implement your creative ideas for your brand. By experimenting frequently with your ads and trying different techniques, you’ll maximize the impact of your ads and achieve the best results.
This article was written by Yosi Cemel, Programmatic Media Specialist, at Total Media Solutions.
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