Alexey Ivanov - How to Create an Idea If You Are Not Ogilvy

Teaser campaigns consist of two stages. Initially there is an advertisement that creates intrigue, what inevitably raises the interest of the target audience. After a while the advertised product itself and explanations are presented to customers.

Here is one of the most famous examples of the teaser in Russia. In 1995 in Moscow the following billboards appeared along the highways (see Fig. 2.12.).

Fig. 2.12. One of the first teasers in Moscow. Headline: “Carjacked?” How do you think what product is advertised?

Two weeks later the billboards were changed with the response (see Fig. 2.13.).

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With kind permission of Begemot, Moscow, Russia

Fig. 2.13. A world-class car alarm is advertised.

It is worth mentioning that only 11 of these billboards were placed in Moscow. But because of the bright ideas and non-standard delivery, Muscovites had the impression that the advertising campaign covered the entire city. A strong idea helps to save money on placement.

The first teaser appeared over 100 years ago in the United States—the homeland of both good and bad things in advertising. The tobacco brand Camel was one of the first who successfully tested this practice in 1913. Marketers at the tobacco company agreed that the name of the brand was already pushing advertising innovation. Then three days before the beginning of sales, they published mystery ads in newspapers of 90 American cities.

A strong idea helps to save money on placement.

On the first day there were images of camels with the laconic headline: “Camels”. The next day the headline had become a little more informative: “The Camels are coming!”

Then, people found out that “tomorrow there will be more camels in the town than in Asia and Africa combined!” This peaked their curiosity.

On the day of sales beginning, everything became clear. Finally, both worried and intrigued Americans learned the whole truth. “Camel cigarettes are here!” was written in the final ad. Stunned with the unusual advertising, people in big cities gave the new Camel cigarettes a try.

Camel cigarettes grew from fourth place to first place in sales in just five years, securing about 40 percent of the entire cigarette business5.

Here is a more recent example. A month before the launch of the four-door Jeep on the US market, the automaker prepared a guerrilla sticker campaign, which imitated a rear side-door handle (see Fig. 2.14.).

Stickers were placed on two-door Jeeps while their owners were absent. Of course, these people would made up the core target audience who would be interested in this new innovation, more than other drivers.

With kind permission of John O’Hea and Ty Hutchinson (BBDO Detroit, the United States)

Fig. 2.14. The sticker imitates the back-door handle of the Jeep.

In conclusion, let me tell you one more curious story. The workers of a wood-processing plant chop blocks of wood and stand on the opposite side to each other. But either axe could fall off the axe handle and maim the fellow on the opposite side. What solution would you suggest to workers to help them avoid conflicts and injuries? What can be done in this situation?

Let us first divide the workers from their axes. And then we offer them to exchange axes. Now if the partner badly fixed their axe then he would only have himself to blame.

Have you noticed? Besides the division tool, we have just used another powerful tool. Let’s see what it is in the next chapter.

Chapter 3

Chasing after defeats

“A bit beyond perception’s reach

I sometimes believe I see that

life is two locked boxes, each

containing the other’s key.”

Piet Hein,

Danish mathematician,

inventor, designer, writer

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