Lessons from the Halo Top Creamery AD
Last week, on Instagram we shared the Halo Top Creamery AD series on ‘adulting’ with our community and the response was definitely what every Ad Creator would appreciate.
My favourite of the series was the clip themed, ‘Mortgage’ (below). From the attention grabbing content to the memorability of the concept, I was impressed. Although I felt it could have been a bit more convincing, it was still an exceptional AD.
If you’re thinking of creating an AD, either in print or video, there are a few lessons you can learn from the ‘well-executed’ Halo Top AD:
ATTENTION GRABBING
The choice of colours, set layout and characters chosen are undeniably attractive. When the scene opens up with a bunch of kids running and yelling, the loudness first alerts the viewer. Afterwards, before you consider changing the channel, you’re invited to wonder why the ice-cream man seems a little grumpy.
Halo Top Commercial opening with kids running towards and ice-cream truck
As he depressively responds to the kids, his tone of speech and demeanour is unexpected. This keeps us watching for what would happen next. Then his speech reveals the ideal target market of the brand and that’s the HOOK. Once the ideal target market, adults realizes that the AD was created for them, they are encouraged to watch for the benefits. What a clever way to grab the attention of your ideal client.
MEMORABLY SIMPLE
I’m highly impressed by the simplicity of the AD that leaves the viewer mentally refreshed. The AD isn’t overly complex and the message is clear - it’s all about advertising ice-cream for adults. As the AD closes, it leaves with a jingle “Ice-cream for adults” that sticks. I can say for certain that it sticks, because I found myself singing that tune randomly over the 4 days that followed. In creating an AD, remember to keep the message clear and include a jingle, someway, somehow…
SUGGESTIVELY AUTHENTIC
A great product deserves an AD that suggests its greatness. This is the whole point of creating the AD. After watching the AD, I wasn’t prompted to try out Halo Top, but my memory of the AD, coupled with the fact that I stumbled into it at the grocery store ignited my curiosity. While $6.88 is quite pricey for 473mL, I have to say it tasted amazing. It’s very light and velvety and doesn’t feel as heavy as some others like Häagen-Dazs (which is my favourite, by the way).
My curiosity extended beyond purchasing a tub of Halo Top, to buying both Häagen-Dazs and Halo Top solely for “examination” purposes.
Häagen-Dazs VS. Halo Top Creamery
From a branding perspective, Halo Top was more impressive. While there were many points worth mentioning, my top three favourites were:
Creative Copywriting - “I’m cold, let’s spoon” takes the cake from Häagen-Dazs that simply plasters Häagen-Dazs across the cover foil.
Community Building - The gold foil is not only different from competitors, but it also is attention grabbing. Halo Top optimizes this space by placing its social handle, hashtag and website right in front of every customer. Never waste a space to brand, build and/or promote!
Value Proposition - Another great thing I like is the fact that it’s differentiating factor, low calories - ‘ice-cream for adults’ is placed as a reminder right, bang in the centre of the tub and BOLDLY too.
CONVINCING ACTIONABLE
While the AD is exciting and engaging, the educational value and call-to-action isn’t LOUD enough. It would have been great to get a “taste” of what the ice-cream actually offers. However, in a 30-second AD there really is so much you can do. Would a “yum” from the adult or a deep sigh of “love” for the ice-cream with his spoon dipping into the ice-cream as he walked away been too much?
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