The Lazy Ad Guy
Issue 20 | September 2011
Agency
MercerBell
Creative Team
Art Director: Paul Critchley; Copywriter: Simon Gaffney
Production Team
Senior Digital Producer: Lucy Proffitt; Digital Studio Manager: Scott Forrester
Other Credits
Account Director: Iain Griffin; Account Manager: Jessica Rix
Date
To March 2011
Background
Fairfax Digital needed to reposition themselves in the minds of media buyers. They were generally considered as safe but not cutting-edge even though they had developed a suite of class-leading, ground-breaking products and were home to the most engaged AB spending audience in Australia. But they hadn’t done any form of advertising for over a year.
Idea
The Lazy Ad Guy was created as a metaphor for all the under-performing online ads out there. He lived in a banner, thus using the medium to showcase the medium. He was a slob with no desire to interact or communicate, just like a banner if it hasn’t had the Fairfax Digital Workout.
Over the course of a year, his personality and impact on the target market grew, leading the team to explore new and interesting ways of increasing the engagement he had with media buyers. From a silent Media-I slot (a Media-specific TV channel that plays in Media Offices) he was soon to be found on the front cover of Media Week magazine, in Mumbrella banner ads, as the star of a very well-received Christmas e-Card and the focus and motivational character behind a hugely successful media event.
Results
Banners :7.3% click through rate.
Xmas E-Card click through rate: 47% and 31% open rate.
Site visits up 30% since campaign went live
Event attendance up 60% on last year with everyone dressed up in sporty tribute the Lazy Ad Guy.
Sales Force are currently reaching 104% of targets.
Our Thoughts
Juries are peculiar. How can a campaign like ‘American Rom’ (page xx) that wins the Direct Grand Prix at Cannes only be worth a Media silver and a PR bronze?
It’s because different people looked at the work through different eyes. I mention this because I overlooked this campaign and it was only the Editorial Committee, egged on by our Julie Charlton, that forced its inclusion.
I’m glad it’s here if only because here is a campaign created for the long haul whereas most advertising is about the immediate response. It’s slow burn. And it took a year to really achieve its intended objectives. How encouraging that there was a client to take a similarly long view too.