[Orchids & Onions] Hair-raising stuff? Local is lekker shines through in Gill shampoo ad

In it we see a no-nonsense, mature dude... with matching honeys on either side of him. He is lamenting what has become of society with the advent of 'sissifying' technology. These days, we men, he says, don't klap. We tweet and we sub-tweet.

Then he says: "Come on man. Stop the nonsense..."

The message is simple, like the product it is advertising. Let's just get the job done. Whether or not there are honeys around us, we get our hair washed, and we keep dandruff at bay.

Everybody knows what Gill does - and the ad is a deliberately anti-slick reminder of that. Climbing a sheer rock face with beautifully washed hair that looks like it belongs in a shampoo commercial. Come on man, stop the nonsense.

I say amen to that: if only more local brand managers had the guts to do local ads. Stop the nonsense of importing rubbish. Local is lekker. So come on, man. Orchid to Gill.

© Ocskay Bence Mor – 123RF.com

Sometimes, with all the bells and whistles that accompany advertising and brand promotion, we forget that marketing is all about communication.

And, provided the message is attractive enough, it doesn't have to be tarted up.

One such example is a campaign that is running in print and on radio at the moment. It is for - true story - "Study VX14-787-103". No brand, no address, no images even. Just an 0800 number.

It is a study to "investigate the effectiveness and safety of an investigational medication in patients with the flu".

It goes on to say you are eligible to participate if, among other things, you actually have flu.
The study lasts up to 14 days and "will include up to six visits to the study centre. Study-related medical examinations and medical care will be provided free of charge."

Dry as it is (and the fact that it uses the American spelling of "centre"), I have no doubt it will have attracted a good response.

At this time of the year, many of us are battling flu and, it seems, the current treatments and medicines just don't sort it out. So who wouldn't want to try something new?

An interesting study in plain, basic, communication.

It would get an Orchid, if I only knew who to award it to...

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