Introduction
It is clear that marketing strategies are evolving alongside the development of technology and society. New trends in marketing differ significantly from conventional ones. Thus, meerkat advertising can be regarded as a new approach. It is necessary to note that the campaign fits the conventional objectives (informing, reminding, persuading). Thus, Alexandr names the website that provides specific services and the funny creature stresses that it is a good website as it can help people achieve particular goals (to find the best insurance options). Of course, when a person sees Alexandr and Sergei, he/she still recollects about the website which is now associated with the two brothers.
Main Body
The approach chosen is very different from conventional marketing strategies as it is difficult to trace the way how the advertisement actually sells things. Nonetheless, the meerkat advertising campaign sells the website as the creature repeats the name of the website several times and the visual representation of the website is provided. Alexandr also says that the website is very effective. His words work as a first-hand piece of advice or even a universally acknowledged fact. The advertisement creates an impression that the viewer gets a solution to a problem instead of being exposed to persuasion and cheating.
Admittedly, in spite of the obvious benefits of the approach, it also has certain hazards. Thus, if the advertising is too creative, there can be a risk that the ad (or created characters) can be more popular than the product itself (or even worse, people will not even associate the ad with the product). However, it depends on the way the message is delivered. In a meerkat advertising campaign, the character always refers to the website. This makes people associate the creature with the name of the website. More so, it is important to create merchandise where the name of the website is always present (a toy meerkat can hold a book entitled Comparethemarket.com and so on).
As far as I am concerned, I believe that the primary function of advertising is to inform and make people interested rather than sell, as sales can be seen as a result of people’s preferences. Thus, the meerkat advertisement makes people aware of the website that provides certain services. People looking for the services mentioned in the advertisement are likely to use the website. Therefore, there is no need in persuading people that the website is the best in the world and they should use it exclusively. It is more important to inform people and let them do their own choices. This freedom (or rather illusion of freedom as there is still persuasion and the use of various marketing techniques) makes people want to use this or that product.
Finally, it is important to add that the new approach implies the use of secondary income streams. Buying a toy or a cup with Alexandr’s face, a person will still think about the website from time to time. Clearly, the client should benefit from merchandising as the client provides the product and the client has all rights to use the product in many ways. Of course, license and copyright rules have to be present to make all details clear and avoid any misunderstanding.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to note that the meerkat advertising campaign has expanded the boundaries of marketing. New effective approaches come into play and it is clear that they fit the needs of contemporary society.