Ad of the Month - August 2010

Gumtree "Tree Notice Board" (click to view ad)

Beta
As an ad designed to promote the online buying and selling site's ease of use, this TV commercial stays true to its strategy by keeping it simple. It looks very different with a photograph of a large tree and a crowd of animated people. The cartoon characters stick their articles for sale on the tree and other people come and take them away. The branding is implicit throughout with the picture of the tree. The voiceovers are provided by real users of Gumtree, recruited by an ad on the website - underlining the site's accessibility and empathising with the target.

Comms Savvy thinking on brands delivering their first campaigns is that there are (at least!) three key areas for the new ad to achieve results:

       1. Get noticed

       2. Establish the brand's identity - who it is, what it does, what it stands for, how it is different

       3. Start to create an emotional link with the target


The Gumtree ad ticks all three boxes - great start!