On December 31st, at 11: 59pm, most of us were gathered in groups, counting down to the same moment. The countdown hit zero, and as people began smooching and celebrating, my friends and I burst into song. We were singing the New Year’s traditional song, Auld Lang Syne— but the Pennywise version. Our little inside joke. However many years had passed since the ad had been on the air, but we knew all the words. We probably know it better than the original. Ads like this have remained in the psyche of the population— or at least the sub-group that enjoys corny, dated jingles— lodged in a little pocket of our local culture.
We don’t always give advertising enough credit for the role it plays in social culture. We find ourselves thinking of it reactively— looking at what is trending and finding a way to make it relevant to a brand. But it’s a two-way street. We take from culture, but we have the power to give back, too. That’s a power we shouldn’t squander. Think about Rosie the Riveter. What comes to mind is the iconic “We Can Do It!” poster, created in 1942 to encourage women to participate in the WWII war effort. The poster and the title of “Rosie” didn’t become synonymous until the 1980’s, but today she is an icon for female empowerment and feminism, 76 years after the poster was created. (We could argue about whether she deserves this feminist status, being born from a piece of manipulative war propaganda and all, but that’s a conversation for another blog post.)
Closer to home was the Charlie the Litterbug SWMCOL campaign, created in the 1980s by Pat Bishop and recently brought back with his very own facebook page. Charlie made his debut in 1981, the first year of SWMCOL’s operation. Litterbugs became known as “Charlies”, and the general public was encouraged to “Chase Charlie Away” by keeping their environment clean; turning littering into unacceptable behavior. At the time, the campaign had a huge effect on the environment, although it remains to be seen if it will be able to make a dent in a new generation of litterbugs.
With the sheer quantity of advertising messages being put out on every platform, ads won’t have the same type of impact they had in the last century. There may never be another “Got Milk?” moment on the advertising landscape, because there are more of us fighting for the same real estate. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for brands to have a lasting, resonant impact on culture. Last year, rapper Logic partnered with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) for the hit song “1-800-273-8255” (NSPL phone number) and the results speak for themselves. On the first day of the song’s release, the lifeline received a 27% increase from its usual volume of calls; its second-highest daily volume ever at the time. The NSPL website traffic skyrocketed, and google searches for the phone number doubled.
There’s no formula for creating work that will influence culture. But there is a starting point: authenticity and vulnerability. With an oversaturated market of messages bombarding consumers, it isn’t enough to just sell. You have to connect. If it’s done right, there is a golden opportunity to shape the world around us. And in the immortal words of the late and great Uncle Ben from Spiderman (RIP), “With great power comes great responsibility”. Use it wisely.
