Borrowed interest in advertising is an occasional flashpoint for heated discussions around the proverbial water cooler. In a global sense, use of unrelated metaphor or techniques to grab attention for a brand can be a mixed bag. It can be hilarious or awe-inspiring, but if your audience doesn’t connect it to the brand, then you’ve flopped.
Some creative professionals rail from the pulpit against use of borrowed interest. Others listen to these diatribes and shrug—meh!—then turn back to their elephant concept.
Me? I like animals. Not in the crazy cat guy sense, but for pure visual impact, animals are exceptionally fascinating to look at. Ditto for insects. Fruit. Cool robots. Clay. Yarn. Goo. Whatever.
Any of these objects might have a metaphorical hook that provides a perfect entrée to the efficacy, MOA, pharmacokinetics, or QoL impact of a brand. All is fair game, it just has to make sense.
In other words… don’t give me a lung cancer Chimp. Give me an allergy Bee.
And with that segue, I present (in the above slideshow): Animals in Advertising.
Evan Young is associate creative director at Renavatio Healthcare Communications.
From the June 01, 2014 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
