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The idea for the latest 30-second ad from pet product maker Whisker was simple: Do nothing. Well, almost nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look through your feeds or you\u2019re watching something, ads are in overdrive: poppy music, fast cuts, super dynamic,\u201d said Joe Ciccarelli, head of creative at Whisker, the maker of the self-cleaning litter box Litter-Robot. \u201cThis one was like, \u2018Let\u2019s do none of that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, for an ad that ran on Fox, CNN, C-Span, and Bloomberg as well as YouTube, Whisker had a single shot of a cat sitting in the company\u2019s litter box, seemingly doing its business for nearly the full 30 seconds of the ad, while elevator music plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a cat just sitting there looking at you, and then paying it off at the end by saying, \u2018Hey, we just gave you that because we care about you,\u2019\u201d Ciccarelli said.<\/p>\n
Whisker\u2019s in-house team of creatives is among a contingent of marketers looking to scale back and do less with their ad creative. <\/em>During broadcast and cable election coverage late last year, mental health app Calm offered viewers 30 seconds of silence as a respite from the breakneck coverage. During the Super Bowl broadcast in February, toilet-paper brand Angel Soft gave viewers a break from the game (and the ads) by telling them to use their 30 seconds to head to the bathroom\u2014complete with a countdown clock and soothing music.<\/p>\n For some brands, it\u2019s not a matter of budget or altruism driving them to do less with their allotted time. Instead, there seems to be a recognition that, at a time when consumers are inundated with more advertising than ever before, positioning a brand as a pressure relief valve can be powerful.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a counter-trend,\u201d Allison Arling-Giorgi, head of brand for advertising shop Method1, said. Given the \u201cinformation overload\u201d that people are experiencing today, she added, brands and marketers that take this approach are \u201cexpressing a level of empathy and humanity to consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not exactly a new idea for brands to seek out ways to be a relief rather than a burden, but tapping into that sentiment can be particularly powerful in an age of the endless scroll.<\/p>\n \u201cThe [idea that] we all need a break\u2026 that idea is something that has existed forever in some way or another,\u201d Amanda Skudlarek, executive creative director at M+C Saatchi Clear, said. \u201cThat idea of, life is hectic and life is busy, and let\u2019s take a break from that, or your feed is busy and you\u2019re being pelted by communications\u2014that\u2019s going to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n For many brand marketers, upping the ante can take many forms, whether that\u2019s pulling celebrity PR stunts, picking fights with other brands, or displaying anxiety-inducing situations head-on. Generally, Arling-Giorgi noted, \u201cIt\u2019s quick hooks, loud sounds, eye-catching visuals [that] break through the feed, break through the clutter.\u201d<\/p>\n For Whisker, positioning its own quiet ad as a moment of advertising relief (which itself serves as a reference to the cat\u2019s use of the Litter-Robot device) seems to be resonating with audiences, at least when looking at its performance.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost 50% of people are watching this all the way through,\u201d Ciccarelli said. \u201cI think [the] industry standard is like 15% or 18%, and it\u2019s way higher than our other ads.\u201d<\/p>\n For brands taking the less-is-more approach, the current cultural landscape makes for a ripe opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost everything in society is anxiety-inducing right now,\u201d Mike Hayward, chief creative officer and partner at creative agency Copacino Fujikado, said, adding that marketers should look to respond to cultural cues. \u201cYou\u2019re supposed to fear for the economy, for democracy. You\u2019ve got global crisis, humanitarian crisis. Is your job going to be there in a year?\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s having a profound effect on the American consumer. In 2024, the American Psychiatric Association\u2019s annual survey found that 43% of adults felt more anxious than the previous year, up six percentage points from 2023.<\/p>\n Copacino Fujikado, which works with Visit Seattle, has made slower-paced spots, as well as ASMR-style ads highlighting the potential for visitors to relax in the city, Hayward said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more about recognizing what as people makes us feel good, too, and [being] more singular in our messaging,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n For marketers interested in doing more with less, though, agency execs stressed the importance of doing so in a way that makes sense for their brands\u2014and recognizing when it might not work.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly so many people can use that message in a way that\u2019s relevant before it feels just ridiculous,\u201d Skudlarek said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTake a break<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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