Campaign Review: ‘Fun… But feels like a low blow’ – Steggles, Alpha Support, Realestate.com.au
This week in Campaign Review, AW's creative director, Chris d'Arbon, and Awaken's creative lead, Amelia Morgan, share their thoughts on recent campaigns from Steggles, Alpha Support at Home and Realestate.com.au, via M&C Saatchi, NATION and 72andSunny, respectively.
In Campaign Review, Mumbrella invites industry creatives and strategists to offer their views on recent ad campaigns.
Brand: Steggles
Campaign: ‘We’re Stegglers’
Agency: M&C Saatchi
The verdict: Smart evolution for the brand platform.
Chris d’Arbon, creative director at AW, gave it an 8/10, and said:
I’ve always been a big fan of the ‘Stegglers’ platform, and this campaign feels like a great evolution from a product-focussed declaration into some more customer-centric insights.
With ‘We’re Stegglers for quality’ well-established, the brand is now free to explore what else this pursuit of excellence can mean for their customers.
Amelia Morgan, creative lead and senior account director at Awaken, gave it a 7/10, and said:
‘I’m not crying, I just got something in my eye!’
But seriously, the M&C Saatchi team have been quite bold and clever in flipping the script and making the chicken the star of the show. I like how they have brought in that warm, nostalgic vibe of family traditions, further enhanced with a familiar tune from our younger days to really pull at the heartstrings. But wow, it’s a bit heavy on the emotions! I’d be curious to see if they have any lighter, more playful versions up their sleeve that create a more warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling.
I had more empathy for the man, than the desire to buy chicken, but chicken is a hard one to sell.
Brand: Alpha Support at Home
Campaign: ‘Say No To The Nursing Home’
Agency: NATION
The verdict: Fun spot, but misses the mark.
Chris gave it a 6/10, and said:
The execution made me giggle, however I’m not sure any amount of YOLO is enough to sidestep the sobering reality that round-the-clock care comes for a lot of Aussies.
Home-assistance and nursing homes are many rungs apart on the care ladder – once the need arrives for the latter, the ship may have sailed on the former.
Amelia gave it a 5/10, and said:
The irony here is pretty strong – I’m betting those senior actors had a blast working as a group on this ad!
But honestly, it feels like a low blow for Nation to promote Alpha Home Care services by taking a jab at the alternative options. Especially when it’s a sensitive category like Aged Care which is driven by need, and where decisions are already tough enough. I understand the need to stand out in the category, but if you are in a situation where you need additional support, at home or in a care home, it’s rarely, or perhaps never, by choice. Showing a care home that looks stuck in the ’70s just feeds into old stereotypes, and it lacks the compassion you’d expect when families are making decisions about their loved ones.
The ad seems to suggest the alternative is a better option, and these seniors would be better off at home, lonely, just waiting for someone to visit… but the funny thing is, the ad shows a group of people having fun together! That kind of contradicts the whole point they’re trying to make, doesn’t it?
Points given for originality, entertainment and being ballsy, but I can’t get behind an ad that’s scare mongering vulnerable people who may have no other options.
Brand: Realestate.com.au
Campaign: ‘Keep Moving’
Agency: 72andSunny
The verdict: So relatable.
Chris gave it a 7/10, and said:
Love the idea of rolling round to inspections from the comfort of your own couch – a real product truth there. Getting buried at a few auctions is also an honest nod to the current property market – a feeling a lot of the audience will identify with.
If only the app could solve housing affordability as well.
Amelia gave it an 8/10, and said:
This ad totally nails the vibe of house hunting, making property search apps feel like a must-have in the home buying process. I’m going through this myself right now, so I can totally relate! The actors and directors really captured those emotional ups and downs perfectly. Plus, I love how they quickly brought the app into view – no chance of losing the audience’s attention there!
But if I’m being picky, I didn’t really get a sense of what makes this app better than others out there. They missed a golden opportunity to show off any cool, personalised features that could make the app stand out against its competitors. And as much as I enjoyed it, the ending was a bit predictable. I would’ve loved a plot twist to keep things fresh and exciting.
All in all, the 72andSunny team have cleverly tapped into emotions and taken us on a journey.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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