I am learning Spanish on the duolingo app, which means I am learning loads of new Spanish words and phrases (uno cafe sin leche por favor!!) and also being exposed to loads of advertising.

I have been a big ad watcher for a long time. Sad but true! When I used to watch Greys Anatomy back in the day with my brother Luke, he would say, are we watching the show or the ads??!!

Duolingo has brought back into my life consecutive ad watching. For the most part the ads are terrible and I disengage early on, which makes me think of two possible problems why this is happening:

(1) They got the audience wrong, i.e. I am not their target or

(2) They got the creative and/or message wrong

Because I jump on duolingo daily (their gamification aspect has been pivotal in my 135 consecutive days) the same ad can be played over and over again. When I first started on the app, Qantas was repeating what I thought was an ok ad, but after 50 times, I couldn’t stand it. When this happens, it’s referred to as ‘wearout’ – when the effectiveness of the ad starts to decline from over exposure.  Not great for a brand or it’s customers. In the case of Qantas, doubly bad, because the timing coincided with a hammering in the media – pre Alan Joyce exit!

After days on days of viewing the worst ads you can possibly imagine, I was recently presented with a glorious ad. One that is bang on when it comes to nailing all three key areas: audience, creative and message.

What’s so powerful about this ad, is that it takes me right into the moment. I am absolutely feeling it. I can see myself in the ad. I can relate to the feeling of going on leave, turning on my voicemail, and being completely immersed in my new surroundings.

When you provide the customer an opportunity to truly feel something. Something real. They form a connection, that overtime can grow into love. This is the holy grail for any brand – creating an emotional connection that drives customers decisions and behaviours.

The brand in this ad has also nailed brand alignment, something they have become masters in since rebranding in 2014. A rebrand which resulted in an 80% revenue increase and a doubling in the company valuation within 2 years!!

So here it is, if you haven’t seen it:

Voicemail | Islands

What do you think?