Adverts have to be platform-first

Lucky Saint remind us that your creative for TikTok or Meta is a completely different game to your out of home.

A quick note: you’ll notice I am now blogging via Substack under the Amphora agency brand. For more information on what I’m up to, head over to the agency site here: Amphora.

Lucky Saint nailed their out of home this month. I first spotted this campaign in a wraparound on either the FT or Sunday Times the first weekend of the January. The photography was striking, it was smart, and they had permission to talk like this. Suddenly the brand made more sense.

Since that first wraparound, I’ve seen this campaign at least a dozen times across London. And this week, I bought four Luckys on the way home from work. Mission accomplished.

What then, do you do, to tie up your digital or paid social at the same time? Or an even greater question that often crosses marketing teams is: how much brand/design should there be in our paid social ads?

A quick glance at Lucky Saint’s ad library shows 60+ ads they’re currently running.

Of these 60, only three mirror their big January campaign directly. Those three are likely part of their overall acquisition mix, or perhaps used to push reach or engagement. These make up a part of their paid approach. BUT, it’s only a part of it.

The one I’ve been targeted with this week across Instagram, however, is this one:

Visually and in terms of execution, these ads are worlds apart.

But the messaging is aligned and easily feels on-brand in terms of narrative. Here, they continue the religious allusions, and run with the ancient religious rite of sacrifice.

But the way they extend that is to go into deep anxiety-comforting zone.

“Surely zero-alcohol beer tastes bad?” Nope, this is five-star taste.

“I’m vegan though” No problem.

“OK – but surely this is unhealthy in some way?” Nope, no sugar, low-cal.

“Sounds good but I’m still unsure” Well have a tenner off and see what you think.

The anxiety-comforting zone is at the centre of the paid social playing field. Strategically this is bang on the paid social money.

And that lines up tactically as well. This ad has no brand logo on in. And while it definitely isn’t native or UGC, its pared back design suits Meta.

This strategically fits into Lucky Saint’s core January campaign, while being entirely platform-first. This is an ad made only with Meta in mind.

As omni-channel becomes core to the majority of modern consumer brands, so too does broader campaign level thinking. But your ads always have to be platform-first. It’s not where you start (hint: that’s the customer), but it is the foundational layer you build on.

Remember, no-one cares about your campaign. They care about having their problems solved and being entertained. Good channel relevancy is core to earning the right to have that conversation with your customer.