Advertisements of a local plastic brand are gaining ground on social media for their witty and self-aware marketing campaigns.
Filipinos are sharing ads of Orocan, the same brand that humorously flexed its water dipper when a Japanese brand advertised the same household item at a higher cost.
Facebook user Rona Katrina Jasa shared two pictures of the local brand’s billboards seen along North Luzon Expressway and lauded the ads’ “authenticity.”
The billboards featured a large water dispenser with copies that read:
“Bili na kayo… please! Wala kaming work ‘pag di nakabenta”
“Bili na kayo… please! ‘Pag nakabenta kami, next time may endorser na.”
Both also had a separate text below that reads: “Ang plastic na totoo!”
Naturally, it caught the attention of Filipinos, some of whom recalled the brand’s other advertisements that equally gained traction for their wit.
A Facebook user shared a link of a video made by the brand that was a parody of OShopping, a home TV and online shopping channel.
It featured actor Victor Anastacio promoting the same water dispenser with a self-aware humorous script.
The video also had a news ticker in which some of its text reads:
“Actually, wala namang magbabasa nito. So kwento ko na lang sa inyo ‘yung trabaho ko. Tinatamad na kong magsulat ng ganito. Paulit-ulit lang pero wala namang nagbabasa.”
Some social media users also noticed that the brand’s website ads are as witty as its video and billboard advertisements.
A Facebook page shared a screengrab of an ad which had a copy that reads: “Liit nito nabasa mo pa” and “Bili kayo… pls.”
This was not the first time that the brand was celebrated online for its unique advertising tactic.
Orocan was known for initiating the “tabo wars” which promoted its cheap water dipper shortly after Muji advertised its ergonomic product that costs a hefty P365.
Orocan’s viral social media copy reads:
“This is your extraordinary bath dipper! Aside from its high-end design and divine-white color, its state-of-the-art handle gives you inner peace while scooping water. Only P365. Comes with FREE P330.25 na barya sa loob since Php34.75 SRP lang ang price ng extraordinary dipper.”
Humor in advertisements
Humor in advertising is an effective way of “making an emotional connection” with a consumer, according to an article by Point Park University Online.
It explained that humor is utilized by marketers since it grabs attention, creates a lasting impression and associates the positive emotion elicited by the ads with the brand itself.
“Humor in advertising can help connect consumers to a product that may seem dry or be a niche product on paper. For example, a company selling organic and natural beauty products may only be of interest to a subset of our society,” the article said.
“But with a creative, funny and viral product campaign, it can at least increase brand awareness as consumers share the ad with friends. The ad is more likely to make its way to the specific subset, or even grow the market base,” it added.
The article cited a 1993 study from the Journal of Marketing that found out humor in advertisements are “more likely to enhance recall, evaluation, and purchase intention when the humorous message coincides with ad objectives.”