Buzz Giant Poster Boy

American Demographics, June 1, 2004 by Noah R. Brier

Authenticity and transparency seem to be necessary for success on the streets. Consumers value word of mouth twice as much as they value advertising, according to Roper Reports. "Media savvy" manifests itself in a growing consumer demand for more honest connections with the brands they buy and the companies that produce them. If an advertiser wants to break through the barriers that young people create, an honest representation is a "barrier to entry."

"Without trust, we'd all buy generic products all the time," says Neisser. "Break the trust and the brand dies." For younger people, trust is about discovery. When young consumers can explore and discover a brand without feeling that a company is trying to put something over on them, then real relationships can be forged.

Nontraditional advertising is a way "of allowing people to discover things on their own, instead of people being induced," explains Doug Buemi, vice chairman of the public relations firm Cohn & Wolfe. Consumers today "don't want to be cataloged," he adds. Rather they want to be able to say, "I've had some independence in what I wear, the clubs I go to, the technology I use."

For Buemi, as well as Fairey, it's all about getting to the tastemakers - those in the generation or group others look to and trust, sometimes solely for their sense of style. Fairey notes: "The tastemakers are the fastest to smell the rat and say, 'This is lame,'" adding, "my main problem with corporate marketing, forever, is that it's always two years behind the curve. They always insult the people they try to reach." In other words, companies need to stop trying to do something because it's cool and try to understand why it's cool.

For Neisser's Renegade Marketing, this means looking for "truths" not "trends." "Trends come and go," he says, "truths survive. Trends can provide color. Truths, substance." Part of Obey Giant's true story is that Fairey was an angst-ridden college student when he created it. He was, and continues to be, able to connect with his target demographic because he was part of it, and is still tapped directly into it.

The goal of understanding a phenomenon like Obey Giant is not to learn the best ways to sticker and poster a city, but rather, to find the best ways to connect with consumers on that authentic level. In the future, that may prove to be the only level at which consumers will accept advertising. However, Fairey connected with consumers on this level, and Obey Giant has been as successful as it is, because after that initial connection with the consumer, the relationship continued. This is a traditional, and according to consensus, pivotal approach to branding. "The ultimate goal [of a brand] is to drive users to use the products and services and to build an ongoing relationship," says Siegel.

Neisser offered an important qualification, however, noting that traditional approaches to advertising are simply not as successful as they once were for "evolving a brand image ... [although] advertising in mass media will continue to have a role in delivering a sense of urgency." He elaborated, "The consumer is now completely in charge of what they buy, where they buy it and how much they pay for it. The marketer can only hope to get on the short list by distinguishing itself through marketing and product development."