There is something so captivating about Ogawa’s new ad, published early November. The video depicts stone-faced models shimmying their shoulders and rocking their hips to a repetitive, and very catchy song.
By the end of it, I was so hypnotised by the unflinching eye contact paired with the earworm music that I can’t help but to click the repeat button—again and again.
I’ve even caught myself continuously singing the Wawa Deals tune in the office. My colleagues begged me to stop, because the song doesn’t make too much sense without the accompanying visuals.
You can see it for yourself here.
And most importantly, I just can’t keep my eyes off it.
And that was exactly the point.
In today’s social media landscape, what you need to do is stand out.
Considering how saturated social media is these days with both local and international brands competing for attention, anything that is able to get shared organically is the best kind of ad.
And Ogawa’s new ad is able to capitalise on this sentiment while only saying positive things about their products.
After all, between all of your buzzing devices and social media notifications these days, it sure takes a lot for an ad these days to actually retain our attention.
So, the ad is short, which reduces the possibility of users scrolling off. It also captivates you into watching and replaying it thanks to its unconventional approach to getting information across—and making eye contact certainly helps.
And while you’re watching it over and over, the quirkiness increases the possibility of you sharing it.
This isn’t Ogawa’s first rodeo into the wonderfully odd.
Their advertising has touched on everything from heartwarming to cheesily funny. With that being said, there is a reason that Ogawa retains this offbeat tone in their advertising repertoire—because it works.
The main reason? Most of us have been trained to ignore advertisements. Creating advertisements that people actually want to watch is one way to combat this instinct.
After all, some of us have said that they don’t mind watching and sharing ads as long as they’re entertaining. The commenters on MGAG’s page made that very clear.
More proof? Compared to other types of Ogawa videos, (not including the ones with other hooks, like a celebrity cameo) their quirky ones go much further on the internet.
It’s a marketing trick that is as old as time, only that now it’s gained a new life in the age of social media.
After all, there are studies that prove it: people rely on emotions, rather than information to make brand decisions.
For now, we still have strong reactions to weird ads. They’re memorable, they’re quirky, and in Ogawa’s case, it forces you to actually stop to pay attention to the information you missed before.
Of course, you have to tread lightly with this. Make sure you consider how this might alienate or confuse your existing fanbase, and act accordingly.
The Wawa Deals video is certainly an oddball that we can’t take our eyes off.
And three of the key highlights for the Ogawa iModa plus based on the ad include:
- It only costs RM3.24 a day to own an OGAWA iModa Plus, and RM3.80 for an OGAWA MySofa.
- You can take a 48-month installment plan with 0% interest for Citi Credit Card Members.
- On top of the massage chair, you can also purchase an ezCurve INFRA Shaping Massage Belt or Tapping Foottee Foot Massager for an extra RM1 Extra Value Deal.
Sounds like a good deal to you? Visit OGAWA’s Facebook page for more info.
The article is written in collaboration with Ogawa.
Feature Image Credit: Screenshot from Ogawa’s video
