Better to engage than to entice

Smartly selecting the advertising narrative can go a long way in building a memorable brand

As an advertising professional of 30 years, I tend to believe that I am largely immune to the lures and promises of commercials. Nevertheless, I succumbed to the charm of Cheeka, the Vodafone (then Hutch)  pug, a good twelve years ago and brought home young Jambo, a two-week old puppy of the same breed.
 
Vodafone recreated advertising magic in 2008 with the famous zoo-zoos. These white creatures with ballooned bodies and egg heads, played by human actors in body suits, were visually unique and different. While Vodafone created the zoo-zoos to promote their value added services, the characters became