How creative are air conditioning manufacturers?
In spring, people rarely think that the heat will flood the country overnight. However, after the first warmer days, the „climate panic” begins. I'm not referring to the panic generated by fears related to climate change, but rather to the demand surge that „afflicts” the fan and air conditioning market during the spring-summer period. In addition to market-economic factors, it is worth observing how air conditioning manufacturers and distributors use advertising tools and when they launch their campaigns.
100 years ago, people fought against the heat by darkening their homes and creating drafts. Then came modern „cooling” devices, such as fans, which in practice did not cool but merely stirred up the warm air.
Later, with the spread of air conditioners, the cooling experience became accessible to everyone even on the hottest days. Despite the fact that the current generation of these devices is suitable for heating as well as cooling, their peak season is still summer, so it is clear that air conditioning manufacturers and distributors time their various campaigns for the period leading up to and during that time. As in every market segment, there is huge competition among air conditioning manufacturers, so we can see a lot of creative advertisements in everyday life. Below, I will present 9 advertisements among the most creative.
Overall, it can be said about the advertisements that the creativity of air conditioning manufacturers focuses on the theme of problem-solving. It is a functional product, where the primary consideration is its cooling and heating function. Reflecting on this, almost all advertisements emphasize the problem, sometimes even exaggerating it with the tool of humor.
Perfect place and time
One impeccable example of perfect timing is the Gree product placement, which was visible during the weather reports on TV2 and RTL. The campaign started in parallel with the arrival of warmer temperatures, and the advertisement was visible between May and mid-July.
After all, when else could we have a stronger impact on consumers' emotions than when they see that a heatwave is expected in the coming days or weeks? They did not narrow down the target audience by advertising only on one commercial channel, thus reaching as many people as possible. There was no message in the placement; its main goal was brand building, to infiltrate the subconscious. If the goal is to convey a message or information, then making a commercial film is recommended, as it focuses solely on the product, without distracting the viewer's attention.
Familiar face
One of Fisher Klíma's defining commercials was clearly based on the concept that we trust someone more if we know them, in their authenticity and honesty. If the person we trust is a successful and knowledgeable professional in their field related to the topic, then attention and trust are almost guaranteed. Using this, they created their half-minute video featuring Lajos Németh, „a well-known meteorologist.”.
In the short commercial, the sentences of a weather report were illustrated with various everyday situations. In the first seconds, we see a lady experiencing the stifling heat and humidity in the kitchen, and then this „weather” does not seem to ease even at night. After this, refreshment approaches, represented by Fisher Klíma. The following scenes showcase the cooled apartment by the air conditioner, where only „cool days await us.”.
With humor – „Don't be a victim of the heat!”
A leading player in air conditioning commercials is Fujitsu Klíma. The company's fundamental strategy is a humorous approach to cool or overly hot situations. Several of its commercials were made based on this. The video presented below depicts an awkward situation where the characters are forced to eat half-naked due to the lack of air conditioning. In the first moments, it is not entirely clear to the viewer why the couple visible in the video is uncomfortable, as they are likely guests.
Based on the lewd remarks coming from the other side of the table, it can already be suspected that this forms the basis of the awkward situation; however, it becomes clear in the middle of the video that the situation is more complicated, as the host couple is sitting at the dinner table in incomplete attire. The host then offers food to one of the guests, stands up from his chair to serve him some sauce, and at this point, it becomes clear that he is struggling against the heat in the room while wearing only underwear. At the climax of the commercial, even the fan in the background knocks over the houseplant, thus adding the final touch.
With humor – „Mother-in-law”
In the following advertisement, a situation was also humorously depicted, where the basic concept was heating against a cold situation. The cool atmosphere between the mother-daughter pair in the film is well illustrated by the mother's behavior. First, she runs her finger across the television looking for possible dust, then makes a sarcastic remark about the artificial flower in the apartment.
She then questions her daughter about why she turned the family photo towards the wall. The answer reveals that she had a compelling reason, as her mother had previously drawn horns on her partner. The mood of the short film effectively conveys the cool atmosphere between mother and daughter, which metaphorically represents the solution provided by Fujitsu air conditioning. The humor is definitely attention-grabbing and can be effectively used in almost every area, and this was even more perceptible in the video with the portrayal of the mother-daughter relationship.
With humor – „Hot situation”
Fujitsu air conditioning depicted various situations for uncomfortable scenarios. In the commercial titled „Tax Inspector,” for example, the female auditor scrutinizes the taxpayer's goods with hawk-like eyes, such as the painting on the wall or the 4K television, which she believes surely cannot be afforded by the male teacher featured in the film.
The man tries to explain that he got the products at a discounted price, but it seems he is unable to convince the lady. This situation also illustrates a „hot situation,” for which Fujitsu Air Conditioning offers a solution.
With humor – „Fathers”
Not only in Hungary but all around the world, the vast majority of air conditioning advertisements use humor to present various uncomfortable situations that only air conditioning can help with. The following is the advertisement film of BGH air conditioning manufacturer. The video starts (and continues) in black and white with eerie music, introducing the worst nightmare of families with the arrival of summer: „fathers in their underwear?” – says the narrator. One of the biggest enemies of fathers is the heat, which they fight against with the oldest method, undressing. However, this leads to increasingly embarrassing situations. From the onlookers walking on the street peering into the window to the disdainful glances from family members at home. „For the protection of the family,” BGH offers its air conditioners. One thing is for sure, once someone has seen this advertisement, they will never forget it...
The interesting aspect of the advertisement is that the musical background, Mozart's Requiem, is performed by the St. Martin in the Fields Academy Choir under the direction of the world-famous conductor László Heltay. Heltay was born in Budapest and had to flee Hungary in 1956. He defected to England, where he founded, among others, the aforementioned choir. In his later years, he moved back to Budapest, where he passed away last December.
...and of course with animals...
The inclusion of animals in advertisements has always been present, even when the product or service has no connection to them whatsoever. Simply put, a large portion of people are animal lovers and are more likely to notice an advertisement if it features an animal. This is not necessarily the most creative form of advertising, but it still proves useful to affect people's feelings in this way even today.
However, in the advertisement film, they perfectly solved the issue that even if the product is not directly aimed at dogs or their owners, it can still be useful for them. The short film features a pug who seems to be very hot, which is why he is panting continuously. (It should be added that since dogs cannot sweat, they achieve necessary heat dissipation by panting.) As soon as the dog turns on the air conditioning, he immediately stops panting because the room has cooled to a suitable temperature.
Eternal war
Mitsubishi presents a familiar problem to many in its advertisement. While everyone would like to endure both the winter frosts and the summer heat in a pleasantly temperature-controlled home, the other half thinks that one must be careful with continuous cooling and heating, as it is an expensive affair. The main character of the short film, comedian Jerry Stiller, wants to turn on the thermostat (?), to which his reflection tells him that he cannot afford this.
Jerry's response to this is that he wants to feel good and comfortable at home, to which his reflection reacts by saying he should save money because comedian hours are needed. After this, a debate arises between the two, stating that Jerry is not a good enough comedian. Mitsubishi offers a solution to this problem with its modern, energy-efficient air conditioning.
Eternal War 2.0
In the following advertisement, we can see a war similar to the previous one, but here the main character is not a man fighting with himself, but a more classic situation: the difference in thinking between men and women present in married life.
In the short film, according to the male member's memories, he took the temperature, but his wife adjusted it, as she has so many times before. However, the wife claims that their bill will be high due to excessive thermostat use. The wife „wins,” and the man leaves the room shaking his head.
From the presented advertisements, it is clear that the creativity of air conditioning manufacturers is definitely noteworthy. In their campaigns, they present the same problems year after year and almost always resort to humor as a tool.
The article was prepared within the framework of Árpád Papp-Váry's „Advertising Market Case Studies ” course at the Budapest Metropolitan University.
