• by Chuck Young , Columnist, May 3, 2017

Branding is one of the three essential advertising elements that lead to in-market success. As such, there are many variations of brand inclusion at the end of a TV ad, including package shots or simply showing the brand logo. Making the decision to include a package shot or brand logo at the end of an ad can require some additional consideration.

One goal in showing a package shot, particularly in the CPG category, is to improve in-store recognition. This can work well with established brands and especially power brands. Because the package style and coloring can be synonymous with the brand, it can work hard to more easily tie ad recall to in-store recognition.

However, there are a few caveats to keep in mind when using a package shot at the end as a proxy for a single-minded branding moment.

• A package shot isn’t always easily readable on screen, especially when it’s only shown for a few seconds. This makes it a bigger risk for lesser known/new brands.

• It is best to show the package shot from the perspective the consumer will be viewing it when in store, so recognition is easier. There also needs to be enough consideration to the brand name being shown big enough to be readable.

• Even if the package shot is well recalled, advertisers should be cautious of in-frame competition—multiple creative elements, camera movement, lack of audio-visual synch—keeping consumers from focusing on the brand. Along these lines, the more single-minded the end shot is, the harder it works.  Using the package to communicate many things like branding, website information, package information, etc., can lead to fragmented attention and lower recall.

A logo shown at the end may help solidify the brand in the mind of the viewer. This is particularly important for lesser-known brands, or those with stiff competition. The story in the ad can then be used to romance the product and drive Motivation. The ending brand shot reinforces the brand name and ensures the viewer goes to the store to buy the right brand.

A few caveats on using the logo as the close to an ad:

• A logo doesn’t always elicit strong strategic meanings (e.g., value, quality, freshness) on its own. It’s important to strive for an ownable, unique identity in the category (ideally, the rest of the ad is doing this for you and will transfer to the logo).

• Where does the brand fit into the story in the ad?  Simply including a logo at the end does not ensure that the brand will be well recalled.  Our research shows that it is much more important to include the brand in a single-minded way at the correct point in the story to maximize credit given to the brand and have the best chance of strong recall, emotion and meaning tied to the brand. The Flow of Emotion can inform where the best brand placement is.

In the end, branded memory is what is most important when consumers arrive at the store shelf. When the brand or package shot is well recalled, has emotion, and is meaningful viewers store it in their memory as part of their brand experience. Either method of branding can be successful, as long as the brand garners the recall, emotion, and meaning attribution during its end-frame appearance.