Be A Storyteller, Not A Salesman – Examining Androids Video Ad Campaign: Be Together Not The Same

Android As A Company

Android’s latest ad campaign is something special. “Be Together – Not The Same” is simple, catchy, describes their products/brand and above all, it tells a story. Not only is it a common ideal held world-wide, but it tells the story of Android as a company.

From a sales standpoint Android uses this phrase, “Be together not the same,” mainly to tell consumers that just because their products aren’t as ‘cookie cutter’ as other companies, (like Apple) it doesn’t mean they aren’t as good. In fact, they’re better for it. Social media marketing is very much video driven, and Android has produced some great videos for this campaign. The videos have been collectively shared over 200,000 times, despite being ads.

This motto is about the company as a whole, not just the gadgets they make. Their ideals, vision and why they do what they do, is in many ways summed up in this ad campaign.

Storytelling Is The Key

So why is this Ad campaign so special? Storytelling.

With the various video ads they’ve released so far, Android is clearly trying to communicate a deeper message than simply, “we have a better products.” And they are doing that very effectively.

The video ads have collectively amassed roughly 58 million views so far. And none of them advertised a product. They all tell the same basic story, be together not the same, just in different ways. Links Below…

Think about that; They’re ads that have no real product placement, same basic story, and millions of views.

The videos are really unique; Rock, Paper and Scissors all become friends, a piano that only plays one note,(and sounds awful), and a bunch of different animals getting along to name a few. Each one has the same moral and is incredibly entertaining.

Android could have created an ad campaign called, “Superior Products,” and made detailed videos showing us how great their phones are; like their LTE Cat9 450/50 Mbps data speeds, or their IP68 certified body, or their quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53 processor… but chances are you have no idea what all that means. And if you do, you probably also know that their competitors have comparable features, and are sometimes better.

In this era of the internet, having a high-tech product or high-end service is a relative term. So it should be no surprise when consumers aren’t impressed with that kind of straight-forward advertising.

Tell People Why, Not Just What

Android is telling people why you should be their fan. They’re saying they believe it’s okay to be different, and that everyone is special. That they desire to bring people together despite their many differences and ultimately make the world a little less miserable. And they’re saying their products reflect those ideals. Doesn’t that sound like a more appealing company?

Not only are they now more appealing as a whole, but their videos are very entertaining. People are watching and sharing their ads simply because they’re fun to watch. Again, another crazy thing to think about.

Whether a consumer likes Android products or not has very little to do with whether they’ll share the video or not. There are always those die-hard fans of a certain company or brand that refuse to offer any support to any of its competitors, but the large majority of people simply enjoy being entertained. And if Android can make entertaining content, people are going to share it regardless of whether they own an iPhone or Android.

This is key to remember; when making social videos and in marketing in general, it’s not about having a better product or service, it’s about being a company people want to do business with.

By: Adam Baxter