BECO has drawn attention for sticking by its marketing partners after the agencies involved in its billboard campaign reportedly came under pressure from larger advertising firms to delete ads that mentioned two of its popular brands. But BECO’s founder told them that despite the fact that fewer resources were available to the company than big marketers in the business, he believed to have assured the marketing partners that he trusted their work and would continue to support them.
The episode is representative of the larger trend in contemporary advertising: challenger brands increasingly engage in bold and unordinary campaigns to attract attention. Instead of simply focusing on product-centric messaging, smaller firms are trying to distinguish themselves by communicating directly. BECO’s billboard campaign seems to have taken this approach as well: it was based on two well-known brands and got people’s attention beyond the advertising space.
The campaign’s marketing partners had to contend with pressure from large advertising firms to take down the billboards, they told BusinessWeek. That sort of pressure is difficult for agencies and firms to handle if they are working with a huge number of clients and are operating in an extremely competitive advertising world. Removing a campaign can keep business relationships healthy and keeping it in place can show the client who commissioned the creative work and the creative effort.
In this case, BECO’s founder, it’s reported, felt that he could support the partners rather than try to cut the company off from the campaign. The company’s message was essentially that it trusted the people working with them and supported them. Smaller brands tend to have less financial flexibility and institutional resources than big companies and are more vulnerable to pressure from larger ones when they are under attack.
So the incident has become an example of how a company can show loyalty to its external partners. Marketing agencies, creative teams, designers and media partners are often the main players in how a brand communicates to consumers. A company that supports and celebrates the partners in a difficult situation publicly or privately can enhance the relationship, and give them confidence in their future creative campaigns.
BECO’s strategy mirrors the changing nature of competition in the consumer marketplace. Good established brands typically have huge advertising budgets, large distribution networks and long-standing relationships with agencies and media companies. Smaller brands can’t always compete on the same terms. They are usually looking, at least in part, for opportunities to get free-flowing attention by utilizing creative messaging and campaigns that foster conversation.
Billboard advertising can be very effective for such strategies because of the visibility. A provocative or unexpected message displayed in a high-traffic place can make commuters and pedestrians pay attention as well as being photographed and posted on social media. This can enable a campaign that was designed for an offline audience to reach an even larger online audience.
But campaigns that directly reference competitors can also present challenges. Comparative advertising can give the public attention but brands need to ensure that claims and messaging are in line with advertising standards and laws. Creative agencies and advertisers have to weigh the desire to create memorable campaigns against the need to ensure that their messaging is appropriate and defensible.
The reported pressure on BECO’s marketing partners also reflects the competitive nature of the advertising industry. Agencies are working in a space where major brands, media companies and other agencies have established relationships. A smaller brand taking an unconventional approach can thus cause reactions that extend beyond the campaign itself.
BECO is also one of the companies to stand behind its partners, so it has a brand identity as well. Trust is important especially for smaller companies as it is the relationship with creative and marketing partners that really affects growth. If founders are willing to let creative teams experiment and also support them when they fail, that also makes a culture in which people are more likely to come up with new ideas.
The founder’s answer also sends a message to other emerging brands. Smaller companies don’t need to copy the marketing strategies of large companies to be competitive. Instead they can find their voice and create campaigns that match their position. A memorable message in crowded consumer categories can sometimes be more valuable than spending more money on conventional advertising.
But the episode also demonstrates that bold marketing requires careful planning. A campaign that mentions established brands can generate significant attention, but it can also attract scrutiny from consumers, competitors and industry stakeholders. Companies must be sure that their claims are correct and that the campaign does not cross legal or ethical boundaries.
Advertisers and their clients are also the most important players in the story. Marketing agencies are most often responsible for turning a business’ ideas into public-facing campaigns but the final responsibility for a campaign can be borne by a multitude of different actors. A supportive client, for example, provides agencies with the confidence to take on creative ideas and also bear the cost to execute the strategy.
BECO’s decision to maintain its marketing partners is significant beyond a single billboard campaign. It’s an indication of a small company’s willingness to defend the people working with it when it may be under pressure to take a safer route. It’s a confidence that will build long-term partnerships and build a brand’s reputation in the creative community.
The campaign, for consumers, also shows how challenger brands are now more and more turning to advertising to compete for attention in a market dominated by well-established names. Rather than fighting for dollars with bigger companies dollar for dollar, small businesses can get visibility with creativity, timing and messaging.
The BECO billboard episode in particular is not only about advertising, it is about partnership and confidence and trust in partners and confidence. The founder of the company, it is said, was very explicit that the brand trusted its marketing partners and stood by their work despite the challenges they faced. For a small company competing with much larger competitors, that’s all about loyalty, creativity, collaboration when the oddball ideas are going to be talked about.
As brands look to break with established norms, such campaigns are likely to be at the heart of the marketing world. BECO standing behind its partners could be an example of how a small brand can be more effective and impactful than a big brand could be.
