Forget Celebrities. Employees Make Compelling Ad Stars In Tough Times

A few employees who haven't lost their jobs suddenly have a new one: advertising.

At a time when consumers are distrustful of big companies and their leaders, marketers are putting employees in ads in an effort to make their brands seem more transparent and trustworthy. These ads, from companies like Ford Motor, ExxonMobil and Alabama Power, among others, are geared to make customers and employees feel better about these companies.

American Honda Motor Co. features at least 30 employees, including Chief Executive Takeo Fukui, and a few luminaries, including race car driver Danica Patrick, in three seven-and-a-half minute online films dubbed "Dream the Impossible."

Each short film, shot in a documentary style, explores a different theme. In "Kick out the Ladder," one employee talks about Honda's culture. "If people ... see the final result of their work, they're much more committed to it," says senior manager Jim Keller. "Otherwise, it's just a job."

In "Failure," manager Margo Beylen describes a disastrous decision that she made soon after joining Honda. "I really wanted to do an orange car," she says. "And I decided, OK, the '96 Civic, we're going to do orange. Without doing my homework. ... The dealers flipped. What is this hideous color? They were like 'Stop production immediately.'"

Steven Center, the vice president of advertising and public relations at Honda in Torrance, Calif., says the carmaker produced the films because the company wanted to tell a longer story than is possible in a 30-second commercial. "People don't know us as well as they could," Center says.

Nationwide Insurance is taking a similar approach with its new TV, print and radio campaign called "I Am On Your Side." The TV ads feature Nationwide claims adjusters and customer service representatives talking about their experiences on the job. In one spot, property claims representative Terry Medley talks about how people prepare for a "prize fight" before they talk to an insurance adjuster. "We wanted to come across as authentic and genuine," says Nationwide spokesman Michael Switzer.

Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris directed the TV spots, which mark a sharp departure from the company's previous ad effort. Themed "Life Comes at You Fast," it featured celebrities such as Kevin Federline and Fabio showing the bad things that can happen to people when they aren't prepared.

In some cases, marketers hope to demonstrate that by treating employees well, they will do good things for customers too. A current print ad from Verizon Wireless talks up innovation by touting its training programs for employees, including Philip Morisky, who is pictured teaching his son how to ride a bike. The tagline: "Our people. Our network."

Will people really buy more cars if they relate to the Average Joe in a Honda ad? "I think in the long term [they will]," says Honda's Center. "It's always controversial when you do institutional advertising but, as a marketer, you have to be able to juggle a couple of balls. One of them is to sell products and generate revenue in near term while continuing to build the foundation your house is standing on. That's why we're doing these things, even in these tough times."

Source;
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/17/honda-nationwide-ads-cmo-network-employee-ads_print.html