Episode 111 - Fnac Unrecommended by the Algorithm Ad Reviewed by Virgin Media O2 and MediaCom
Ever feel like you’re always buying the same books or seeing the same films on Netflix? In France, Fnac are trying to break the hold the algorithm has on our cultural consumption - and they’re showing this in the Unrecommended by the Algorithm ad in this week’s Advertisers Watching Ads.
Does this case study chosen by Contagious do enough to showcase what Fnac are actually doing? The concept is noble, but what about the execution? Or the campaign’s results?
Watch the full episode, presented this week by Bertie Beckman (Head of Growth at Automated Creative), to hear from our guests Johnny Winn (Head of Advertising at O2, Virgin Mobile & Virgin Media O2) and Liam Dawson (Partner at MediaCom) and see why they only gave this ad a 2.33 out of 5.
Episode 111 - Fnac Unrecommended by the Algorithm Ad Reviewed by Virgin Media O2 and MediaCom
Transcript - It’s not perfect, but you get the idea!
Robert Beckman 0:00
Hi, my name is Bertie, Head of Growth, Automated Creative, sitting in for Tom. And welcome to this week's episode of Advertisers Watching Ads, where brands watch other brands' ads and discuss what's good, bad, and indifferent about them.
Many thanks to our much loved partner, Contagious, who picked the case study for this week. Check them out after you've watched the show. Before we get to the case study itself, I just want to introduce you to today's awesome panel.
Johnny Winn 0:30
So my name is Johnny Winn. And I am the Head of Advertising at Virgin Media O2. So I look after essentially anything that's consumer facing.
Liam Dawson 0:38
Hi, so Liam Dawson, and I'm a Partner at MediaCom in London, in UK. And I look after a range of clients in our entertainment division.
Robert Beckman 0:46
Well thanks so much for joining us today, guys. Do you ever feel Netflix is always recommending the same thing? How do we break out of that bubble and discuss something, something new? In France, Fnac has found a way to cultural freedom. They're recommending the complete opposite of what you've just bought. Here's how.
We're going to do marks out of five with your fingers at the same time. One, two, three... What do you guys think of that ad?
Liam Dawson 2:19
I loved it. Yeah, really hit home, for me. I think there's a cultural truth in it that you kind of recognize that we're all probably getting things put in front of us and conform to what an opinion is, or a value is, that's probably been preformed. And I think it's taken away from that kind of looking to broaden the horizons and inspire a bit of consensus and debate.
Johnny Winn 2:42
I don't like it much at all, actually. I think it was... I think there's a valid insight there. Poorly executed. I can see the appeal of being seen to be a disrupter of cultural consumption. You know, I get all that. I just think that the how they've done it, isn't super clear.
Liam Dawson 2:59
You're absolutely right. The disruption that it was trying to create in terms of what algorithms have been doing and are in danger of doing and kind of actually just getting people to reframe that a little bit and start looking at things that might be outside of that kind of comfort zone to get more of a rounded perspective on things. I thought was really strong. Certainly, the executions I've seen and read about felt quite simple and very relatable to the, the insight that, that is definitely true.
Johnny Winn 3:25
A little bit of background, context here. I know Fnac, I know the brand. I grew up in Paris. I grew up going to Fnac. I was searching for what they actually did, because I don't think that video was very clear. The TV ad if you look it up is atrocious. It's like they've gotten their employees singing a song, which is... And it's not just my words on that either, it's like, it's getting ripped to shreds on, on YouTube by, by French, French YouTube comments. The English translation of the copy that was live in France, I think comes across hamfisted. Some idiomatic elements there, I think just don't translate well into English. I couldn't find any results anywhere online, it doesn't show them in the video.
Robert Beckman 4:06
Johnny, if you were served up a recommendation that is the antithesis of what you'd normally go for, what would make you go, "Actually, I haven't thought of this. What fantastic idea!"
Johnny Winn 4:18
Well, I guess it's gimmicky because like, well, you don't want them. No one... It's unlikely that they'll get kind of a sale from that. Do you know what I mean? What would I not want? I mean...
Robert Beckman 4:30
What would make you go, "Oh, that's a surprise." Because look, surprises are never bad. What would made you think, "Oh, that's, that, that I didn't think of that. But actually, I want to read it. I want to buy it, whatever it may be."
Johnny Winn 4:40
It's like when I get recommended things that I don't want, which happens all the time on Netflix. You just think... You don't think, "Ooh, this is... This is so clever how I'm being disrupted by things I don't want to... You just think, "Oh no. The algorithm got it wrong." For all I know, maybe the algorithm is not very good. And they're just, they're just kind of dolled it off with this campaign.
Liam Dawson 5:03
What digital transformation has taken away from is that kind of personal touch. In the 50s, 60s, you'd go in, you'd go into one of their shops, and someone would have talked to you about your interests and what sort of books you're interested in. And you probably would have had a recommendation. I think, now that's been taken out of everyone's hands. And it's just an algorithm determining what you like, which is based on everything that you've liked before. From reading about the ambition of what they were trying to do, I do quite like that. And as I said, I think it's quite a nice positive disruption.
Robert Beckman 5:33
Johnny, given that you hated the way it was executed, what do you think you would do to make it work? How could you get people's attention in the right way?
Johnny Winn 5:41
What spoke to me the most about it in terms of execution was that they used, they put a human face and being a sort of human counter reaction to Amazon. I can see how that could work. And so I would definitely, probably lean in to that side of the execution a bit harder, but like, you know, they're out of home as a person's facing away from the point of view of the audience. If I had executed it, I'd probably focus purely on... It seems to me quite a big statement for, for the entirety of what Fnac has to offer, when in reality, it only, in practice would, would be valid for a small range of their products. Notably, books. I mean, I can't really think... I would have said DVDs, but they don't really sell those anymore.
Liam Dawson 6:23
Absolutely true in that, you know... If you're shopping for an iron, you don't want to be served a toaster, necessarily. So it's, you know, it's got a product limitation to it. But I think from a music perspective, I think it's, it kind of does tap into a truth that you kind of, you know, it would depend on someone that probably is a bit more leaning forward in terms of broadening horizons, maybe? But that's... So I'd be more warm to that, kind of married up a little bit of Discover Weekly on Spotify, for example, where some of those songs get served every week, I'm like, "I've never heard of this. It's not necessarily a genre that I've ever listened to or sought out before. But actually, I quite like it." And I like that aspects of kind of discoverability. And I think this does that to some extent.
Johnny Winn 7:04
I love this Discover Weekly, too. But it's based on things that you like.
Liam Dawson 7:08
It always throws out quite a few, like, surprises where you're like, "Where is that coming from?" Okay, and then it takes me in a, another direction.
Robert Beckman 7:17
Liam, I'm going to ask you, having had the discussion and started at the point that you liked what you saw, and you'd like the concept. Where are you now? Has Johnny changed your mind?
Liam Dawson 7:27
I think, obviously went gung-ho and I absolutely loved it. And I love the thought. I love the insight. I love the challenge that it's trying to lean into. And I think it's societally, it's an important thing probably to lean into. I think executionally, it could have been a lot better. I would definitely agree with that.
Robert Beckman 7:43
I liked the concept when I first saw it. I asked Johnny the execution question just ‘cause I just thought, I don't know how you execute this properly. It's an idea in terms of thought provocation and disruption. It's great, but how do you take that and make it work for a brand?
Johnny Winn 7:57
Don't get me wrong. I think, though, the insight, totally valid insight. And I guess there's potential to lean into that and it does feel original. So, points, points there.
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