Ivan Trojan did not make it into the ranking for the first time in several years TOP actors in advertising, which is published annually by the ResSolutin Group in cooperation with Nielsen and the AČRA MK association. In this year's ranking, Ivan Trojan came in 35th place in the Best Actor/Actress in Advertising poll. Why? And what can marketers take away from this?
Actors still have power in advertising. This is also shown by the latest research by ResSolution Group, whose results confirm that even the strongest personality cannot save a campaign if the execution fails or deviates from the creative direction.
Ivan Trojan has won the audience rating five times in recent years: first thanks to campaigns for T-Mobile, then as the ‘unexpected hero’ of České dráhy trains. Since 2021, he has helped build the image of the national carrier as a human, accessible and entertaining brand. However, last year's version of the spots, in which Trojan transformed into a humanoid robot representing technological progress, was less well received.
Robohumour was not enough
Older spots by České dráhy featuring Ivan Trojan as a classic passenger were rated as funny by 69% of respondents. In the case of the newer ‘robotic’ version, the figure was 63%. Yet humour is a key factor in this campaign, and Trojan has always played a strong role in this regard. There was also a decline in the overall rating, with 57% of respondents liking the newer ad, compared to 63% for the older one. And if people had to choose just one of the ads? Almost three-quarters prefer the older, more ‘human’ version. The robot would be chosen by 28%.
‘In the case of advertisements based on entertaining elements, in addition to high-quality delivery, it is crucial to strike the right note of humour for the widest possible audience,’ comments Lucie Vlčková, Head of Insights & Media Research at ResSolution Group. ‘Otherwise, there is a risk that even an otherwise successful collaboration with a high-quality actor may not yield optimal results.’
Brand and personality: still a winning combination
Despite the decline in popularity of the latest commercial, 6 out of 10 respondents considered the collaboration between Ivan Trojan and České dráhy to be effective. It was rated most positively by the 35–54 age group, which is also the most suitable target audience for this type of advertising. This group also saw the smallest year-on-year decline.
According to the survey, the campaign with Trojan was also strong in other attributes: for both commercials, two-thirds of respondents said they were familiar with the advertisement and that the actor had caught their attention. Roughly the same number of respondents confirmed that he came across as trustworthy. Just under half felt that the actor's performance accurately reflected the brand's style.
A change in style, humour or role can be refreshing, but also risky. ‘Overuse’ was the reason for the decline for less than a fifth of respondents. The results therefore show that if the execution is not well done or the concept strays too far from the brand, even a strong personality cannot save the situation.
Source: mediaguru.czACTORS IN ADVERTISING?