McPherson Marine Antifoul Paints
About McPherson Antifoul
(Concepting exercise for mock company) McPherson Antifoul creates hull paints for all kinds of boats. Antifoul paint is designed to reduce build up of organic marine matter like algae, which significantly reduces the performance of a boat.
Traditional antifoul paints contain copper and biocide chemicals which damage marine life, from coral reefs to fish, and right up the food chain.
McPherson’s antifoul paints are organic and marine-friendly, meaning they don’t damage the living environment on which they sail.
The challenge
McPherson wanted to increase consumer visibility of their product, and make customers aware of a limited time 25% discount offer. Simultaneously their aim was to highlight the importance of choosing an antifoul that was as kind on sea-life as it was effective on protecting boat hulls.
The creative brief called for a three-frame ‘leaderboard’ banner ad, a full size square banner ad, and an advertisement to run across Facebook and Instagram.
The challenge with this project lay in writing a message that conveyed both the importance of protecting a boat, and the importance of protecting the ocean.
The solution
As with previous campaigns, the most effective message was the simplest one. The concept of protecting two elements was honed down to just two key words: ‘Protect’ and Preserve’. These expressions would be the focus of the campaign, and could be expanded on for the more wordy mediums, including the Facebook/Instagram ad: what does protection mean to boat owners? What does preservation of marine life mean to them and what feelings does it inspire?
The theme of the campaign evolved into one that played on the customer’s emotion as well as their pride. The former for the fragile ecosystems upon which they sail, the latter for their boat – which might be their biggest investment. This developed into terms like ‘Be tough. Be gentle’, ‘Full protection. Zero impact’ and ‘antifoul, not anti-reef.’
For this latter concept the brand name was included in front of the statement to make a powerful and comprehensive commitment, designed to reassure the customer (see Facebook advertisement)
