Why Every Ad Sounds Like Your Mate at a BBQ (and Why That’s Weirdly Working)
Let's talk about the new tone in advertising. You’ve probably heard it—the casual, slightly cheeky, hyper-relatable voiceover that's invaded everything from pet insurance to travel booking apps. It’s the voice of your best mate, your barista, maybe even yourself after two beers. It says things like, “Yeah, nah, we’re not into hidden fees” and “Just open the app already, ya egg.”
At first, it felt like a reaction to the overly polished, Americanised sales pitch. You know the one: slick, inoffensive, so focus-grouped it might as well have been engineered by committee in a lab. But something changed. Kiwis started wanting to hear themselves in their own ads. That casual tone with a drop of sarcasm? Turns out it cuts through. It's not trying too hard. It actually listens.
But here’s the twist. This matey voice is no longer the underdog. It has gone fully mainstream. And that lands us in interesting territory. Now, every ad is doing it. Scroll your feed—three out of five will greet you like a flirty coworker. It’s like the algorithm grew a personality and invited you to the pub. What started as a fresh tone is becoming a boxed wine sort of familiarity. Still enjoyable, but less impactful each time you hear it.
So where does it go from here? That’s the question. The next tone will need to feel just as human but not formulaic. Not just DK voiceovers wrapped in chummy banter. Maybe it’s whispers instead of shouts. Or awkwardness instead of confidence. Either way, the pendulum always swings. Let's just hope it doesn't swing back to robotic perfection. Because frankly, I’m not ready for ads that talk like LinkedIn posts again.
At first, it felt like a reaction to the overly polished, Americanised sales pitch. You know the one: slick, inoffensive, so focus-grouped it might as well have been engineered by committee in a lab. But something changed. Kiwis started wanting to hear themselves in their own ads. That casual tone with a drop of sarcasm? Turns out it cuts through. It's not trying too hard. It actually listens.
But here’s the twist. This matey voice is no longer the underdog. It has gone fully mainstream. And that lands us in interesting territory. Now, every ad is doing it. Scroll your feed—three out of five will greet you like a flirty coworker. It’s like the algorithm grew a personality and invited you to the pub. What started as a fresh tone is becoming a boxed wine sort of familiarity. Still enjoyable, but less impactful each time you hear it.
So where does it go from here? That’s the question. The next tone will need to feel just as human but not formulaic. Not just DK voiceovers wrapped in chummy banter. Maybe it’s whispers instead of shouts. Or awkwardness instead of confidence. Either way, the pendulum always swings. Let's just hope it doesn't swing back to robotic perfection. Because frankly, I’m not ready for ads that talk like LinkedIn posts again.