You would think that a brand like Yakult would never be too far away from great communications. Its quirky product, unexpected provenance and unusual (if difficult to prove) benefits add up to an unquestionably interesting brand. However, for me, its communications never really live up to any of that.
Previously, we had ‘Planet You' (aka ‘planet guts') and now we are given the ‘Listen to your gut' (aka ‘talking guts') campaign.
That is where I cannot help but struggle with this work. Sure, our guts are great - they perform a fine and widely under-appreciated function - but let's face it, all that stuff is more than a bit yucky, isn't it?
You have to wonder, is reminding people about their very active and audible intestines really the best way to advertise a food product?
Maybe the problem here is the communications channel itself. As a functional food, Yakult is hamstrung by what it cannot say on TV. So why use that medium at all?
I applaud the brand for not trying to create the sort of tortured rational-message advertising pumped out by the likes of Activia. However, the Yakult advertising is a kind of halfway house that just fails to hit the spot.
A more interesting route would surely be to avoid traditional TV and embrace other channels that can stimulate what could only be a rich mix of word-of-mouth, mythology, fact and emotion around what Yakult can offer consumers.
There must be armies of people out there who can't live without Yakult, who have it in their coffee or on their Weetabix and swear blind that it keeps them young-looking, virile and even sane. I once (accidentally) found an ‘asparagus-urine appreciation society' online, so there must be an equivalent for ‘friendly gut bacteria' that could really do something for Yakult.
Lots of brands are busy trying to construct user networks and events. However, much of the time you end up wondering why anyone would really be bothered to join in. It would be much more powerful to take something that already exists and harness it.
A glance online suggests that Yakult is already making inroads here, so why not make this the hub of the campaign? Why not apply the agency's strategic and creative focus here? It is likely that something much more original and exciting will come of it and, who knows, it might even make its way onto TV at some point.