Reverse Engineer
In this post, I will be reverse engineering a social media post made by Zion’s Bank on Facebook and YouTube starring Joe Ingles. For those of you who may not know, Joe Ingles is a forward in the NBA who plays for the Utah Jazz. He has quickly become a fan favorite on the team and his popularity is increasing throughout the NBA because of the memes that depict him as a math teacher, dad, or even Toby Flenderson. His Australian accent also gives him a bit of flair.
So let’s get to it. Why did Zion’s Bank choose Joe Ingles to be the face of their new campaign. We’ll soon find out after analyzing 6 important points.
1. What is the main purpose of the post?
The main purpose of the post is to advertise for Zion’s Bank and get more people to open up an account with them. Their clever motto at the end of the advertisement indicates that their bank is for average and not-so-average Joes. They want to get the word out that they have something to offer to everyone.
2. Who is the audience of the post?
In a broad sense, the general audience is those looking to open a checking, banking account, etc. However, this post is targeted at a much more specific audience. Firstly, Zion’s Bank primarily does business in Utah, so they are targeting those who live within the state. To zone in even closer on their target, they cater this post to parents, an abundant demographic in Utah. They also associate themselves with a member of the Utah Jazz who is prominently known and talked about throughout the entire state. As the advertisement wraps up, they let us know they’re reaching out to average Joes like you and me.
3. How does the post connect with the audience?
This post connects with the audience by showing them a beloved, fan favorite player of their state NBA team. The post demonstrates the common ground the audience shares with him from being a parent. It’s relatable to this Utah audience to see a parent struggling to keep up with his young toddlers and Joe Ingles has a cute set of twins that are featured at the end. He cleverly gives advice throughout the video that one thinks is referring to basketball, but it is soon revealed to be advice on parenting. Though most do not play professional basketball, many people are parents and Zion’s Bank connects to their audience on this commonality.
4. What value does the post provide to the audience?
The post provides value to the audience because they get to see a public figure that they admire and by the end of the 30 seconds, the audience is left with a good feeling often coupled with a quick chuckle or grin. The audience is informed about a banking solution that caters to average people who live in the state of Utah. Family is a central theme to the advertisement and family is what most people in Utah value most.
5. How does the post’s design connect and communicate with the audience?
One of the ways the post’s design connects and communicates with the audience is by showing them something and someone they are familiar with. The primary audience knows who Joe Ingles is so a major design decision was featuring him throughout the video. Additionally, he’s wearing a Utah Jazz jersey while holding a basketball on the court which is another point of familiarity. The color scheme featured in the post is that of the Utah Jazz which again provides familiarity. Design decisions were were made to be relatable and familiar.
6. What metrics (likes, shares, re-tweets, etc.) will be used to determine if the post is successful?
Views, likes, and shares will all be used to determine the success of the post. An interesting comparison of these metrics between Facebook and YouTube shows that Facebook was a significantly more successful platform for this advertisement. The YouTube post only received 416 views while the Facebook post received over 126,000 views. Another interesting metric is that the reception of this advertisement was only positive on both platforms since nobody disliked the video or reacted with an angry emoji. Zion’s Bank will of course be able to compare their numbers for the quarter this post was made to previous years to determine if it made a significant impact.
Conclusion
Zion’s Bank made a brilliant decision in choosing Joe Ingles to be the man to cater to their target audience. He’s familiar, loved by the fans, popular in the memes that portray him as a dad, and he’s relatable to all of us because we’re all average Joes in one way or another.