They have been the heroes of commercials for several weeks The telecommunications brand of Plus is actor Wojciech Mecwaldowski, and Plus na Kartę advertises, among others Tomasz Karolak. It disappeared from the ads Szymon Majewski.
Recently, we could see it in telecom ads in spring this year. He then advertised the 5G Plus internet service.
Majewski began to appear less frequently in Plus’s advertisements already in the summer of last year. Then he became the hero of the spots cabaret artist Igor Kwiatkowski.
His appearance was the result of the establishment of Plus cooperation with the Brain agency (previously, for 6 years, Plus was prepared by the Scholz & Friends Warsaw agency).
When we asked the press office of Plus about whether Szymon Majewski would remain the face of the brand, we did not receive an answer. Just like now. Arkadiusz Majewski from the telecom’s press office did not answer us directly whether the advertising cooperation with Szymon Majewski was definitely over. – Already in August, we informed that Wojciech Mecwaldowski will be the new ambassador of the Plus brand. On the other hand, Tomasz Karolak currently appears in the commercials of Plus na Kartę. As for the future, it will all depend on how our campaigns are received by customers – he just told us.
Five years is a long time
Szymon Majewski first appeared in Plus’s commercials in 2016. Since then, a huge number of ads for this brand have been created with his participation. He mostly performed alone in them. There was a time when other celebrities also appeared in spots alongside him. Among them, among others Beata Kozidrak, Magdalena Lamparska, Tamara Arciuch and Bartłomiej Kasprzykowski, Małgorzata Rozenek and Radek Majdan.
When in the fall of 2017 – after over a year of broadcasting commercials with Majewski’s participation – we asked Plus about the effects of this cooperation, Katarzyna Wyszomirska-Wierczewska, director of the marketing communication department of Polkomtel and Cyfrowy Polsat did not answer directly the question whether the employment of Szymon Majewski as the ambassador of the Plus brand increased sale of services.
– As a rule, we do not provide information directly related to sales results, but we are satisfied with them and they are confirmed by our very good financial results, which distinguish our Group from the competition – Wyszomirska-Wierczewska replied to us then.
Let us remind you that before establishing cooperation with Plus, Szymon Majewski PKO BP bank advertised for about 3 years.
Strategically the right move?
According to Adam Samsel, strategy director at K2 Create (Grupa K2) Five years of cooperation between Plus and Szymon Majewski is still quite an impressive period, considering that the category is being advertised intensively, and Szymon Majewski himself was heavily exploited, playing a major role in the communication of the Plus brand. For comparison, PKO BP cooperated with Majewski “only” for three years. According to the expert, the end of this cooperation strategically this is the right move.
– The change could have been influenced by the market environment. Looking at the category now, it can be seen that all operators have recently changed their communication platforms. T-Mobile replaced its platform “No nonsen” with campaigns with the participation of Robert Lewandowski. Orange introduced its Orange Challenge in the communication of the main brand. I Play, which introduces new sellers and leaves the showroom, giving up the participation of celebrities on a large scale. From this perspective, changing the format with the participation of Szymon Majewski to the new one is a natural fit for the trend in the category – notes Adam Samsel.
Our interlocutor points out that the telecommunications category represents innovative technologies and is constantly looking for new and fresh ways to attract the customer. – Although I assume that campaigns with Szymon achieved good results in tracking (they had many elements that Polish consumers like – a well-known face, humor and simple word games), but they did not bring anything new to communication and brand image. Plus he could continue to make better and worse spots with Majewski but without any strategic value for the brand – assesses the K2 Create expert.
In an interview with Wirtualnemedia.pl, the expert indicates that the change of the celebrity and thus the communication platform also results from the rebranding of the Plus brand and the introduction of the new brand promise “You rule now”. Hence a new opening and appearance in Wojciech Mecwaldowski’s communicationas the main narrator in communication. In this way, the brand creates a novelty effect.
– From my perspective, since the strategic promise is “You rule”, it would be natural in communication to make Plus users celebrities and show that they rule. In this way, the burden could be shifted from the celebrity to the “real” person. Mecwaldowski and Karolak seem to have a similar level of “carrying capacity” to Majewski. So the decisive factor in choosing them was the adaptation to the idea of communication and the target group – says Adam Samsel.
He also points out that the campaign with the participation of Mecwaldowski is, in a sense, a continuation of the campaign with the participation of Majewski. Hence, his presence will not be a big change and will not surprise the viewer. – Mecwaldowski himself is not “exploited” in terms of advertising, and this is certainly his big advantage. He is a nice, kind, cultured guy with a sense of humor that is impossible to dislike. This will have an impact on the positive reception of the Plus brand, which will strengthen the image of a close, friendly and family operator – believes Adam Samsel.
He also admits that Karolak’s choice seems surprising because he is more polarizing than Mecwaldowski or Majewski. – In this case, the key was to strategically match Karolak with the older pre-paid target market, who sees him as a cool guy and his “peasant”, known for playing various funny roles in movies and series. His participation in the Plus na kart advertisements builds sympathy for the brand and the image of a family friend – comments Adam Samsel.
New opening needed, Majewski replacement indicated
Marek Gonsior, brand advisor and independent consultant, claims that now, when Polsat Group is undergoing rebranding, it is the best time to do more cleaning – the brand must decide which elements of its communication carry timeless content for the brand, and which the brand would rather get rid of. – From the steps taken it can be concluded that the figure of Szymon Majewski transferred to the brand image elements that Plus does not want to promote anymore. Therefore, looking from the perspective of the moment we are in, resignation from cooperation with this celebrity does not necessarily result from the wear and tear of the concept. I would rather focus on new challenges for the brand – Marek Gonsior supposes.
– I do not expect that Szymon Majewski treated himself. On the contrary – most likely, despite several years of cooperation and considerable advertising expenditure, it has not become the “distinctive asset” of the brand, its recognizable symbol, a sign that would be strongly and exclusively associated with Plus by the recipients. One may also have doubts as to what, apart from broadly understood recognition, Majewski could have offered to the brand. It is difficult to say whether and with what important values he contributed to its image, says Adam Miecznikowski, chief strategy officer at Publicis Poland. And that is why, in his opinion, the decision to end cooperation with Szymon Majewski does not seem dramatic. The more so because – as our interlocutor points out – the brand has already had a much more difficult and risky resignation from cooperation with the Mumio cabaret.
– If Plus survived such a change, the lack of Szymon Majewski should be considered a minor event – emphasizes our interlocutor. – An additional factor supporting the decision to change could be rebranding. Since the brand has a new promise and a refreshed visual identity, collaborating with new celebrities helps increase the impression of novelty and breakthrough change. In social perception, Majewski may already have the best years of his career behind him. Therefore, for the new Plus, she may be a less attractive face than the actor Mecwald, who constantly appears in new productions – he adds.
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Adam Miecznikowski believes that despite the change of actors, the tone of the commercials has not changed. New stories with Mecwaldowski could easily be imagined with Majewski’s participation.
– The campaign with new faces is largely a continuation of the old one. If the marketer wanted to mark some deeper change, this intention remains unread – the expert assesses.
Rafał Baran, CEO of FCB Bridge2Fun, shares with Wirtualnemedia.pl. – Plus and Polsat wanted a new opening, a change in the perceived quality after rebranding. AND Majewski was associated with the “old” Plus. And probably the brand wanted to cut it off. And move from quasi-cabaret communication to more serious one – claims Rafał Baran. He adds that the decision to end the cooperation with Majewski could have been influenced by many factors: – Often beyond the substantive ones. Perhaps you have to bear in mind who was the target of Majewski’s jokes in his non-advertising activities – back in the days of the Szymon Majewski Show on TVN, and people remember it. Especially those whose jokes concern – comments the head of FCB Bridge2Fun.
A decrease in the popularity of a celebrity
Paulina Hofman, team account manager at Socialyse (Havas Media Group) believes that Szymon Majewski could use the advertising potential for these five years. We do not see it in new programs or campaigns, which may indicate a decline in its popularity.
– The involvement of Tomasz Karolak is probably supported by strategic decisions and an attempt to reach a target group that can react positively to a face known from comedy TV or cinema appearances – believes Paulina Hofman.
She points out that building the image takes place on many levels and is guided by the slogan “all tricks allowed”. He says this may be a drastic change, but you can’t expect the brand to apologize or explain itself for its business decisions. – I believe that the recent changes introduced in Polkomtel’s campaigns are very positive: I am always pleased with the image of, for example, Sanah and Antek Królikowski, who can also be seen in slightly humorous SmartDom campaigns – says the expert.
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