Sometimes it seems advertisers and marketers need to remind themselves that advertising isn't for them.
Advertising is for the customer.
It is they who ultimately determine whether advertising is good or not – in that they vote with their purses or wallets.
Advertising people and marketers have become
too self-obsessed, too inward-looking, too focused on their advertising playing well and feeling good in the boardroom or among their peers.
This often ends up with advertising that is egotistical and centred around what people in the company would like to say about themselves.
The priority should really be how the advertising fares out in the real world.
That means making advertising less self-centred and concentrating more on what the customer will get out of it.
Less this is how we’d like you to think of us.
And more this is what’s in it for you.
Our new book ‘How To Make Better Advertising and Advertising Better – The Manifesto for a New Creative Revolution’ is available exclusively at the Design Museum.
Showing posts with label Stuff to Read. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stuff to Read. Show all posts
It's Time For Advertising To Start Showing The Customer More Respect
So you want to improve advertising? Let’s start with the customer.
Advertising agencies and marketers need to stop treating people as if they’re stupid, easily manipulated morons. Or empty-headed puppets who can be influenced by solely pulling on their emotional strings.
Much current advertising is created without even a passing thought for what the actual benefit to the customer might be. This shows very little respect for them – acting as if people can be brainwashed into their decision-making, or won over with brainless advertising that exists only for entertainment value.
People are not simply ‘consumers’ on a chart waiting eagerly to nod along with whatever we say or buy what we put in front of them.
They’re real people. They are you, your mum, your best friend.
They’re smart – certainly much more intelligent than most current advertising gives them credit for.
Given the choice, they would quite happily do without advertising altogether, but if they have to be faced with it, they don’t want to be patronised or treated like idiots.
They want, and deserve, to be treated as reasoning, intelligent beings.
If we want to improve the quality and effectiveness of advertising, we need to start here.
With marketers and ad agencies treating the customer with more respect.
Our new book ‘How To Make Better Advertising and Advertising Better – The Manifesto for a New Creative Revolution’ is available exclusively at the Design Museum.
Advertising agencies and marketers need to stop treating people as if they’re stupid, easily manipulated morons. Or empty-headed puppets who can be influenced by solely pulling on their emotional strings.
Much current advertising is created without even a passing thought for what the actual benefit to the customer might be. This shows very little respect for them – acting as if people can be brainwashed into their decision-making, or won over with brainless advertising that exists only for entertainment value.
People are not simply ‘consumers’ on a chart waiting eagerly to nod along with whatever we say or buy what we put in front of them.
They’re real people. They are you, your mum, your best friend.
They’re smart – certainly much more intelligent than most current advertising gives them credit for.
Given the choice, they would quite happily do without advertising altogether, but if they have to be faced with it, they don’t want to be patronised or treated like idiots.
They want, and deserve, to be treated as reasoning, intelligent beings.
If we want to improve the quality and effectiveness of advertising, we need to start here.
With marketers and ad agencies treating the customer with more respect.
Our new book ‘How To Make Better Advertising and Advertising Better – The Manifesto for a New Creative Revolution’ is available exclusively at the Design Museum.
How To Make Better Advertising And Advertising Better... Available Now At The Design Museum
Something is rotten in the state of advertising. CEOs and marketers tell us that working with agencies is painful and laborious. Agency people tell us they feel undervalued, overworked and stifled by poor processes. And the poor old punter is left faced with advertising that is at best forgettable, and at worst insulting to the intelligence.
Surely there’s a better way?
Yes, fine readers, the day you may or may not have been waiting for is here. Our book is out in the world available to buy.
It has a rather grand title, matched only by it's shamelessly bold subtitle The Manifesto For A New Creative Revolution, and is available exclusively at the Design Museum in London, or online on their shop - here.
We could go on about why you should buy it, but rather than that, we'll let some other people do it for us...
“The ad industry is in an unprecedented state of confusion. While the assertions and pomposity grow majestically, the advertising itself diminishes rapidly. Sadly there is no button we can push that will erase all the arrogance and self-delusion. Fortunately we have this book. It might be just the reset button we all need.” Bob Hoffman
“Vic and Andy have come up with a foolproof way to help you discover if you are a good agency. Ask yourself: ‘Dare I give this book to all my clients?’” Steve Harrison
“This book is full of common sense. Which is rare, so it’s actually full of uncommon sense.” Dave Trott
“Just the sort of book you would expect from these guys. If you want advertising with cut-through, that is challenging and with a bit of irreverence thrown in, this is for you.” Chris Jessop CEO Expert24
Welcome Back
Welcome to 2016. I hope your festive break and new year celebrations at least met or vastly exceeded your expectations.
So here we are in a new year. It's a leap year, so we get one extra day for free. This free day we all get happens to fall on Monday, which for most working people is a work day. What does this mean? Should we simply treat this mystical free day as another work day? Or should we spend it doing something a bit more interesting? A few years ago, we got a campaign going to get everyone the day off on Feb 29th. The BBC rang us up and everything. What do you think, should we have another go?
Also in 2016, Brazil will host the Olympic games (can you believe London 2012 was four years ago? Does anyone like the logo yet?). America will elect a new president (my money is on Bob Hoffman). And France will host the Euro 2016 football tournament, which at least one Sell! Sell! operative is hoping will result in an historic triumph for Northern Ireland.
In advertising, no doubt people will continue to say silly things and overcomplicate what is essentially a relatively simple business. People who don't actually make any advertising themselves will continue to write and talk about how to do it.
As a kind of antidote to all that nonsense, 2016 will also see the release of our book. Written by people who actually develop and make advertising every day (apart for Feb 29th obvs.) it's a no-nonsense, common-sense look at the things that we have found (in our own experience) make advertising work better. There'll be an initial, limited run out in the next couple of weeks. It looks a bit like this...
All that remains to be said is that I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, happy and rewarding 2016.
So here we are in a new year. It's a leap year, so we get one extra day for free. This free day we all get happens to fall on Monday, which for most working people is a work day. What does this mean? Should we simply treat this mystical free day as another work day? Or should we spend it doing something a bit more interesting? A few years ago, we got a campaign going to get everyone the day off on Feb 29th. The BBC rang us up and everything. What do you think, should we have another go?
Also in 2016, Brazil will host the Olympic games (can you believe London 2012 was four years ago? Does anyone like the logo yet?). America will elect a new president (my money is on Bob Hoffman). And France will host the Euro 2016 football tournament, which at least one Sell! Sell! operative is hoping will result in an historic triumph for Northern Ireland.
In advertising, no doubt people will continue to say silly things and overcomplicate what is essentially a relatively simple business. People who don't actually make any advertising themselves will continue to write and talk about how to do it.
As a kind of antidote to all that nonsense, 2016 will also see the release of our book. Written by people who actually develop and make advertising every day (apart for Feb 29th obvs.) it's a no-nonsense, common-sense look at the things that we have found (in our own experience) make advertising work better. There'll be an initial, limited run out in the next couple of weeks. It looks a bit like this...
All that remains to be said is that I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy, happy and rewarding 2016.
The Sell! Sell! Book Is On The Press...
As you can see in this rather fetching video...
“Something is rotten in the state of advertising. CEOs and marketers tell us that working with agencies is painful and laborious. Agency people tell us they feel undervalued, overworked and stifled by poor processes. And the poor old punter is left faced with advertising that is at best forgettable, and at worst insulting to the intelligence.
Surely there's a better way?”
How To Make Better Advertising And Advertising Better – The Manifesto for a New Creative Revolution
“Something is rotten in the state of advertising. CEOs and marketers tell us that working with agencies is painful and laborious. Agency people tell us they feel undervalued, overworked and stifled by poor processes. And the poor old punter is left faced with advertising that is at best forgettable, and at worst insulting to the intelligence.
Surely there's a better way?”
How To Make Better Advertising And Advertising Better – The Manifesto for a New Creative Revolution
Buy This Book
We had the pleasure of meeting up with Bob Ad Contrarian Hoffman for a cheeky beer last night. So this seems like as good a time as any to remind you (if you haven't already) to get yourself a copy of his latest book Marketers Are From Mars, Consumers Are From New Jersey. If you work in advertising or marketing, it's essential reading really, as it is a glaring reminder to not get caught up in the deluded bubble of the industry and expect behaviour and attitudes that simply don't exist out in the real world. And it's funny. Do yourself a favour, buy it here.
Hey Marketing Martians – Buy this Book
Make sure you aren't one of marketing's Martians. Get yourself a copy of Bob Hoffman's new book Marketers Are From Mars, Consumers Are From New Jersey. And then read it. You're probably familiar with Bob from his brilliant Ad Contrarian blog. This book collects together some of his best writing and thoughts from the blog, his speaking, and other articles, under the title theme of calling out the delusional thinking of modern marketers and ad folk, and their disconnection from the real world. This is one of the biggest reasons why the world of advertising and marketing has got itself in such a mess, and so it's great to see it called out with such aplomb. And it's funny. Get yourself a copy here.
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