Why?
Because of the wealth of information it holds?
Because it can connect people from across the globe?
Because whoever you are, if you have an opinion it can get heard?
Because it has and will continue to help the fight against racism, sexism and homophobia?
Nope.
Because the internet is full of weird stuff like these Thomas the Tank vs. famous rappers remixes.
Advertising Is Ripe For Revolution II
I look at the advertising industry and I see something strange.
I look at agencies and the work they produce, and when I describe them to myself, I'm a little shocked by what I find.
It has regressed and stagnated in a way.
Back to a time before the creative revolution.
I find myself looking at what advertising must have looked like in the 1950s.
But the scary thing is, this is the industry now.
Dominated by a small number of very large companies that have been around for decades.
The output of these agencies has become stale and predictable.
It is over styled – style over content – largely to hide the fact that it is saying very little of interest, or of use or merit.
It relies on fancy art and effects, on technical wizzery.
The output of different brands in each category is painfully similar.
There is an accepted way of doing things, and woe betide those who dare to disagree.
The industry thinks of the customer as stupid, gullible, not in control of their own decision-making.
People in the business use science to back up this thinking – they think they're more clever than the consumer.
And so they treat the consumer as idiots, and serve up mindless, brainless fodder, cute characters and cuddly toy giveaways.
Advertising has become deceitful and disingenuous, it claims to represent precious human emotions it has no right or claim to, it presents its client's products as the route to happiness and joy.
Pompous, over-claiming, self-importance.
Awards schemes fuel the cycle as the industry rewards itself.
But people are no mugs. They see through the lies and deceit of advertising. It doesn't ring true.
That's why advertising is as disliked and distrusted possibly more than it has ever been, despite the so-called cleverness and science of its proponents.
This was advertising in the 1950s.
This is advertising now.
People have been talking about a revolution for a while now.
But ten years ago they said it would be a technological revolution.
The technology was going to change everything.
And while it constantly brings us new and interesting opportunities to get in touch and communicate with people.
Largely is has been beset by the same problems for advertisers as traditional media.
It wasn't the revolution we were promised.
And now, the talk is of data as the revolution. Big data, they say.
But you already see the cracks in that.
I think the industry is ripe for revolution.
It demands it, it fact, the very state of the industry will bring it about.
But it won't be the revolution everyone has been talking about.
I think it will be a second creative revolution.
The creative revolution in the 1960s wasn't 'creative' as people (mis)use the term in advertising now.
It wasn't about pretty pictures, technique and style.
It was about creative people taking the reins.
It was about advertising becoming about truth, honesty, charm, wit, intelligence.
It was about treating the consumer as an equal, about charming them and communicating with them, presenting them truths in new and interesting ways.
It was about simplicity, stripping out the unnecessary.
It was about daring to be different, daring to challenge category conventions, being self-effacing.
These were the things that the creative revolution brought about.
Advertising that people actually found interesting, entertaining, useful, honest.
And that will be the nature of the revolution that will hit advertising in the next few years.
It will start small, in few places.
You can see it already here and there.
The second creative revolution.
A new golden age of advertising.
Don't get caught wearing the regulation fedora.
I look at agencies and the work they produce, and when I describe them to myself, I'm a little shocked by what I find.
It has regressed and stagnated in a way.
Back to a time before the creative revolution.
I find myself looking at what advertising must have looked like in the 1950s.
But the scary thing is, this is the industry now.
Dominated by a small number of very large companies that have been around for decades.
The output of these agencies has become stale and predictable.
It is over styled – style over content – largely to hide the fact that it is saying very little of interest, or of use or merit.
It relies on fancy art and effects, on technical wizzery.
The output of different brands in each category is painfully similar.
There is an accepted way of doing things, and woe betide those who dare to disagree.
The industry thinks of the customer as stupid, gullible, not in control of their own decision-making.
People in the business use science to back up this thinking – they think they're more clever than the consumer.
And so they treat the consumer as idiots, and serve up mindless, brainless fodder, cute characters and cuddly toy giveaways.
Advertising has become deceitful and disingenuous, it claims to represent precious human emotions it has no right or claim to, it presents its client's products as the route to happiness and joy.
Pompous, over-claiming, self-importance.
Awards schemes fuel the cycle as the industry rewards itself.
But people are no mugs. They see through the lies and deceit of advertising. It doesn't ring true.
That's why advertising is as disliked and distrusted possibly more than it has ever been, despite the so-called cleverness and science of its proponents.
This was advertising in the 1950s.
This is advertising now.
People have been talking about a revolution for a while now.
But ten years ago they said it would be a technological revolution.
The technology was going to change everything.
And while it constantly brings us new and interesting opportunities to get in touch and communicate with people.
Largely is has been beset by the same problems for advertisers as traditional media.
It wasn't the revolution we were promised.
And now, the talk is of data as the revolution. Big data, they say.
But you already see the cracks in that.
I think the industry is ripe for revolution.
It demands it, it fact, the very state of the industry will bring it about.
But it won't be the revolution everyone has been talking about.
I think it will be a second creative revolution.
The creative revolution in the 1960s wasn't 'creative' as people (mis)use the term in advertising now.
It wasn't about pretty pictures, technique and style.
It was about creative people taking the reins.
It was about advertising becoming about truth, honesty, charm, wit, intelligence.
It was about treating the consumer as an equal, about charming them and communicating with them, presenting them truths in new and interesting ways.
It was about simplicity, stripping out the unnecessary.
It was about daring to be different, daring to challenge category conventions, being self-effacing.
These were the things that the creative revolution brought about.
Advertising that people actually found interesting, entertaining, useful, honest.
And that will be the nature of the revolution that will hit advertising in the next few years.
It will start small, in few places.
You can see it already here and there.
The second creative revolution.
A new golden age of advertising.
Don't get caught wearing the regulation fedora.
McDonalds Print Ads
Last year TBWA Paree did some nice print ads for McDonalds.
This year they've done some more nice print ads.
For some reason they've made a TV ad about the aforementioned print ads.
Weird.
Weird and shit.
This year they've done some more nice print ads.
For some reason they've made a TV ad about the aforementioned print ads.
Weird.
Weird and shit.
Relationships Measure Cause And Effect
The use of the word relationship is ubiquitous today in
advertising. It's commonly used
as the reason why things fail, for example the old classic - the relationship
broke down. Other uses in common parlance are – we are looking for a ‘new relationship’, a better one, one that is
more trustful, transparent, fair or based on understanding and so on. A relationship of best friends was sought is one I heard recently regarding agency and client.
The problem is that you can’t see the relationship, as such and
so can’t change it directly. What you observe is cause and effect, which the
term ‘relationship’ is explaining.
Let me explain.
Cows eat grass. So we infer that grass is cow food. Yet if we study grass we don’t see cow
food. The foodiness of grass is revealed in cows eating it. If nothing ate
grass then it wouldn't be food. The relationship between cow and grass is
indeed real but not exactly physical. How would you improve the relationship of
the cow and the grass?
Well you’d have to act on / change the two objects that have
the relationship. For example provide more or better grass for the cow so it
grows more or provide less cows so the grass grows more.
The farmer makes most cash from selling his cows not the grass.
So he feeds them the best grass he can buy until it is hefty enough to send to
market and make a profit.
But what if the farmer was confused in some way?
Say he weighed the cow to see its relationship with the scales.
He wants it to be heavier and so the most important relationship was between
the cow and the scales right? The
cow wasn’t changing in weight so he weighed it more and more and more often,
hoping for improvements in that relationship. He wasn’t happy. This was his true
goal - happiness.
So off he goes to a psychologist to discuss his mental issues
of not being happy. But nothing
seemed wrong. He was mentally stable, he was a nice sort, he looked after his
family and even his cows. All was
well, except it wasn’t. Humm.
Eventually in a state of despair realising he may have to sell
his cow cheaply due to the relationship breakdown between cow and scales and
his personal unhappiness, he decides to buy cheaper and cheaper grass and weigh
it even more often to see if the relationship was improving, it wasn’t. In the end he decides to put lipstick
on the cow hoping he may get a premium for a pretty cow.
Back to advertising...
Gordon Willis
This weekend marked the sad passing of two master craftsmen.
Tributes to the brilliant David Abbott's legacy and influence on British advertising have been putting into sharp focus just what a truly gifted writer he was. The intelligence and charm of his work seems to be in painfully short supply these days but he made a lasting impact on a few generations of creative folk who still carry the torch. If you want a reminder and quick fix of just how good he was, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better than Ben Kay's latest post.
Gordon Willis also passed away. Probably not as widely known in advertising circles but equally influential and just as legendary, Gordon was a pioneering cinematographer whose eagle eye lit up masterpieces such as The Godfather, Manhattan, Annie Hall, All The President's Men - to namecheck but a fraction of his epic oeuvre.
If you've got a spare half hour to invest, I'd suggest watching this interview with him for a fascinating first hand take on his contribution to cinema.
If you've only got ninety seconds, I'd suggest watching his wise words on keeping things simple.
Tributes to the brilliant David Abbott's legacy and influence on British advertising have been putting into sharp focus just what a truly gifted writer he was. The intelligence and charm of his work seems to be in painfully short supply these days but he made a lasting impact on a few generations of creative folk who still carry the torch. If you want a reminder and quick fix of just how good he was, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better than Ben Kay's latest post.
Gordon Willis also passed away. Probably not as widely known in advertising circles but equally influential and just as legendary, Gordon was a pioneering cinematographer whose eagle eye lit up masterpieces such as The Godfather, Manhattan, Annie Hall, All The President's Men - to namecheck but a fraction of his epic oeuvre.
If you've got a spare half hour to invest, I'd suggest watching this interview with him for a fascinating first hand take on his contribution to cinema.
If you've only got ninety seconds, I'd suggest watching his wise words on keeping things simple.
A Bit Of Slurp And Tickle
Today sees the launch of Fentimans' first ever television commercial in their 109-year history. We've been working with the lovely people from Hexham for the past seven years, helping them to grow into a punchy challenger in the soft drinks category.
We're as pleased as (non-alcoholic) punch with how the ad has come out, and that's down to the hard work of a lot of talented people. Superb casting and direction from the inimitable Lady Fern Berresford, with typically superb production design from Mr Mark Denton Esq. (both at Coy! at Short Films). Chris Sabogal, the DOP made it look amazing, and James Rosen at Speade is responsible for the edit. The fantastic music is by Simon Bass at Pure Soho, and the post is by Rushes, including the wonderful grade, inspired by Fern's collection of hand-tinted Victorian and Edwardian photographs, by colourist Simona Harrison.
When we set out to make advertising for our clients, it's important to us make work that puts the product, and the reason why someone might consider that that product, at its heart – rather than your typical brand or attitude advertising. In all of our work for Fentimans, we put their great drinks at the heart of the communication. It isn't just about communicating an attitude, or personality. To us, it's important to do something that is highly distinctive in the category, memorable and hard to ignore. But at the same time, sadly it's become fashionable in advertising for people to ignore the things that are important to punters. In soft drinks, that's still taste and refreshment – this ad promises both in spades, all done with a typical Fentimans irreverence.
Thanks to everyone who helped to make it happen, and to Fentimans themselves for continuing to be brave and irreverent, and for trusting us with their 109-year-old family business.
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