What are the arguments and possibly evidence against the advertising industry being part of the Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)?
Marxism & Althusser
Althusser identified the 'Ideological State Apparatus' as, "the method by which organizations propagate ideology". In short, it is how institutions in society reinforce power structures. Manipulation without using force. In contrast to a 'Repressive State Apparatus', the ISA allows willing as opposed to forced compliance from the subjects.
From what I could gather from the lecture, Marx proposes that society structure is split into two levels: the base and the superstructure. The base relates to the productive element of society e.g. the tools/skills required to be productive and the relations that allow production to occur such as employer/employee. The superstructure being the institutions that control and enforce production. These institutions can include the army, the police, the NHS and any other institutions that force compliance. Some countries enforce National Service. If you break a law, you will be punished in the hope that you will behave as the 'superstructure' wants you to. Similarly if you need an injection to stop you dying, the NHS will perform it, regardless of if you'd prefer them not to. You are forced to comply.
The Press, News Corporation & Advertising
Comparitively to the opinions of others in the class, I initially disagreed in that advertising does not fall under either bracket. I understand that people don't willingly comply with advertising. I understand that the 5000 pieces of advertising that city-dwellers are exposed to each day doesn't make them dip into their pockets 5000 times. But surely, the purpose of advertising is to 'sell' your product, service or event and in turn, manipulate someone's behaviour. If someone decides to buy Cornflakes because they think it is a better start to morning than Weetabix, then they have willingly complied with Cornflakes' proposition and call to action. So in this sense, I do think that advertising can be seen as part of the ISA. It is only when I look at the views of individuals such as Herbert Marcuse that I differ in opinion. He states that, 'products indoctrinate and manipulate; they promote a false consciousness which is immune against its falsehood ... It becomes a way of life.'
Rupert Murdoch of News Corp is prime example of a position which holds a significant amount of influence over much of the media we receive. In the run up to the last general election, Murdoch's position allowed him to exert a massive editorial swing towards a conservative government in each of his papers. The worrying capabilities of his power over the general public triggered a response by Trevor Beattie and those at BMB, who created a viral campaign for the Independent to spread awareness of just how much of an influence Murdoch could have. With regard to the ISA, Beattie used his position in the advertising industry to warn the wider public, which I suppose demonstrates how advertising can be viewed as part of the ISA. More recently, leaked footage of Vince Cable declaring media warfare on Murdoch over a bid for Sky. The public realise that Cable's comment is justified. If Murdoch wins a bid for Sky, his excessive media ownership becomes yet more powerful, yet Cable has received endless amounts of bad press over his comments. Why? Unsurprisingly, each paper containing the bad coverage of Cable is owned by Murdoch.
Williamson & Semiology
Semiology, puts simply, is the study of signs. It offers 'a very full box of analytical tools for taking an image apart and tracing how it works in relation to broader systems of meaning'. With regard to advertising, Williamson (1978) claims that, '...advertisments are ubiquitous and thus appear autonomous'. This view is shared by Goldman, 'Ads saturate our lives'. Both use semiology as a method that can help them penetrate the aparent autonomy and reality of adverts. Judging by these opinions, it's clear that some people believe advertising holds a very prominent and influential position in the media. Williamson also argues that advertising restructures society. '...in the false categories invoked by advertising, to obscure the real structure of society by replacing class with the distinctions made by the consumption of goods. Thus, instead of being identified by what they produce, people are made to identify themselves by what they consume'.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
Tuesday 23 November 2010
Kim Papworth & Tony Davidson - case study of a creative team
Kim Papworth & Tony Davidson are joint creative directors of Wieden + Kennedy London.
As of last year, they were making partners of W+K Worldwide making them the first partners in a global ad agency network in 13 years. Quite a high accolade when measured against Dan Wieden words:
"If you want to be a partner at W&K you've got to be some kind of saint and some kind of crazy. No one exemplifies that more profoundly than Tony and Kim. They have raised the bar, broken rules, lifted hearts and shocked the world," (Guardian Online. 2009. [Accessed 24/11/2010]).
Kim started out as a mushroom farmer before leaving his fungi-ridden days for art college which led to a junior copywriting position at BMP. As for Tony, although his past is not quite as intriguing, he excelled at art and went on to study Design and Communication Media at Manchester Polytechnic before meeting Kim at BMP circa-1985. They are now both famed for their string of mould-breaking work for Honda including 'The Cog' and 'Hate something/Change something'. They also take credit for a body of Nike's work including the 'Run London' campaign, the iconic 'St Wayne' poster and over-seeing the recent 'Write The Future' campaign. Additional clients under the belt are VW, Adidas and Levi Jeans.
...On creative flow
According to Davidson, "it's a weird thing, a Yin/Yang balance. Kim is the quiet more observant one. A people watcher. Whereas I'm the bull in the china shop." He adds, "Kim's dyslexic and can't really write, and I'm not a great art director. But somehow it works." Davidson later comments that him and Papworth share the same values and same way of thinking. "When Kim and I were younger, we were award-driven and probably thought less about the product than we do now. But revolutionizing a brand is way bigger than any award." As their work for Honda proves, it's possible to have both. (Boards Magazine. 2004. [Accessed on 24/11/2010])
I couldn't find a quote from Papworth about their creative relationship so I guess he really is the quiet one. But in terms of creating ads he claims, "The client gives us the stuff we really need to know: for example, he'll come and relate to us exactly what an engineer at Honda has said about a particular car." (Harrison, S. 2009. pg. 49).
Their same way of thinking is clear, as Davidson's view on the importance of the client is that, "The DNA of the company is in its founders. Stick that culture on the walls around you and try to become that company emotionally. It stops you writing ads," (Times Online. 2008. [Accessed on 24/11/2010]).
For creativity as a whole, Davidson sticks to his three rules:
...On being creative directors
Having worked together in a variety of agencies with W+K proving to be their longest and most rewarding stint, what knowledge and experience have the team taken forward into their role as Creative Directors of the London offices and worldwide partners?
Davidson has the view that, “The temptation for creative directors is to take all the best briefs, but if you do that you are not allowing others to learn. The trick is to hire people who are better than you," (Times Online. 2008. [Accessed on 24/11/2010]).
Papworth's philisophy still holds creativity at it's heart: "Forget the theory that an agency has to have its pile of pooh. Why can't you be 100% creative?" (Boards Magazine. 2004. [Accessed on 24/11/2010]). He says the big kick is discovering the power of the brand's voice. If no one believes him, they need to go and take a look at how distinctive and well positioned Honda's voice is in relation to the rest of the car industry.
Sources:
As of last year, they were making partners of W+K Worldwide making them the first partners in a global ad agency network in 13 years. Quite a high accolade when measured against Dan Wieden words:
"If you want to be a partner at W&K you've got to be some kind of saint and some kind of crazy. No one exemplifies that more profoundly than Tony and Kim. They have raised the bar, broken rules, lifted hearts and shocked the world," (Guardian Online. 2009. [Accessed 24/11/2010]).
Kim started out as a mushroom farmer before leaving his fungi-ridden days for art college which led to a junior copywriting position at BMP. As for Tony, although his past is not quite as intriguing, he excelled at art and went on to study Design and Communication Media at Manchester Polytechnic before meeting Kim at BMP circa-1985. They are now both famed for their string of mould-breaking work for Honda including 'The Cog' and 'Hate something/Change something'. They also take credit for a body of Nike's work including the 'Run London' campaign, the iconic 'St Wayne' poster and over-seeing the recent 'Write The Future' campaign. Additional clients under the belt are VW, Adidas and Levi Jeans.
...On creative flow
According to Davidson, "it's a weird thing, a Yin/Yang balance. Kim is the quiet more observant one. A people watcher. Whereas I'm the bull in the china shop." He adds, "Kim's dyslexic and can't really write, and I'm not a great art director. But somehow it works." Davidson later comments that him and Papworth share the same values and same way of thinking. "When Kim and I were younger, we were award-driven and probably thought less about the product than we do now. But revolutionizing a brand is way bigger than any award." As their work for Honda proves, it's possible to have both. (Boards Magazine. 2004. [Accessed on 24/11/2010])
I couldn't find a quote from Papworth about their creative relationship so I guess he really is the quiet one. But in terms of creating ads he claims, "The client gives us the stuff we really need to know: for example, he'll come and relate to us exactly what an engineer at Honda has said about a particular car." (Harrison, S. 2009. pg. 49).
Their same way of thinking is clear, as Davidson's view on the importance of the client is that, "The DNA of the company is in its founders. Stick that culture on the walls around you and try to become that company emotionally. It stops you writing ads," (Times Online. 2008. [Accessed on 24/11/2010]).
For creativity as a whole, Davidson sticks to his three rules:
- Collect everything (hence his passion for scrapbooks and flea-markets)
- Surround yourself with inspiring things and inspiring people
- Get out of the office.
...On being creative directors
Having worked together in a variety of agencies with W+K proving to be their longest and most rewarding stint, what knowledge and experience have the team taken forward into their role as Creative Directors of the London offices and worldwide partners?
Davidson has the view that, “The temptation for creative directors is to take all the best briefs, but if you do that you are not allowing others to learn. The trick is to hire people who are better than you," (Times Online. 2008. [Accessed on 24/11/2010]).
Papworth's philisophy still holds creativity at it's heart: "Forget the theory that an agency has to have its pile of pooh. Why can't you be 100% creative?" (Boards Magazine. 2004. [Accessed on 24/11/2010]). He says the big kick is discovering the power of the brand's voice. If no one believes him, they need to go and take a look at how distinctive and well positioned Honda's voice is in relation to the rest of the car industry.
'Mutual pushing is the way they work. They're hands-on with their creatives but from the start at W+K, resolved not to write ads themselves. "We aren't the best writers or art directors," says Davidson. "But we've done both so we know the way to make people grow and develop is to push, let them express themselves." Their job is to make sure it's right for the brand.'
(Boards Magazine. 2004. [Accessed on 24/11/2010])
Sources:
- Boards Magazine. Cut The Shit. 2004. [Accessed on 24/11/2010] http://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20040901/papworthdavidson.html
- Guardian Media Online. Wieden + Kennedy name new partners. 2009. [Accessed on 24/11/2010] http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/mar/16/wieden-kennedy-names-partners
- Times Online. Advertising creative Tony Davidson's search for inspiration. 2008. [Accessed on 24/11/2010] http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article4944062.ece
- Harrison, S. How to do better creative work. 2009. Pearson Education LTD. Gosport, GB
A life of Heinz
After watching Crash with the class a week ago, I left the theater with a funny feeling.
The monologues towards the end of the play encompassed both capitalist and communist views of the economic meltdown. As far from being on the banker's side that I am, he did speak some sense. I remember a bit where he said of society, something like...
...nothing stopped you buying up the world did it. You were more than happy to go out trying on new dresses, sitting in new cars and wearing new jewelery, not giving a fuck about anyone else. And then as soon as the good times stop, when someone's got to face the music, you all want someone to blame. And you turn to us, and expect an apology, as though we're the crash. You my friends are the crash. We're all the crash.
The most prominent ideal dissected by the production seemed to be the question: What does money mean? For example, at one point there is a discussion between the banker and his artist friend about value. The banker makes a statement that there is no true way to distinguish the value of someones work.
We can never say if someone deserves what they earn, they simply earn what they can get.
Inevitably the question of 'what it money worth?' looms closer. How is it that a homeless person, merely grateful for his health, can be happier than someone with a personal fortune of millions?
After watching the play, I got 'the urge'. You know the the urge that I'm sure everyone occurs at some point during their life: The urge to just burn all of my material possessions, start wearing skatty tye-dye t-shirts, start eating grass and feeding off love and dance.
It made me question the whole industry that I aspire to go into. If possessions are in fact meaningless, then what am I doing dedicating my life to generating ideas in order to sell everyday products that no one really needs anyway?
I started to picture a horrible existence... In years to come, I'd win a pitch for the Heinz account. I'd go out with the agency and celebrate with champagne and the leggy account girls.
But take a step back, and what kind of existence is that - the privilege of selling beans and sauce to people who quite frankly, could easily cope in a world without?
And so what if it's the best beans and sauce. The pinnacle of my career would have come down to securing the privilege of giving a voice to one of the many tins of beans in a supermarket aisle. And I wanted to be someone significant??
At this point I got the shudders, quickly realised I was getting too deep and then tried to remind myself that giving a voice to beans would actually be quite fun. Still...
The monologues towards the end of the play encompassed both capitalist and communist views of the economic meltdown. As far from being on the banker's side that I am, he did speak some sense. I remember a bit where he said of society, something like...
...nothing stopped you buying up the world did it. You were more than happy to go out trying on new dresses, sitting in new cars and wearing new jewelery, not giving a fuck about anyone else. And then as soon as the good times stop, when someone's got to face the music, you all want someone to blame. And you turn to us, and expect an apology, as though we're the crash. You my friends are the crash. We're all the crash.
The most prominent ideal dissected by the production seemed to be the question: What does money mean? For example, at one point there is a discussion between the banker and his artist friend about value. The banker makes a statement that there is no true way to distinguish the value of someones work.
We can never say if someone deserves what they earn, they simply earn what they can get.
Inevitably the question of 'what it money worth?' looms closer. How is it that a homeless person, merely grateful for his health, can be happier than someone with a personal fortune of millions?
After watching the play, I got 'the urge'. You know the the urge that I'm sure everyone occurs at some point during their life: The urge to just burn all of my material possessions, start wearing skatty tye-dye t-shirts, start eating grass and feeding off love and dance.
It made me question the whole industry that I aspire to go into. If possessions are in fact meaningless, then what am I doing dedicating my life to generating ideas in order to sell everyday products that no one really needs anyway?
I started to picture a horrible existence... In years to come, I'd win a pitch for the Heinz account. I'd go out with the agency and celebrate with champagne and the leggy account girls.
But take a step back, and what kind of existence is that - the privilege of selling beans and sauce to people who quite frankly, could easily cope in a world without?
And so what if it's the best beans and sauce. The pinnacle of my career would have come down to securing the privilege of giving a voice to one of the many tins of beans in a supermarket aisle. And I wanted to be someone significant??
At this point I got the shudders, quickly realised I was getting too deep and then tried to remind myself that giving a voice to beans would actually be quite fun. Still...
How social is social media?
Seth Godin might be a name that rings a bell.
I recognised the name upon reading it, but didn't know where from or why.
Turns out he was the author of Permission Marketing (1999), which proved to be "an all out attack on what he called 'interruption marketing', or all that traditional offline creative work" (Harrison, S. 2009. pg. 11). His argument being that society's gradual departure from the real world into Cybersphere, means that a spawning of technologically empowered consumers will sought only to let the messages into their life that they wish to receive. To put it bluntly, any form of offline marketing was a dying art.
But before getting carried away with thinking that every message we want to broadcast needs to have a Facebook group and around-the-clock Twitter feed, let look at some of the facts:
Social networking
Research conducted by Forrester Techno-graphics found that only 25 per cent of the total number of UK internet users use social networking sites once a month or more. The remaining 75 per cent use them either once a month or not at all. The majority of those using social networking sites on a daily basis are aged 16-24 and predominantly students, therefore, in the interests of media planners, pretty tight for cash.
Blogging
IPA-sponsored research (pub. Jan 2009) shows that of the UK's online consumers, a mere 2.8 per cent bother to blog. Only 8.8 per cent read them and only 3.7 per cent comment. So even though I feel my personal blog is caught like a rabbit in the headlights amidst the Blogging motorway, maybe I should stop thinking 'everyone has a blog so why bother...' when in reality most people don't. I should also be less concerned with whether people read what I write - especially when so few read them anyway - and just be pleased that I do have something to show the people who want to read what I write.
Forums
In the same IPA-sponsored research, a lowly 6.5 per cent of UK online consumers contribute to online chat rooms and discussion forums. Again, a tiny fraction.
This goes to show two things.
1) That there is still an incredibly large un-digital market out there for what are known as the 'massive passives'. In fact, according to a book called Groundswell (Li, C. Burnoff, J. 2008) even within the digital community 53 per cent of these are still regarded as massive passives.
2) Regardless of the medium used, the most successful pieces of work always have a strong idea at their core. Alix Pennycuick, the new creative director of Publicis Modem (Publicis' digital arm) underlines this notion in Campaign magazine's 'Digital Essays' (pub. 2009),
"It's the same challenge we have always faced: how to capture the public's imagination in the first place ... We need to forget ATL and BTL, online or offline and remember that, above anything else, it is the quality and creativity of the content that creates breakthrough experiences today."
I recognised the name upon reading it, but didn't know where from or why.
Turns out he was the author of Permission Marketing (1999), which proved to be "an all out attack on what he called 'interruption marketing', or all that traditional offline creative work" (Harrison, S. 2009. pg. 11). His argument being that society's gradual departure from the real world into Cybersphere, means that a spawning of technologically empowered consumers will sought only to let the messages into their life that they wish to receive. To put it bluntly, any form of offline marketing was a dying art.
But before getting carried away with thinking that every message we want to broadcast needs to have a Facebook group and around-the-clock Twitter feed, let look at some of the facts:
Social networking
Research conducted by Forrester Techno-graphics found that only 25 per cent of the total number of UK internet users use social networking sites once a month or more. The remaining 75 per cent use them either once a month or not at all. The majority of those using social networking sites on a daily basis are aged 16-24 and predominantly students, therefore, in the interests of media planners, pretty tight for cash.
Blogging
IPA-sponsored research (pub. Jan 2009) shows that of the UK's online consumers, a mere 2.8 per cent bother to blog. Only 8.8 per cent read them and only 3.7 per cent comment. So even though I feel my personal blog is caught like a rabbit in the headlights amidst the Blogging motorway, maybe I should stop thinking 'everyone has a blog so why bother...' when in reality most people don't. I should also be less concerned with whether people read what I write - especially when so few read them anyway - and just be pleased that I do have something to show the people who want to read what I write.
Forums
In the same IPA-sponsored research, a lowly 6.5 per cent of UK online consumers contribute to online chat rooms and discussion forums. Again, a tiny fraction.
This goes to show two things.
1) That there is still an incredibly large un-digital market out there for what are known as the 'massive passives'. In fact, according to a book called Groundswell (Li, C. Burnoff, J. 2008) even within the digital community 53 per cent of these are still regarded as massive passives.
2) Regardless of the medium used, the most successful pieces of work always have a strong idea at their core. Alix Pennycuick, the new creative director of Publicis Modem (Publicis' digital arm) underlines this notion in Campaign magazine's 'Digital Essays' (pub. 2009),
"It's the same challenge we have always faced: how to capture the public's imagination in the first place ... We need to forget ATL and BTL, online or offline and remember that, above anything else, it is the quality and creativity of the content that creates breakthrough experiences today."
Sources:
- Harrison, S. How to do better creative work. 2009. Pearson Education LTD. Gosport, GB.
- Li, C. & Burnoff, J. Groundswell. 2008. Harvard Business School Press. US.
Thursday 18 November 2010
How to write a newspaper ad...
I'm currently working my way through Creative Strategy in Advertising (Jewler, A. & Drewniany, B. 2005).
The Newspaper Association of America set top advertising creatives the task of creating their own newspaper ad. The content being how they think a newspaper ad should be written.
The responses included in this book are that of Luke Sullivan (author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This), Jeff Goodby (creative director & co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) and Lee Clow (creative director & chairman of TBWA Worldwide).
It's incredible just how much of their personality can be grasped from each response.
So here they are... very different, very unique and very interesting.
The Newspaper Association of America set top advertising creatives the task of creating their own newspaper ad. The content being how they think a newspaper ad should be written.
The responses included in this book are that of Luke Sullivan (author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This), Jeff Goodby (creative director & co-chairman of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners) and Lee Clow (creative director & chairman of TBWA Worldwide).
It's incredible just how much of their personality can be grasped from each response.
So here they are... very different, very unique and very interesting.
Sunday 7 November 2010
Collaborative Creativity
When we talk about collaborative creativity with regard to advertising, there are two separate areas: One being the creative collaboration between Copywriter and Art Director. The other being internal collaboration between creatives, account handlers and media planners.
The partnership between copywriter & art director is a longstanding tradition in the advertising industry and a wealth of research supports the notion that two heads are better than one. In the digital age however, it seems that the potential for collaboration can be extended far beyond a mere two heads.
'Giant Hydra' www.gianthydra.com, conceived in 2008, acts as a platform for mass collaboration between advertising agencies across the globe. The idea is based upon Metcalfe's Law that 'the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users'. Basically, creatives are able to create a profile with samples of their work, which others can browse through. Agencies are then able to set projects and hand-pick the creatives that they wish to be involved. Ideas are shared, discussed, furthered and when executed, each creative that was involved is financially rewarded. This enables the volume and perspective of ideas concerning the given brief to dramatically increase well beyond what would have ever been capable of one creative team. Not to mention speeding up the process of idea generation; ideal for agencies bogged down with several ongoing briefs or agencies with limited time/resources.
Ideas such as this have massive implications on how we should be working across art schools/colleges/universities and across a range of diciplines. It is important for us as art students to note the wealth of creative minds and disciplines that we have at our fingertips. As aspiring advertisers, we're aware that the industry thrives on originality and innovation, so we should be looking further than the confines of our studio. If effective collaboration is possible between advertising students, then what potential does interdisciplinary collaboration hold? If word is spread well enough then maybe this simple Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=132871126762443) can start interdisciplinary collaborations within the college, helping each of us to build a strong contact book before graduating. If this is how it works in industry, why not start now?
For agencies to function, they depend on a structure. The structure of creatives/accounts/planners/directors has always existed, yet in years gone by it has, at times, become more of a heirarchy. In an article entitled Creativity and the Art of Collaboration (Campaign, 30/04/2010), a 'Fortress Creative Department' philosophy is described where creative people were physically and mentally excluded from the rest of the agency and gave the "double-barrelled upper-class twits in client service a really hard time". As Andrew Cracknell, writer of the article, comments, "If you're kept apart from the people whose role can occasionally come into conflict with yours, then that very isolation can fuel the antagonism" which suggests why it's not surprising to see so many agencies integrating departments with open plan studios. Brand New in Leeds, for example, is a converted warehouse where the only rooms separated from the main studio are the toilets, editing suite and kitchen. In the time I spent there over the summer I constantly had account handlers shouting over my head across the room to the other departments. I really buzzed off as this style of open collaboration as I felt a real part of the team and had an awareness of what was going on around me, so it's odd to think that agencies havn't always operated in this way.
A type of collaboration that appears to be becoming ever more apparent in agencies, is with the client themselves. The Campaign article states that both Mother and HHCL are pioneers of this method, but Cracknell shows his concern in that, "these project groups are only as strong as their most vociferous members - and he who pays the piper calls the tune". Put simply, the client becomes ever more powerful in the quality of the work. In my eyes, this is bad news. I agree that client should be involved in the progression of the work so that they take some ownership of the idea and, in turn, it should be easier to get work through the barrier of acceptance. And although Mother seem to have escaped thus far, I can't help but picture the potentially damaging effect on creativity that client-agency collaboration may have.
Steve Henry (co-founder of HHCL) claims,"Creative Directors used to be the people who made a difference. Now they're just people who can be wheeled out for pitches to make small talk". I'm all for collaboration, but if this is the case, I think I'd prefer to remain as a Creative.
The partnership between copywriter & art director is a longstanding tradition in the advertising industry and a wealth of research supports the notion that two heads are better than one. In the digital age however, it seems that the potential for collaboration can be extended far beyond a mere two heads.
'Giant Hydra' www.gianthydra.com, conceived in 2008, acts as a platform for mass collaboration between advertising agencies across the globe. The idea is based upon Metcalfe's Law that 'the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users'. Basically, creatives are able to create a profile with samples of their work, which others can browse through. Agencies are then able to set projects and hand-pick the creatives that they wish to be involved. Ideas are shared, discussed, furthered and when executed, each creative that was involved is financially rewarded. This enables the volume and perspective of ideas concerning the given brief to dramatically increase well beyond what would have ever been capable of one creative team. Not to mention speeding up the process of idea generation; ideal for agencies bogged down with several ongoing briefs or agencies with limited time/resources.
Ideas such as this have massive implications on how we should be working across art schools/colleges/universities and across a range of diciplines. It is important for us as art students to note the wealth of creative minds and disciplines that we have at our fingertips. As aspiring advertisers, we're aware that the industry thrives on originality and innovation, so we should be looking further than the confines of our studio. If effective collaboration is possible between advertising students, then what potential does interdisciplinary collaboration hold? If word is spread well enough then maybe this simple Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=132871126762443) can start interdisciplinary collaborations within the college, helping each of us to build a strong contact book before graduating. If this is how it works in industry, why not start now?
For agencies to function, they depend on a structure. The structure of creatives/accounts/planners/directors has always existed, yet in years gone by it has, at times, become more of a heirarchy. In an article entitled Creativity and the Art of Collaboration (Campaign, 30/04/2010), a 'Fortress Creative Department' philosophy is described where creative people were physically and mentally excluded from the rest of the agency and gave the "double-barrelled upper-class twits in client service a really hard time". As Andrew Cracknell, writer of the article, comments, "If you're kept apart from the people whose role can occasionally come into conflict with yours, then that very isolation can fuel the antagonism" which suggests why it's not surprising to see so many agencies integrating departments with open plan studios. Brand New in Leeds, for example, is a converted warehouse where the only rooms separated from the main studio are the toilets, editing suite and kitchen. In the time I spent there over the summer I constantly had account handlers shouting over my head across the room to the other departments. I really buzzed off as this style of open collaboration as I felt a real part of the team and had an awareness of what was going on around me, so it's odd to think that agencies havn't always operated in this way.
A type of collaboration that appears to be becoming ever more apparent in agencies, is with the client themselves. The Campaign article states that both Mother and HHCL are pioneers of this method, but Cracknell shows his concern in that, "these project groups are only as strong as their most vociferous members - and he who pays the piper calls the tune". Put simply, the client becomes ever more powerful in the quality of the work. In my eyes, this is bad news. I agree that client should be involved in the progression of the work so that they take some ownership of the idea and, in turn, it should be easier to get work through the barrier of acceptance. And although Mother seem to have escaped thus far, I can't help but picture the potentially damaging effect on creativity that client-agency collaboration may have.
Steve Henry (co-founder of HHCL) claims,"Creative Directors used to be the people who made a difference. Now they're just people who can be wheeled out for pitches to make small talk". I'm all for collaboration, but if this is the case, I think I'd prefer to remain as a Creative.
Thursday 4 November 2010
Modern Panopticism
Today marked our first critical studies lecture about 'Surveillance and Society'.
Michel Foucault's theory of 'Panopticism' - a permanent state of surveillance - is something that we as a society are readily aware of, but aren't as familiar with the effect it has upon our behaviour.
We've all heard the statistics, "the average city dweller is caught on camera at least 300 times a day" but this is only one form of surveillance. Social networking, gyms with display glass windows, open-plan bars/pubs are all designed with panoptic undertones which change our motivations and therefore control our behaviour.
The internet is an uncontrollable device of panoptic control. With every website we visit being archived and institutional databases monitoring our desktop files, the lecture instantly reminded me of the AOL 'What do you think?' (2006) commercials, which provoked debate about whether the internet was a good thing or a bad thing.
Only last week, my Dad was telling me about using Google Street view in order to locate a house he was contracted to do a drainage survey. He said he'd zoomed in the the front door in order to see the house number, but felt very uncomfortable in doing so, as you could see through the front window into house. He said he felt incredibly intrusive and perverse as it felt like he was secretly spying on the lives of the residents. We began to discuss how amazing Google Earth actually is, but how it's equally a criminal paradise.
This good/bad debate is captured perfectly in the following ads. Showing the inspirational power of mass communication, as well as the disasterously corrupt consequences it can have.
Aol - The internet is a GOOD thing
Aol - The internet is a BAD thing
Michel Foucault's theory of 'Panopticism' - a permanent state of surveillance - is something that we as a society are readily aware of, but aren't as familiar with the effect it has upon our behaviour.
We've all heard the statistics, "the average city dweller is caught on camera at least 300 times a day" but this is only one form of surveillance. Social networking, gyms with display glass windows, open-plan bars/pubs are all designed with panoptic undertones which change our motivations and therefore control our behaviour.
The internet is an uncontrollable device of panoptic control. With every website we visit being archived and institutional databases monitoring our desktop files, the lecture instantly reminded me of the AOL 'What do you think?' (2006) commercials, which provoked debate about whether the internet was a good thing or a bad thing.
Only last week, my Dad was telling me about using Google Street view in order to locate a house he was contracted to do a drainage survey. He said he'd zoomed in the the front door in order to see the house number, but felt very uncomfortable in doing so, as you could see through the front window into house. He said he felt incredibly intrusive and perverse as it felt like he was secretly spying on the lives of the residents. We began to discuss how amazing Google Earth actually is, but how it's equally a criminal paradise.
This good/bad debate is captured perfectly in the following ads. Showing the inspirational power of mass communication, as well as the disasterously corrupt consequences it can have.
Aol - The internet is a GOOD thing
Aol - The internet is a BAD thing
Wednesday 3 November 2010
The Basics of Design - Creative Strategy in Advertising
I'm working my way through a dead helpful book at the moment called Creative Strategy in Advertising by Jewler, A & Drewniany, B.
Throughout the course, we've been told a few bits and pieces about art direction. But more often than not, we've been told that you learn by looking at award winning work, disecting why it works visually and then ingraining the techniques into your mind. I've found however, that Chapter 7: Designing to Communicate has given me the basic principles of design that wasn't consiously aware of beforehand. Some techniques (i.e. proportion - 'Golden Mean') link to those that I've previously learned in Photography (i.e Rule-of-Three).
The following are a few examples of techniques that I could apply when analysing the aethetics and art direction in future case studies.
Negative Space - the space that isn't filled.
A border of negative space should be left unless purposeful.
Lots of negative space creates a feeling of 'exclusivity'.
Gestalt - the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.
Our eyes are drawn to these patterns, so we respond in predictable ways.
When an item is dissimilar to the objects around it, it commands attention.
Balance - Symmetrical balance can be static - something advertisers seek to avoid.
Things that are bottom-heavy ...reader tempted to turn the page.
Things that are top-heavy ...reader discouraged from continuing.
Text is considered the lightest element of a layout.
Heavier = darker, bigger, thicker
Rhythm - Created through repetition and consistency across a campaign.
E.g. headline, visual, logo, endline all in the same format/size.
Movement - our eyes naturally move in a Z shape across a page.
Shape and direction of images should guide the eyes through an ad.
Throughout the course, we've been told a few bits and pieces about art direction. But more often than not, we've been told that you learn by looking at award winning work, disecting why it works visually and then ingraining the techniques into your mind. I've found however, that Chapter 7: Designing to Communicate has given me the basic principles of design that wasn't consiously aware of beforehand. Some techniques (i.e. proportion - 'Golden Mean') link to those that I've previously learned in Photography (i.e Rule-of-Three).
The following are a few examples of techniques that I could apply when analysing the aethetics and art direction in future case studies.
Negative Space - the space that isn't filled.
A border of negative space should be left unless purposeful.
Lots of negative space creates a feeling of 'exclusivity'.
Gestalt - the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts.
Our eyes are drawn to these patterns, so we respond in predictable ways.
When an item is dissimilar to the objects around it, it commands attention.
Balance - Symmetrical balance can be static - something advertisers seek to avoid.
Things that are bottom-heavy ...reader tempted to turn the page.
Things that are top-heavy ...reader discouraged from continuing.
Text is considered the lightest element of a layout.
Heavier = darker, bigger, thicker
Rhythm - Created through repetition and consistency across a campaign.
E.g. headline, visual, logo, endline all in the same format/size.
Movement - our eyes naturally move in a Z shape across a page.
Shape and direction of images should guide the eyes through an ad.
Tuesday 19 October 2010
What's so romantic about Tony Kaye?
The notion of 'expression' best defines the difference between art and advertising.
Advertising is about selling an idea. Expression on the part of someone else.
Art is about creating individual experiences and responses. Expression of the self.
Tony Kaye is a rare bean that is responsible for a substantial amount of creative work in each discipline. Most notably to us advertisers as the director of Dunlop's 'Unexpected' (1994) and Volvo's 'Twister' (1996) commercials. His aesthetics in either discipline could be deemed surrealistic, yet Kaye's work, knowingly or not, rings truer to the ideals of the Romantic movement that occurred during the 18th century.
The era of Romanticism threw all rules upheld by the art world i.e. proportional figures, straight out of the window. It caused perceptions of art to change and the social value of art suddenly rose as people treated it as the most important knowledge generating device. The ideal of individual self-fulfillment is inscribed in Romantic philosophy making a clear distinction between art and advertising, where creativity is compromised in expressive freedom by the client or the marketplace. Even so, Nick Studzinski, Creative Director at Publicis claims that there are two types of creativity with the advertising industry: One follows the tradition of patronage-led art which works more narrowly within the limitation set by client and marketplace. The other gives the creative director a much freer hand at developing the concept and visuals, and it's this bracket that Kaye falls under.
Joan Gibbons captures a clear example of Kaye's artistic freedom in Art & Advertising. She comments on Kaye's 1999 ad for the Vauxhall Astra, where, mimicking a union gathering, babies make demands for better conditions:
"See his In the interests of authenticity, Kaye insisted on the actual presence of 800 babies, having trenches built for parents/nannies to hold the babies in place. Consequently he is able to produce a rare type of advertising that clearly draws its creativity from individual vision and from the ability to activate the imagination of the viewer in a way that had on notable occasions invoked the grander narratives of our culture rather than the everyday concerns of consumerism."
There seem to be four central motifs upheld within Romanticism:
The examples given above show how the central values of Romantic art weave throughout Tony Kaye's work, both as an advertiser and an artist. Yet whether this is a direct and knowing link is not entirely apparent. What is clear however is that almost every art movement involves themes that are universal and can be applied in almost any discipline. The surrealist fixation on the human subconscious for example, has cross-disciplinary ties with Freud's psychological theories. So indeed, Tony Kaye is a Romantic, just as much so as Sigmund Freud is a Surrealist.
Advertising is about selling an idea. Expression on the part of someone else.
Art is about creating individual experiences and responses. Expression of the self.
Tony Kaye is a rare bean that is responsible for a substantial amount of creative work in each discipline. Most notably to us advertisers as the director of Dunlop's 'Unexpected' (1994) and Volvo's 'Twister' (1996) commercials. His aesthetics in either discipline could be deemed surrealistic, yet Kaye's work, knowingly or not, rings truer to the ideals of the Romantic movement that occurred during the 18th century.
The era of Romanticism threw all rules upheld by the art world i.e. proportional figures, straight out of the window. It caused perceptions of art to change and the social value of art suddenly rose as people treated it as the most important knowledge generating device. The ideal of individual self-fulfillment is inscribed in Romantic philosophy making a clear distinction between art and advertising, where creativity is compromised in expressive freedom by the client or the marketplace. Even so, Nick Studzinski, Creative Director at Publicis claims that there are two types of creativity with the advertising industry: One follows the tradition of patronage-led art which works more narrowly within the limitation set by client and marketplace. The other gives the creative director a much freer hand at developing the concept and visuals, and it's this bracket that Kaye falls under.
Joan Gibbons captures a clear example of Kaye's artistic freedom in Art & Advertising. She comments on Kaye's 1999 ad for the Vauxhall Astra, where, mimicking a union gathering, babies make demands for better conditions:
"See his In the interests of authenticity, Kaye insisted on the actual presence of 800 babies, having trenches built for parents/nannies to hold the babies in place. Consequently he is able to produce a rare type of advertising that clearly draws its creativity from individual vision and from the ability to activate the imagination of the viewer in a way that had on notable occasions invoked the grander narratives of our culture rather than the everyday concerns of consumerism."
There seem to be four central motifs upheld within Romanticism:
- Expanding the bounds of experience
- Man vs. Nature
- Unpredictability of life
- Loss of innocence
The examples given above show how the central values of Romantic art weave throughout Tony Kaye's work, both as an advertiser and an artist. Yet whether this is a direct and knowing link is not entirely apparent. What is clear however is that almost every art movement involves themes that are universal and can be applied in almost any discipline. The surrealist fixation on the human subconscious for example, has cross-disciplinary ties with Freud's psychological theories. So indeed, Tony Kaye is a Romantic, just as much so as Sigmund Freud is a Surrealist.
Pot Noodle Sticky Rib - Strategic Case Study
'Rib it up' - Pot Noodle Sticky Rib flavour - Mother, London 2009
The variation in purchase decisions of fast-food/'cheap nibble' products is typically considered to not involve much thought, but instead be decided on the individual's opinion and feeling about the brand (low thinking/high feeling). This is different to the decision to purchase a car for example, where feeling plays a part, but is ultimately decided by logical reasoning (high thinking/low feeling) i.e. is the car in my price range? Is it eco-friendly? Will it protect my children if I crash? Is the boot space sufficient? Will it struggle to get across the muddy farmland where I live etc.
Pot Noodle falls under the cheap nibble category. Priced at less than £1, there's no financial burden placed on the consumer so the purchase decision is made in a split-second of seeing the product. In that split-second, the consumer gains an overall positive or negative emotion about the product which is defined as a 'soma' (The Advertised Mind, Eric Du Plessis). This soma is massively aided by the way in which the product is advertised.
DDB global (Doyle Dane Bernbach) define their strategy by breaking down the benefits of the product into four groups: practical, social, sensory and ego satisfaction (Creative Strategy in Advertising, Jewler & Drewniany). In doing so, the agency explores both the rational and emotional rewards the consumer can receive from the product.
Mother's 'Rib it up' spot for Pot Noodle is a tounge-in-cheek take on the U.K's chav-tastic youth and the associated music and visual culture. The commercial appears as a deliberately tacky low-budget garage music video, sporting all the stereotypical adornments i.e. Burberry cap, various bling, shiny tracksuits, blonde groupies with their hoods up, electronically filtered vocals, a shirtless bloke pumping iron etc.
The ridiculously fast tempo of the song, quick MC'ing and vibrant colours give the sensation that a lot happens in a Pot Noodle in a very short amount of time. This suggests that even though you simply add water, there's still a multitude of flavours. The practical benefit of Pot Noodle therefore seems to be that it is quick.
The social benefit is that you spend less time faffing around with dinner on a Friday night and get out with your mates sooner.
The sensory benefit (taste) is implied when the music breaks down and we hear the beautifully crafted vocals, "oooooooooh, with the flavour all over my lips". It's the cute blonde who sings these lyrics so the sexual connotations are obvious. But there could be a deeper meaning for the chaotic song having a moment of clarity - in that amoung all the crap that goes into a Pot Noodle, there are moments where you realise that there is in fact a distinctive flavour. And quite a tasty one at that.
As for the massage to the consumers's ego, I doubt anyone in their right mind would want to identify themselves as part of the culture in the commercial, but the consumer might identify themselves in the type of humor. It could also have implications as to the dynamic pace and energy of youth culture, suggesting that by spending too much time having a proper dinner on a Fri/Sat night, you're missing out on experiences with your mates. The ego-satisfaction therefore, is that Pot Noodle eaters are conscious of the experiences available around them and don't want to miss any of them by eating a nicer meal.
The variation in purchase decisions of fast-food/'cheap nibble' products is typically considered to not involve much thought, but instead be decided on the individual's opinion and feeling about the brand (low thinking/high feeling). This is different to the decision to purchase a car for example, where feeling plays a part, but is ultimately decided by logical reasoning (high thinking/low feeling) i.e. is the car in my price range? Is it eco-friendly? Will it protect my children if I crash? Is the boot space sufficient? Will it struggle to get across the muddy farmland where I live etc.
Pot Noodle falls under the cheap nibble category. Priced at less than £1, there's no financial burden placed on the consumer so the purchase decision is made in a split-second of seeing the product. In that split-second, the consumer gains an overall positive or negative emotion about the product which is defined as a 'soma' (The Advertised Mind, Eric Du Plessis). This soma is massively aided by the way in which the product is advertised.
DDB global (Doyle Dane Bernbach) define their strategy by breaking down the benefits of the product into four groups: practical, social, sensory and ego satisfaction (Creative Strategy in Advertising, Jewler & Drewniany). In doing so, the agency explores both the rational and emotional rewards the consumer can receive from the product.
Mother's 'Rib it up' spot for Pot Noodle is a tounge-in-cheek take on the U.K's chav-tastic youth and the associated music and visual culture. The commercial appears as a deliberately tacky low-budget garage music video, sporting all the stereotypical adornments i.e. Burberry cap, various bling, shiny tracksuits, blonde groupies with their hoods up, electronically filtered vocals, a shirtless bloke pumping iron etc.
The ridiculously fast tempo of the song, quick MC'ing and vibrant colours give the sensation that a lot happens in a Pot Noodle in a very short amount of time. This suggests that even though you simply add water, there's still a multitude of flavours. The practical benefit of Pot Noodle therefore seems to be that it is quick.
The social benefit is that you spend less time faffing around with dinner on a Friday night and get out with your mates sooner.
The sensory benefit (taste) is implied when the music breaks down and we hear the beautifully crafted vocals, "oooooooooh, with the flavour all over my lips". It's the cute blonde who sings these lyrics so the sexual connotations are obvious. But there could be a deeper meaning for the chaotic song having a moment of clarity - in that amoung all the crap that goes into a Pot Noodle, there are moments where you realise that there is in fact a distinctive flavour. And quite a tasty one at that.
As for the massage to the consumers's ego, I doubt anyone in their right mind would want to identify themselves as part of the culture in the commercial, but the consumer might identify themselves in the type of humor. It could also have implications as to the dynamic pace and energy of youth culture, suggesting that by spending too much time having a proper dinner on a Fri/Sat night, you're missing out on experiences with your mates. The ego-satisfaction therefore, is that Pot Noodle eaters are conscious of the experiences available around them and don't want to miss any of them by eating a nicer meal.
Marks in Time - The History of M&S
A couple of weeks back we visited the M&S archives at Leeds University. It would of been a wise idea to of completed this task shortly after the visit, however, I can't help but make an easy situation infinitely more difficult, so drawing from a few notes and a rusty memory, here goes...
1. Rupert Everett, Rachel (S Club 7), Des Lynam, Martine McCutcheon, Gordon Ramsay and Helen Mirren all star in M&S' 2004 Christmas commercial. M&S regards itself as a down-to-earth brand that has started from the bottom-up. Each one of these famous faces has not only started at the bottom and worked very hard to achieve success that is appreciated by many, but all are very honest characters who you could happily have round for a dinner-party. Except Ramsey maybe. Everett is male pillar of art/culture and passion, Ramsey is a strong-willed sign of masculinity who appeals to the perfectionist in us of all. McCutcheon is a symbol of a self-respecting female being comfortable with who she is. Mirren is an example of an independant woman driven by ambition. And good ol' Des will always be there to tell you the footy results.
2. The location for M&S' '07 Autumn range is on board the very swanky Orient Express. This instantly brings to mind striking visions of the Flying Scotsman tearing through the country, renowned for its beautiful heritage and admired by all. This references the proud history of M&S and links to the benefits of wearing their Autumn range - people will be in awe of you. The rustic Oak interior of the carriages, which pepper the commercial bring about a sense of tradition and reflection. As winter draws closer, people begin to reflect over the past year, so this gives the audience a chance to reflect upon the heritage of M&S. The colours also follow the Autumn theme, matching the clothing range, as well as suggesting other traits of Autumn, such as rich and hearty food: Steak & Ale pie, winter vegetables etc. all of which M&S also offer.
3. The 'Your M&S' ads started featuring celebrity models of all ages and types in 2005.
4. It was indeed the luscious, oozy, gooey, softly-trickling warm Chocolate Pudding which featured in the first 'Your M&S' ad. New factories had to be built to cope with the demand for this particular choccy pud-pud as sales increased by 3000%.
5. To celebrate 125 years of the M&S brand, RKCR's TV spot shows Twiggy - M&S' eldest (and some would argue, still the most gorgeous) face - taking us through a time-line of the brand. From the Penny Bazaar stalls, to the creation of microwavable meals, the pioneering of sell-by dates and fitted bras, all the way through to their current emphasis on tackling climate change. Twiggy has been their right from the first advertisment, so she represents an eternal symbol of the brand's longevity. She remains attractive to this day, just as M&S core principles remain the same to this day. She makes a sweeping statement that bolsters M&S' value of innovation:
"They've changed the way we eat, they've changed the way we dress, they're changing the way we treat out planet".
Sweeping though the statement may seem, the earlier mentions of microwaveable meals and fitted bras support the first two claims. This leads us to believe that M&S are doing everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint, therefore consolidating another of their core values: trust.
"No-one goes further to bring you the best possible food", links to the value of service. This leaves only the principles of quality and value remaining, both of which are cleaned up in the campaign's endline: 'Quality worth every penny'.
1. Marks & Spencer hold five core business principles. These are: quality, service, innovation, trust and value.
2. In any advertising for M&S, one, if not many of the core principles are to be translated across to the audience. It is the strategic approach of the advertising that controls how the message reaches the consumer. For example, in the 1960's commercial St Michael on Holiday, the location is very stylish and the house featured has very modern furnishings - a far cry from a run-of-the-mill family home - which portrays M&S as an innovative brand. The luxurious location further implies the quality of the clothing whilst the happy, smiling family who're wearing the garments allow to audience to trust what they see. How could this innocent looking family possibly being lying to us? Regardless of the wealthy appearance of the commercial, the general public were aware at the time of M&S' reasonable prices which gives a feeling of value for money.
Contemporary TV ads
2. The location for M&S' '07 Autumn range is on board the very swanky Orient Express. This instantly brings to mind striking visions of the Flying Scotsman tearing through the country, renowned for its beautiful heritage and admired by all. This references the proud history of M&S and links to the benefits of wearing their Autumn range - people will be in awe of you. The rustic Oak interior of the carriages, which pepper the commercial bring about a sense of tradition and reflection. As winter draws closer, people begin to reflect over the past year, so this gives the audience a chance to reflect upon the heritage of M&S. The colours also follow the Autumn theme, matching the clothing range, as well as suggesting other traits of Autumn, such as rich and hearty food: Steak & Ale pie, winter vegetables etc. all of which M&S also offer.
3. The 'Your M&S' ads started featuring celebrity models of all ages and types in 2005.
4. It was indeed the luscious, oozy, gooey, softly-trickling warm Chocolate Pudding which featured in the first 'Your M&S' ad. New factories had to be built to cope with the demand for this particular choccy pud-pud as sales increased by 3000%.
5. To celebrate 125 years of the M&S brand, RKCR's TV spot shows Twiggy - M&S' eldest (and some would argue, still the most gorgeous) face - taking us through a time-line of the brand. From the Penny Bazaar stalls, to the creation of microwavable meals, the pioneering of sell-by dates and fitted bras, all the way through to their current emphasis on tackling climate change. Twiggy has been their right from the first advertisment, so she represents an eternal symbol of the brand's longevity. She remains attractive to this day, just as M&S core principles remain the same to this day. She makes a sweeping statement that bolsters M&S' value of innovation:
"They've changed the way we eat, they've changed the way we dress, they're changing the way we treat out planet".
Sweeping though the statement may seem, the earlier mentions of microwaveable meals and fitted bras support the first two claims. This leads us to believe that M&S are doing everything they can to reduce their carbon footprint, therefore consolidating another of their core values: trust.
"No-one goes further to bring you the best possible food", links to the value of service. This leaves only the principles of quality and value remaining, both of which are cleaned up in the campaign's endline: 'Quality worth every penny'.
Friday 8 October 2010
Does my bank account look funny to you?
Now, I understand the vulnerability in expressing my views about things created by agencies who, in a year or so, I may want to work for, therefore I shall choose my words very carefully.
My bank account is not funny.
And I’m certainly not laughing at its balance.
So I simply don’t understand the current eagerness to bring humor into ad campaigns for financial institutions, namely Nationwide’s ‘Little Britain sketches’ and Halifax’s ‘Halifax FM’. Especially when the humor is just plain not funny.
I dont mean to be glum. Maybe the banks want to give us all a break from the constant economic doom and gloom that has plagued the media for the last couple of years. But surely I’m not wrong in thinking that when everyone is counting their pennies, they’re more likely to appreciate a bit of reassurance from their bank telling them that their hard earned cash is taken seriously.
I’m a Nationwide account holder. And I found Little Britain funny. But it’s had it’s day. I remember Trevor Beattie saying in a talk he gave to our course something along the lines of:
‘…ads are mortal creatures. They have their day, then they die, ceasing to work. As what worked then, worked, because it was then. Not now.’
Or something like that.
Little Britain is funny. But it was funnier a few years ago. So why bring it into a campaign now? Especially when advertising is supposedly built on ‘originality’ and ‘innovation’. And if I was a Halifax customer I’d be asking why my bank’s employees seem to be spending more time pissing around making radio shows than looking after my money…
On the flipside, Natwest seem to have nailed it with their ‘Customer Charter’ campaign. It’s not exactly entertaining, but it tells me what they’re currently doing to benefit me and my money, which is financially entertaining. Ambitious, uplifting music also accompanies the TV commercial, which not only sheds some light on our economic situation, but makes a welcome change from that soul-destroying ‘yeaaah, yeaaah, yeaaah’ sample in the Halifax FM ad.
This year on my course we’re focussing on strategy, so as yet, who am I really to judge the strategic approach in these ads? James Boulton, divisional director of customer strategy and marketing at Nationwide comments, “The new TV ads are iconic, full of humour and are a natural foil for the common sense approach Nationwide has to financial services”. As a customer with both Natwest and Nationwide, my consumer viewpoint matters more than my creative one. And, I’m sorry to say James, that my current view as a consumer is that Natwest are doing their job, whilst Nationwide are too busy watching Little Britain re-runs.
See the ads below:
Halifax ‘Halifax FM’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swC4UfWcNrY
Nationwide ‘Little Britain’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKK7aGNF-M8
Natwest ‘Customer Charter’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMc3ckjYJx4
My bank account is not funny.
And I’m certainly not laughing at its balance.
So I simply don’t understand the current eagerness to bring humor into ad campaigns for financial institutions, namely Nationwide’s ‘Little Britain sketches’ and Halifax’s ‘Halifax FM’. Especially when the humor is just plain not funny.
I dont mean to be glum. Maybe the banks want to give us all a break from the constant economic doom and gloom that has plagued the media for the last couple of years. But surely I’m not wrong in thinking that when everyone is counting their pennies, they’re more likely to appreciate a bit of reassurance from their bank telling them that their hard earned cash is taken seriously.
I’m a Nationwide account holder. And I found Little Britain funny. But it’s had it’s day. I remember Trevor Beattie saying in a talk he gave to our course something along the lines of:
‘…ads are mortal creatures. They have their day, then they die, ceasing to work. As what worked then, worked, because it was then. Not now.’
Or something like that.
Little Britain is funny. But it was funnier a few years ago. So why bring it into a campaign now? Especially when advertising is supposedly built on ‘originality’ and ‘innovation’. And if I was a Halifax customer I’d be asking why my bank’s employees seem to be spending more time pissing around making radio shows than looking after my money…
On the flipside, Natwest seem to have nailed it with their ‘Customer Charter’ campaign. It’s not exactly entertaining, but it tells me what they’re currently doing to benefit me and my money, which is financially entertaining. Ambitious, uplifting music also accompanies the TV commercial, which not only sheds some light on our economic situation, but makes a welcome change from that soul-destroying ‘yeaaah, yeaaah, yeaaah’ sample in the Halifax FM ad.
This year on my course we’re focussing on strategy, so as yet, who am I really to judge the strategic approach in these ads? James Boulton, divisional director of customer strategy and marketing at Nationwide comments, “The new TV ads are iconic, full of humour and are a natural foil for the common sense approach Nationwide has to financial services”. As a customer with both Natwest and Nationwide, my consumer viewpoint matters more than my creative one. And, I’m sorry to say James, that my current view as a consumer is that Natwest are doing their job, whilst Nationwide are too busy watching Little Britain re-runs.
See the ads below:
Halifax ‘Halifax FM’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swC4UfWcNrY
Nationwide ‘Little Britain’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKK7aGNF-M8
Natwest ‘Customer Charter’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMc3ckjYJx4
Puma - 'After Hours Athletes'
Normally I’d find myself saying, those guys at Nike or Adidas have done it again.
Never have I found myself telling someone ‘You need to check the new Puma ad’.
Until now.
Puma have probably known for some time that the althetic draws of their footwear simply can’t compete with that of Nike or Adidas. Yet their casual footwear holds an aura of style on the increasing number of 20-somethings that seem to be sporting them.
Realising this, they’ve put together an amazing celebration of the ‘After Hours Athletes’. Anyone who says there’s not an ounce of competitiveness inside them is a liar. Competition is by no means a bad thing - how boring would the world be without it?
There’s an athlete inside all of us, as a description of the ad states, “even if the only time we run is to catch a cab home”. Think about it, the least competitive person in the world will still be eager to reach the front of the kebab shop queue at the end of the night.
This beautifully shot selection of scenes shines an innocence on the concept of ‘competition’. The penultimate shot, when the guy shoots a casual overhead shot at the garbage truck, sums it all up for me. It comes across as though it’s the potential match-winner in a high profile basketball game.
He misses.
It happens, so what?
He’ll just pick it up and put it in the next bin, just like a basketballer will score the next match winner.
Although competition can sometimes be harmful, it is nevertheless a wonderful thing which brings people together.
Top marks to Puma for reminding us all.
Never have I found myself telling someone ‘You need to check the new Puma ad’.
Until now.
Puma have probably known for some time that the althetic draws of their footwear simply can’t compete with that of Nike or Adidas. Yet their casual footwear holds an aura of style on the increasing number of 20-somethings that seem to be sporting them.
Realising this, they’ve put together an amazing celebration of the ‘After Hours Athletes’. Anyone who says there’s not an ounce of competitiveness inside them is a liar. Competition is by no means a bad thing - how boring would the world be without it?
There’s an athlete inside all of us, as a description of the ad states, “even if the only time we run is to catch a cab home”. Think about it, the least competitive person in the world will still be eager to reach the front of the kebab shop queue at the end of the night.
This beautifully shot selection of scenes shines an innocence on the concept of ‘competition’. The penultimate shot, when the guy shoots a casual overhead shot at the garbage truck, sums it all up for me. It comes across as though it’s the potential match-winner in a high profile basketball game.
He misses.
It happens, so what?
He’ll just pick it up and put it in the next bin, just like a basketballer will score the next match winner.
Although competition can sometimes be harmful, it is nevertheless a wonderful thing which brings people together.
Top marks to Puma for reminding us all.
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