Korean Emart recently placed 3D QR code
sculptures throughout the city of Seoul that could only be scanned between noon
and 1 pm each day — consumers who succeeded were rewarded with discounts at the
store during those quiet shopping hours.
Dubbed “Sunny Sale,” Emart’s effort involved setting up a series of what it
calls “shadow” QR codes that depend on peak sunlight for proper viewing and
were scannable only between 12 and 1 pm each day.
The video below explains all this in more detail in a frankly, pretty chee-zee way, pity.
Seldom do you see such a perfect example of how agencies are getting it wrong. What this. It's an impressive piece of sponsored entertainment. Care has gone into the ad, it's been crafted well; nicely written, faithfully shot and KS hasn't jus dialled it in. So full marks.
I don't know about the strategy so much, I'm guessing Acer aren't cool and need some cred if people are to buy them, if it's meant to be doing anything else, then that went way over my head.
So far, so okay.
But what is the ad really for, as viewed by the public? Dynamite Cupcakes
Dynamite Cupcakes of course. Just look at the end frame.
After all those sqillions they've spent getting noticed, what do they do? Click through to DynamiteCupcakes.com to find out.
What a wasted opportunity. What a complete misunderstanding of how we consume media today. What a wasted commercial.
And what makes it sadder on a personal level is that it was made by Mother, an agency that really should know better.
And all for the cost of the on set catering, even with KS was supplying the cakes.
Every now and them I'm ashamed to be an ad agency creative.
Mostly it's as a result of looking at a bunch of self-important twats getting drunk and snorting coke at an awards night - but occassionaly it's because of the work.
Here's one such an example. And it highlights perfectly the problem aging adlands less talented creatives have. YOU CAN NO LONGER SIMPLY GO OFF AND COPY SOMETHING YOU'VE SEEN ELSEWHERE AND CLAIM IT FOR A CLIENT.
And never, ever, ever,EVER copy something so badly as to sanitise it to such a degree that a global panel of P&Gs finest would all nod their approval at the level of banality you have achieved,
I call this putting a treat in your copy. It's putting something in the copy that rewards the reader with more than straight information. My thought process is that, if they are rewarded with a little treat for reading, even when they aren't really interested in what you have to say they will happily stay with you for the treats.
I doesn't work in a lot of written mediums but is perfect for public notices or DM mailouts or website and google searches, Why, it even helped build a brand at Innocent
Anyone who spends anytime reading this blog will know that Howard Gossage is a bit of hero of mine. He was smart and when I want to look smart I repeat what he says. Stuff like, 'People don't read ads, they read what interests them. And sometimes it happens to be an ad.' Well, here's the proof.
The above is an ad for a wet suit. It comes with some pretty long copy in the description, which if I'm honest, isn't as well written as it could be, but the effort put in to it is commendable and it's effective is in the viewing figures which, currently stand at over 25,000. People are even engaging with him via email.
So, the next time some brain dead parroteer wants to tell you that no one reads anymore, send him this link and politley explain that it's all a question of content.
CBS Outdoor have asked me to promote their competition for a long copy
cross-track poster here on my blog. And why not, it seems very much the kind of thing I'm
always championing, the importance of the written word, crafting narratives, storytelling skills blah, blah, blah.
About 5 years ago when I was an ECD, there was another of these competitions and we managed to get 3 of our 4 entries into the final, I mention this because then the competition, which may or many not have been run by CBS, was billed as long copy and encouraged long copy, I think our entries were 500-600 + words. It was fun to have the chance to prove Howard Gossage right when he said, People read what interests them. And sometimes that's an ad.
Now, though, according to CBS, long copy is 50 to 200 words, which seems to me such a shame as that's no more than a lengthy facebook post at one end and a short blog rant a the other.(Although you can use 300 words to explain why you've entered)
I hope they get loads of entries and the all the publicity they need from it, I just wish they'd been bolder with the length - cross tracks are after all the perfect medium for words.
Anyway they have some pretty smart judges that it's probably worth you getting your name in front of if you're that way inclined
While the pay off is perhaps obvious. The bumper -the line after the joke that's there to get the big laugh - works really well. Nice performances too.
Then there's this one. I thought this worth commenting on for the quality of the writing and the fact that they've made the assumption that the viewer will get what's going on without any heavy explanation - we're made to discover at the same time as the guy at the bar does. (That said, the strapline so doesn't work.)
Over at the If This Is A Blog Then What's Christmas? Blog, Ben Kay has written a piece on why you should not bother writing dialogue for TV commercials. Do go and read the whole thing here
Now I should say that I don't know Ben, never, to my knowledge, even met him, but I read his blog and enjoy much of what is there. I also have a suspicion that he's a little bit of a weasel and that this post is really meant to provoke a reaction rather than share a passionately held belief - all of which is perfectly fine with me, I've been known to do it myself.
But I passionately disagree with the premise behind the post that says; writing good dialogue is hard, you certainly shouldn't give it ago, copywriter. In fact you're probably so shit at it that you should leave it to chance/the actor (the actor! Christ, they're the last people you should leave anything to)/director, in fact anyone else in the room as all of them can write dialogue better than you.
Apparently it is also a waste of time as it locks your idea down too much allowing clients to concentrate on the specifics and pick your dialogue apart which it is implied will get your idea thrown out altogether
Although he does make the valid point that not reading out dialogue when presenting a script helps get the idea across without the whole thing getting "all choppy and losing the flow." Which is very true if you're not one of those creatives who can't put performance into their presentation.
He also claims that writing dialogue prevents 'the magic happening' as it leaves no room for 'accidents to happen'. Well, they're not mutually exclusive.
Having wasted too many hours at script-read-throughs where a film script has been rewritten tens if not hundreds of times over a 6-12 months, period I can assure you that is far from the case. Likewise, being in a writers room where people are pulling apart and building your lovingly crafted ideas and dialogue - surround yourself with the right people and your work can only get better. But to assume they'll do the hard work for you will just get you sack (as well it should). It also brings me to his last reason as to why you shouldn't bother, it's a waste of time - WTF. I shall say nothing more on this than that's plain fucking lazy.
The truth as I see it is, done well, where it has been crafted with skill, with a ear for rhythm, region, age and an understanding of character and personality It will enhance your script, any script, perhaps especially when it's for a 30 second commercial.
End of rant.
Well almost, I just have to comment on this last quote:
By the way, none of the above applies to radio ads which need to be buttoned the fuck down before you go in. You can still have wiggle room, but very few actors/VOs like to be told to make shit up on the spot.
So there you have it, I care about my TV reel, but fuck radio, it's full of talentless fucks anyway. Which, going by the shameful state of most radio ads is a view shared by most of the industry.
I host a workshop from time to time called There are only 7 ideas in Advertising. It pretty much claims what it says, that there are only seven ideas in advertising, in much the same way there are only 7 stories and 3 jokes and only 4 real flavours for crisps
During it I claim that creatives would do well to focus on crafting executions along one or more of these 7 structures rather than keep aimlessly wandering around in a creative fog coming up with random executions that appear.
And that if you do, it's amazing how quickly you'll get to a solution. Yet so many creatives are reluctant to accept that there is an easier way to do their job. Instead choosing to believe that what they do is mythical and requires much struggling and sweating and waiting for divine intervention from the gods of inspiration or some such bollocks.
An example then.
One of the 7 ideas is The Spokesman, where this archetype addresses the audience to explain/demonstrate the product. At it's dullest/least creative it results in a classic 2C in a K execution, but crafted and developed you could end up with something as sublime as the Al and Monkey campaign for ITV digital, or everyone's current favourite du jour, Old Spice.
I also point to You've been framed. as an example of an old, often lame idea being turned on it's head.
For the first, whatever years of its existence it YBF was utter shite. Some of the worst TV there was, it probably hit rock bottom when some lardy ex-soap actress hosted it. But over the last few years it;s became funny. Really funny
What changed? Not the content, it still shows the same trashy, lame family video footage, but now Harry Hill comments on them. And so, instead of a bunch of lame puns and word play and limp jokes we get genuinely funny commentary. And that is all it took.
So, worry less about what your idea is and worry more about how to show it at it's best.
I promise you that is not an exaggeration. 'His personality is so magnetic he can't carry credit cards' - quality.
This is a compilation of the campaign. Enjoy.
Apologies about the cropping - probably best viewed here.
This has done the rounds on a few blogs, but it's right up my street and so I'm adding it to mine. It's from the Guardian. Part One. And Part Two, My personal favourites
Do it every day. Make a habit of putting your observations into words
and gradually this will become instinct. This is the most important
rule of all and, naturally, I don't follow it. - Geoff Dyer
Description is hard. Remember that all description is an opinion about the world. Find a place to stand. - Anne Enright
It's doubtful that anyone with an internet connection at his workplace is writing good fiction. - Jonathan Franzen
Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or
doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you
exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are
almost always wrong. - Neil Gaiman
Style is the art of getting yourself out of the way, not putting yourself in it. - David Hare
By the same token remember how much time people spend
watching TV. If you're writing a novel with a contemporary setting
there need to be long passages where nothing happens save for TV
watching: "Later, George watched Grand Designs while eating HobNobs. Later still he watched the shopping channel for a while . - Will Self
Turn up for work. Discipline allows creative freedom. No discipline equals no freedom.- Jeanette Winterson
I've been thinking a lot lately about creativity, and what it really means in advertising. It was prompted by a conversation with a top ECD at one those agencies every creative wants to work at.
We were talking about the Stieg Larsson books and he said he had no intention of reading them as they're now so popular. But later went on about how brilliant he thought White Ribbon and Tank Fish were. Now as good as they are, I suspect what appealed was as much down to their obscurity as their originality.
And then I read this in the Independent this morning.
Why is it an industry that needs by definition to be as popularist as possible tends to shun what the public love? This wasn't the case 50, 30, even 20 years ago. (And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the public know what's good creatively, just that they do know what they like and for adland that's a good place to start.)
Well, here's my theory.
Unlike the creatives of yesteryear most creatives don't know what they're doing.
Let me explain.
Back in the day, creatives knew what they were doing. They were salesmen, who sold. They were writers who wrote. They were artists who art directed. Today's creatives stumble into advertising very confused about themselves, they can't sell, they can't write and they can't art direct.
And the industry must share some of the blame, Are you aware that not one adland course in the UK teaches craft? Do you know of any agency that spends time teaching writing skills, or how to create characters, or build a narrative flow, or the principles behind art directing a page, or even the craft of film making - camera angles, or why a film score works or doesn't work, or the principles behind editing? And before you say surely these are the responsibilities of the professionals they hire, well it's creatives who select them, so without even a basic understanding of their crafts what criteria are they using? Invariably, what will my peers think of me working with him?
The end result, insecurity and ignorance reign and so they seek out the obscure and the hardly seen as a way of looking like they know what they're doing. And of course appearing cool.
I wrote some poetry recently. Never done it before It happened because I was reading something on the subject where they defined poetry as, making the familiar unfamiliar and the unfamiliar familiar. I don't know if that is true or even a good definition of poetry, but I liked it and I thought I'd give it a go.
Of course I've no intention of subjecting you to it up here, that wasn't the point. But I did discover something useful.
Usually when I have to write something, the number of words aren't too important and so I can ramble on a bit, even when I write to a short(ish) word count. Stuff like this.
Poetry is something different in that each and every word counts. And counts massively. You really have to think about it's value, you really have to search for the exact words. It's fucking tough. It's not like polishing a draft or rewriting something to make it flow better, poetry only works when you give each and every word complete consideration.
And so I'm going to write some more, not because I want to be a poet, not because I'm any good, not even because I enjoy it, but because I think I will be a better writer for it, I think I will respect words more.
On Sunday night The Southbank Show (don't bother clicking on the link if you want to see the programme, they don't have it up, yet. Or maybe never, I have no way of telling and itv aren't saying).
Anyway, it was about Pixar and John Lasseter and what a wonderfully smart man he seems to be.
"I'm the thickest person here now, as we always make a point of employing people smarter than us." Okay, something we've not heard all before and certainly not true but you got a real sense that he believes that you employ people for their thinking and not someone who can regurgitate your own thinking for you.
He also spent some time explaining about how, when he saw the computer generated animation film Tron, he was blown away by it. Not the film, but the fact that he could see the opportunity the technology offered. But the film flopped and the industry said people didn't want to see computer animation, when really they didn't want to see a shit film. So, when Toy Story came along and it went massive, the industry line was that people didn't want to see hand drawn animation and that the future was in computers.
Which is, of course, also bollocks. And he said as much. He couldn't understand why the debate wasn all about technology and not stories and engaging with the audience.
And so when he took over creative control of Disney he commissioned a new hand drawn film and got some of the old school Disney artists back to run it. I think I should rephrase that, He reemployed a bunch of guys who had been put out to pasture, because they had the right skill sets and he appreciates that the craft.
The parallels to our industry are obvious and so I won't insult your intelligence spelling it out.
Oh and he also said, quality is the best business plan. And I'm going to be saying that a lot from now on.
It's one of those campaigns people either love or hate, but everyone's noticed regardless. It's also become part of the wider culture. Why? Well apart from the freshness and attention to detail and downright lunacy of the idea they've also added some smart touches to give the campaign some more depth.
Stuff like showing bloopers and getting Aleksandr, the main character/spokesman, interviewedby the press.
Long may it continue. Big props to Compare the Market too.
One of my many theories, I have one on pretty much everything by the way, is that we in comms who write comedy as a means to sell consumers stuff need to look at the wider, broader spectrum offered by comedians and not jut look at ads for guidance. Obvious one that I know, so why the hell doesn't the average creative bother then? I blogged about it here.
I also believe that there are 3 stages in the life of a brand's brilliant voice. 1) The creation of something original, thus creating stand out 2) The copying by many, thus making it trite and ubiquitous 3) A strong reaction against it, which is normally the opposite to it, and is implimented by an equally talented company, but not necessarily in the same sector.
So, if we take the the once brilliant and much copied (badly) Innocent drinks, where life is good in whimsical, middle England's very own Nappy valley. When it came out it was inspired, it connected in a way that most brands didn't (and don't) and success followed. (phase1)
Then came the many imitators. (phase2)
So what of phase 3? Well I'm coming to that. If my theory is right then we could soon see a brand soon that deliberately provokes it's audience/consumers with it's anger and bad-temperedness. It's already happened in the wider spectrum of comedy where to offend is the material de jour, (So with two theories combining I had to post, right?)
I even wrote a blog to experiment along these lines - until I forgot my password which was then sent to an email address that I no longer have access to and so haven't been able to contiue with, which really, really pissed me off, I can tell you. Anyway I digress.
Should a brand talk to it's consumers like a Jack Dee or a Ricky Gervais? I believe 100% yes,but only if it's as brilliantly written and presented as guys like this. So that means a probable no then.
I was listening to the Radio 4's Front Row programme the other day, Russel T Davies was on talking about drama. For him the new drama is reality shows. He even went further and said that the piece of drama that had impressed him most recently was the Susan Boyle saga.
He went on to say that he wasn't just talking about her coming on stage and belting out her song but the way in which her story was played out afterwards keeping her in the public's mind for weeks. He had real admiration for the people behind it.
For me, the most impressive drama has been the Katie/Jordan V Peter split. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of them or their desperate desire to live their lives in the public eye, but I do think that like Paris Hilton, they have shown those of us in the comms industry much in the way of how campaigns can be structure and played out in the future.
And I'm chuffed to bits that Russel T Davies thinks along similar lines.
I’ve been working up this theory on writing for blogs to support a presentation and possibly create a new revenue stream for us. So I thought I'd share my thinking with you guys see if anyone wants to contribute.
It’s about blogging - I'll share my thoughts on tweets later - and how brands should approach it in a more focused way
Right now brand blogging in the UK is in its infancy and because it’s cheap and quick and readership numbers are currently relatively small for most brand blogs, it gets treated with more contempt than this years BB contestants.
However, a quick glance across the pond will tell you that that doesn’t have to be the case. In fact a well-written, focused blog that serves and articulates a purpose, one that rewards readership can and does deliver a meaningful relationship that can be incredibly valuable to the brand.
But, this will not happen if you treat it as a freebie bolted-on to the main campaign because, well it’s cheap, trendy and so now, and that’s the kind of brand we are, so why not do it? Plus there’s a box here I have to tick, right next to the iphone app and the facebook widget. And, anyway, isn’t that what interns are for?
So the outcome is something that resembles a personal diary packed with minor milestones such as –
The sun is shining today, so why not go out and buy one of our new limited edition range of choc-ices. There are 3 to choose from lemon and lime, mango and multi-berry. Hurry and do let us know which one is your favourite. Yummy.
All written by someone who loves to replace full stops with :-) and can’t wait until a computer allows them to dot i’s with smiley faces.
The alternative to this, of course, is the dullard who thinks people love to read instruction manuals about products.
In short then, the kind of thing that no sane person can tolerate. And so a self-fulfilling prophecy that blogs aren’t important or effective.
And so, the next campaign gets the same blog treatment.
Now consider an alternative approach. Consider one where a blog is given a real purpose or positioning in a campaign, with a real benefit to consumers and is skilfully constructed and written by someone who understands narrative structure and the power of the written word.
What would that look like?
Well, I think a blog closely resembles two modern day narratives. Those of a reality TV show, like say, The Apprentice and that of a sitcom or soap.
How so, you say?
Well, a reality TV series is built around a script that is flexible enough to incorporate the unpredictable, the reality element, it doesn’t dictate the outcome but does add structure and order where there possibly isn’t any.
Characters are selected based on their personality traits and assigned a potential role in the series (the fool, the bitch, the quiet one who will flourish etc).
These roles are then clearly defined in the early stages and reaffirmed in subsequent episodes. So the dimwit character is edited to confirm his dimwittedness, the nasty bitch has only her bitchy acts included in the final edit and so on. Now established these characters can play their role in a pre-determined - albeit loosely plotted - script that has been drawn up from the beginning.
A manipulation of reality, but a reality none the less.
Having become familiar with the characters we the audience can sit back and enjoy the drama unfold, safe in the knowledge of who is who and how they will react in certain situations.
Not too dissimilar to characters in a sitcom or soap.
In this genre the characters have clearly defined personality traits that don’t change. It’s one of the few genres where this happens. Normally in a film or other drama, the lead character goes on a journey, a character-arc that changes him/her in some way forever. The workaholic at the beginning of the film discovers the importance of community and/or family. The idealist gets dealt a blow by fate preventing him from escaping his past and leaving him resigned to accept his lot etc.
But not so in the world of Soaps and Sitcoms. The reason they don’t change is because familiarity is what makes a soap a Soap, a sitcom a Sitcom. Dell Boy has to always chase the dream of being a millionaire, it’s that that determines the comedy. He can never become one nor can he change and discover less materialistic goals.
Likewise, Phil Mitchell of Albert Square is doomed to forever be the violent petty criminal he is. So, whatever situation he finds himself in he must act accordingly – not for him the enlightenment of learning the power of arbitration and peaceful compromise.
The reason both of these genres follow this path is because of why they are viewed and their relationship with the viewer.
They rely on repeat and frequent viewing, so they need to be consistent - people enjoy and need this familiarity, it allows them to build connections and feel a sense of loyalty to the characters.
And these character can’t be too complex and instead need to follow a simple human desire or personality trait because these genres also need to stand alone as pieces of entertainment and drama in their own right, so that infrequent or new views can easily grasp what is going on and quickly decide for themselves whether this is something for them.
What does all this sound like from a user experience, well to me, blogs.
So, before establishing a blog, define it’s role, define the narrative arc - what’s it’s purpose, what is it offering, what’s the story (know the beginning, middle and end). Establish who the characters are (people or product points) and what their role in the story is.
Oh and finally, give it to a writer. Someone that wants to write and who understands these things (which is why we have been quietly recruiting screenwriters, gag writers, comedy writers, journalists and novelists to write treatments and plot narratives for clients blogs).
Then you might have a blog that will attract considerable loyal readership who will engage and return to it time and time again and share their experience of it with others – much like a good Soap or Sitcom
If this does or doesn’t make sense, or you want to challenge it some more, or you fancy joining the writers’ database, feel free to get in touch.
And now, just for fun and as way of a thank you for getting to the end, a completely unrelated video clip, other than featuring Alan Sugar, I present Cassetteboys best
You can just see it now. Everything from computers, phones, games manufactures, insurance, even a COI excerise more campaign, all joining the race to use this first.
The photographer is Christophe Beauregard. His aim is to explore the ways in which technology has shaped our body language “to the point of creating new codes, new signs.” By removing the physical gadget from his photos he leaves just the interaction.
There was an article in The Guardian at the weekend, featuring Paul Fieg sharing his wisdom on comedy writing. It was pretty lightweight if I'm honest but there was still one or two gems of wisdom which would benefit any copywriter about to tackle his/her next script
Stuff like:
There are so many comedies that portray people living in the suburbs as
living ridiculous or hypocritical lives. But I grew up in the suburbs
of Michigan in midwest America and tend to think that everyone is just
trying to get through life as best they can. You don't have to sneer or
poke fun at them to get a laugh."
"A great comedy is about real characters who make you laugh because you
appreciate their personalities and how they react to particular
situations. They have to be believable human beings, not just vehicles
for gags."
"If you're trying to make a great comedy, most of your time and effort
should go into casting. Find the right actors and let them do their
thing."
Once again, I'm reminded of a particualr bug bear of mine. The lack of time and effort that contemporay ad agencies spend on the craft side of what they do. And yet, this is for me is where the effort needs to be applied especially now, especially the written word.
I get down from my soap box now, before this becomes a full on rant
I've been aware for a while now, about this trend appearing. The Americans have a name for it,of sorts, Madison and Vine, it's the combination of advertising and entertainment. And the rightly awarded and previously commented on here back in January, The Queensland Best Job in the World campaign is the latest example.
This Thursday at 9pm the BBC are showing an hour long programme covering the final round of the competition, when an English lad called Ben is selected from the final 16.
Currently, I haven't been able to find out much behind the production company behind it, but if this wasn't conceived and made by, or at the very least pitched to production companies by CumminsNitro then it bloody well should have been.
Either way, a smart conclusion to a smart campaign.
With TV desperate for content this is definitely a trend that is going to go from strength to strength and yet another example of the return to a pre50's ad/comms model.
Meet Jonathan Harris, he's an artist and computer scientist and the sort of person that makes you feel perhaps you're wasting your life. Not that he's smug about what he's doing, it's just that it's so vital, full of energy and relevance that whatever it is you're filling your days with becomes a little more pointless in comparison
His work celebrates the world's diversity even as it illustrates the universal concerns of its occupants. His computer programs scour the Internet for unfiltered content, which his beautiful interfaces then organize to create coherence from the chaos.
I like this, it's a little whimsical and odd, but why not. I like the fact that I don't know if it's an 'offical' ad or some quirky personal film. Either way I think it approaches the subject matter in a very fresh way - which is always a good thing. I also love the fact that it gets the message across very clearly without using words.
Richard Funch so rocks. Expect to see him on billboards very soon, maybe for BA, maybe for AT&T, maybe even Sony PSP. Don't move along, plenty more to see here
This is just one of those lovingly executed ideas that is so going to have it's heart ripped out and end up in an ad. My money is on mobile communications, or maybe a broadband offering, but don't be surprised if you see a car logo or the COI dangling from the end of it.
Ornamental Life are a Danish design company, who have taken some chipped white plates and painted the most delicate of little flowers on them. Thus turning the flaw into a feature. I think they're beautiful. If you do too and want to see some more, you can do so here .
I wasn't going to join in with the love-in that is blogging about the new Cadbury's ad. But so few people have offered anything other than uncritical praise for it that I feel compelled to add my view, if only to annoy those who believe love is blind.
I have nothing but praise for the craft behind the ad. Quality casting, great track and the addition of the balloon is genius, but for me something critical is missing, something Gorilla had in spades. And that is.....
...... anticipation. (see what I did there?)
So much of the impact of that ad is in the waiting.
I absolutely love this site. It's called Pretty Loaded and while celebrating the loading bar, it manages to show that if you be bothered to care and love your craft, every element of your website, even the most mundane ones, can be an opportunity to engage and delight.
One of my intentions for this blog in 2009 is to become a dumping
ground for inspiration, so I no longer have to bookmark stuff all the time. And I think this site which is a blog can kick it all off, it's all about the t-shirt - which are starting to rival the paperback book in fine design.
In what seems like another life now, I once spent 4/5 years in the film industry and boy is it dominated by fear, conservatism (possibly the same thing) and more fear. Which is a pity because there are some really sharp people working really hard trying not to make it so. So when I saw this remixed trailer from addictive tv, my heart was lifted a little. I love it.
Once you get away from the agents'/artists' contractual obligations and studio executive notes, a trailer can actually be a thing of interest, enjoyment and information.
I was also lucky enough to see the film over Christmas (nothing dodgy, just one of the many benefits of being a member of BAFTA) and loved that too.
There was a time when creatives could steal a smart idea from any number of sources; a student's graduation film, some obscure art house nonsense, a pop video, and the like - safe in the knowledge that few would know the source and so their originality could be lavished with money and awards.
In two memorable cases I can think of, the only contribution from 'inspiration' to ad was literally just adding a company's logo - okay so they made the connection between what they saw and a product). And both won loads of awards.
But that was before YouTube hosted everything and made it available to everyone. Which has made being a creative both so much easier and so much harder - oh, the irony.
So, I thought I'd start an occasional series showing the inspiration for ads hitting your screens in the coming months. (Feel free to join in with your own suggestions).
First up is for a sauce, something with the endline: Make your meal a masterpiece, or something about an artist's palate (getit?!)
Had an interesting conversation with a client this morning, all about being a creative. And he was surprised to hear me say that being a creative is mostly about rejection. Well, if you care about what you do it is.
You reject your ideas. If you're still working in a team, your partner rejects your ideas. Your boss rejects your ideas. Planners, account people, research groups and clients reject your ideas.
So, if you're going to work as a creative, and you should it's brilliant fun at times, then you should grow a thick skin, quickly and embrace rejection.
Reminds me of something someone said to me about sportsmen and women. The best lose more than the rest.
Turns out to be a good week for work. Here's an impressive online game full of wit and style from a partnership between North Kingdom and Goodby Silverstein and Partners. I love the attention to detail and the depth of the experience. This was obviously put together by people who cared. Full credit should go to the California Milk Processing Board for stumping up the cash.
I don't know much about Nine Inch Nails. I know I don't like their music. I know I love their marketing skills.
To launch their new album, Year Zero, they included URL clues on their tour t-shirts which lead fans to websites that described an apocalyptic vision of the US. Memory sticks were found in toilets with tracks on them. Samples of tracks were played on radio stations unannounced in the wee small hours. Telephone numbers appeared on fan sites. All very clandestine, all very brilliant. All very I love Bees.
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