Here Be Monsters|blog

The status quo requires everyone to do nothing

I had a choice of watching Chelsea in the Champions League last night or the Money Programme : The Rise of the Superchef (which you can still catch on iplayer). Obviously I choose the latter, I'm no fool.

And what interested me most about the show was the rise and full of Delia Smith.  Arguably the first modern day celebrity chef (And yes, I know there was Fanny and the Galloping Gourmet, but they don't really relate to the point I wish to make here). 

Delia started out on kids TV and morphed into the TV cook of the 80s. Her books were responsible for teaching a lost generation how to cook. And then.

Well, then she became old-fashioned and outdated almost over night. And you can see in the show that even now, she has no idea why. Because she didn't change, she remained the same Delia she had always been, doing the same thing she'd always done, the stuff that made her so popular in the first place.

What she missed was that her world had changed.

There was a new cook in town, doing the same thing as her but with a new energy and tone. His name was Jamie and he made what went before look dull, lifeless and patronising.

And here's my point.

Right now, a lot of clients are doing nothing, sticking their heads in the sand and waiting for the crunch/recession/depression/Apocalypse to pass so that the status quo can be resumed.

But of course it won't. That will only happen if everyone else is doing the same and some won't. Some will work hard at changing the landscape and making what went before look outdated.

Not doing anything right now can potentially be fatal.

A lesson for all of us

Look at the above screen for 20 seconds. Listen to it in silence if you can. Then about 18 seconds in say out loud, 'America runs on Bulova Time'.

Congratulations, you've just recreated the world's first TV commercial.

Did you notice that it played to none of the unique strengths of the medium? (Movement, Sound.)

Did you notice that it borrowed heavily from what was the norm at the time. (It's just a press ad)?

Did you ask yourself, what have we learnt about embracing new technologies since 1941? (Absolutely nothing).

New technologies present new opportunities, but only through new thinking.

My favourite New Product Launch of 2008 : 2/2

My second nomination for New Product Launch of 2008 is of course, Barack Hussein Obama,

His campaign to the White House could almost be said to be the blue print for today’s communication campaigns and not just in politics.

First, they studied the product, analysed what was authentic about it and then distilled it down into one clear word.

A word that was both a product truth and something that would inspire the consumer.

Change.

He stood for change. That was it, above everything else, the one thing you knew you’d get was change.

They didn’t cloud this with too much detail about policy - that would just defuse the clarity of message. While for those who wanted to know more, it was there to be searched out, but that was your choice.

Instead, they just pushed the truth behind the claim in little nuggets of information.

He was a change from the previous government. He was a change from the usual type of person who became a politician.  He looked different. He sounded different.  He connected different. And he communicated different.

They embraced new media and online social network. They gave up control for advocacy, trusting his supporters to represent him to their peers in the way they wanted to. Entrusting the brand to them. The result was some extraordinary marketing.

And then there were posters, which were created for the campaign not by the campaign

 

You can see more at this flickr group here.

While to audiences who resisted listened directly to him, they enlisted and empowered those people the resisters would trust, to deliver his message for him.

Nor did they try and clip the wings of his supporters, even when it may not have been exactly what they wanted and instead trusted in the intelligence of the audience.



And they did this because they knew the universal online truth, you must give up control, if you’re to gain greater power.

And so, they fed it. Encouraging people to visit and revisit their homepage for content with regular video update, ringtones and widgets

And the virals flourished.

They facilitated connections through online communities that added a new dimension to what was already out there. Mybarackobama.com, was/is a social network of sorts that allowed people to create blogs around issues, and send in policy recommendations to the man himself.

They assisted in fund-raising activities with ideas and tools. And they encouraged people to fund raise however they wanted to.

They were light of foot. If there was a sudden rise in traffic from certain sites or communities they engaged with them and kept engaging with them with regular updates. By engaging with people wherever they gathered they were able to make maximum impact.

And this is just a fraction of the numerous marketing activities that the campaign spawn.

The result?

He was seen as inclusive leader, embracing everyone into his vision for Change, probably best summed up by slogan, Yes We Can.

And now there is a real belief the world over, that there is a President of the United States of America prepared to listen and lead rather than ignore and dictate.

A welcome change for politics, I’m sure you’ll agree.

And once helluva new product launch.

My favourite New Product Launch of 2008 : 1/2

My first favouirte NPL of '08 goes to the Venezuelan Black company - manufacturers of fine cacao - pure cocoa to you and me, pretty much.

A niche product by anyone's imagination, but one that was successfully launched with a multimillion pound TV campaign that succeeded in getting it listed in both a major supermarket chain across Britain, the shop of choice for WAGS - Selfridges and no doubt, all good independent delis.

Not bad for a company less than two years old and with a handful of employees.

Admittedly it was far from perfect with some surprisingly basic mistakes made, such as absolutely no cohesion, for example - packaging never matched their communication in style, tone of voice or, and perhaps potentially most damaging, name.

Because the VB Co. is probably better recognised as Willie and his Wonky Chocolate Factory, the name of the TV series which was shown over 6 weeks on Channel 4 in the beginning of 2008, repeated in late autumn and ending with a seasonal burst with it's very own Christmas Special, .

A series that followed the charismatic/annoying (delete as appropriate) Willie Harcourt-Coozie (above) as he followed his dream to get Britain using a previously little-to-unknown ingredient.

We saw every aspect of his business, from where it was sourced to how to use the product, to expert endorsement, to finding out about the health and slimming benefits of his product - nothing it seemed was over-looked.

The series was a venerable marketing masterclass for how to launch a product. 

I can't believe there wasn't an fmcg marketing director out there wondering, how did pull off  launching his company with 30 minute commercials shot at the production company's cost and with airtime (and a lot of airtime at that) donated free by a TV station?

Unfortunately I can't tell you much more, despite digging around on the web, I've failed to even come up with the name of the production company. Anyone any ideas?

Still, it's not all been one way sunshine basking. Maybe now would be a good time to take another look at that business plan when it comes to employee salaries

When religions collide #2

Here are a few more religious t-shirts that have been sent to me over the last few days, keep 'em coming if you know of anymore.

A little more diverse in religions this time, too.

And following on from my earlier observation, it's good to see the Christians are still relying heavily on brand logos.

Which on closer inspection reads

and of course there's the classic from 2, or was it 3 years ago

Thanks to Gary, Claire, Pervy Jon, Neil, Sarah and Mr Wilkins.

When religions collide

Is it interesting that so many of these t-shirts are just re-interpretations of brand logos, or should we just accept it's inevitable when consumerism is the single, all-embracing religion these days?

 

 

 

And orange seems a popular choice, too.

And probably my favourite

Anyone seen any others?

Great film trailer

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.

The camera never lies, but advertising might

I'm loving this site. even though I know it's nothing new, Mother Jones have been doing this for years.

And I'm not really sure where I stand on this either, isn't it the job of advertisers to present the best possible case for their clients? And isn't that what good food photography does? Is it anymore misleading than a girl wearing make-up to present her best self Or retouching a model? Or lighting someone in a flattering way? Or even placing a product in a certain situation and/or location?  That said the difference between the adversions and the reality is impressively wide.

A little more on ideas

Just wanted to add this from The Before and After blog to the debate on ideas.

Quoting Voltaire, Good is the enemy of great.

Oh so true.

rejection

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.

there's more than one funny

I was watching TV on Sunday night, Channel 4, all about the 100 best stand ups, it was okay, just like all those of other 100 best programmes, but what did strike me was that there is an awful lot of different comedy out there. I mean, a massive variety in comedy tone. And a lot of it is very funny. Maybe all of it.

Then it occurred to me that in ads, with very few exceptions, there's only one type of humour, spruced up in different clothing for different markets, but it's still only the one type of humour - the sliced white loaf of humour. At best it's funny at worse (most radio ads) it's awful, but it's all from the same vein. Even when comedians are used to appear in ads or voice them, they're very seldom do 'their humour'.

I wonder if there's a comedian's version of Groucho House Club, and if there is I wonder what they say about the ad jobs they're doing?

It's what you need, not what you want

Been traveling and giving talks again, this time it was Finland and Sweden. This time minus my camera as it broke.  (Just ordered my third Ixus today which is interesting in itself - although two have already broken on me, I'm still loyal to the product and haven't even considered the option of something else.)

Anyway, stuck in Stockholm with 5 hours spare I had a nice lunch before setting off to see the VasaMuseet. The Vasa, was a 17th century warship that sunk 200 meters into its maiden journey.

Hugely impressive sight it was too, and should you find yourself in Stockholm I can recommend it whole-heartedly.

What I wanted to post about is why the Vasa sunk, not least because of a particulalry tough time we've just come through with a client.

The story goes that the Vasa was never going to be sea worthy because while the plans had been signed off by the King of Sweden by the time the building was underway the King went about modifying the spec - adding another deck, adding more guns, adding even more guns. And insisting the same deadlines be met.

As a result of these tighter deadlines but much more importantly, because of  the fear of displeasing the King, the answer to every change was yes, of course, no problem. Even when it became apparent to one or two people that the ship was now top heavy, its hull too narrow and the the ballast too light, the project continued.

Even when one brave individual demonstrated to his bosses the problem by getting 30 sailors to run from one side of the ship to the other a couple of times causing it to sway dangerously, the project continued because no one wanted to tell the King he was wrong.

Sometimes what clients want and what they need are two different things and by not saying something outloud leads to disaster for the project.

WHY COULD THIS ONLY BE AMERICAN? | 3

Some time ago I posted about the Apple ads being quintessentially American, and doubted that we English could get the balance right. Well, now they've gone and recreated them with English comedians so, you can judge for yourself here.  Personally, I think they confirm my argument. The charm, the rhythm, the gaps in dialogue, even the slight of performance and gentleness of delivery have all been lost.

Here's one of the originals that has been copied. I'd love to know what you think.

LDN | A WINTER WONDERLAND

It snowed in London last night and so we all woke up to a winter wonderland. I still find it exciting. Partly it's the surprise of it all. Unlike storms and floods and tornadoes you get no warning with snow. The first time you know is when you look out the window and bam! there it is.

END OF THE ORIGINAL POST

I then looked around my corner of the blogsphere and discovered these. Oh, how we Londoners love a bit of snow.

why I love consumer power

I've just been made aware of the exceptional reviews on Amazon for the above album. Thank you Anna. Thank you.

And then there's the video.

IN Praise of Hard work

Okay, so you work long hours, but does that mean you're working hard? Because, "long" and "hard" are now two different things. In the old days, we could measure how much grain someone harvested or how many pieces of steel he made. Hard work meant more work. But the past doesn't lead to the future. The future is not about time at all. The future is about work that's really and truly hard, not time-consuming. It's about the kind of work that requires us to push ourselves, not just punch the clock. Hard work is where our job security, our financial profit, and our future joy lie.

It's hard work to make difficult emotional decisions, such as quitting a job and setting out on your own. It's hard work to invent a new system, service, or process that's remarkable. It's hard work to tell your boss that he's being intellectually and emotionally lazy. It's easier to stand by and watch the company fade into oblivion. It's hard work to tell senior management to abandon something that it has been doing for a long time in favor of a new and apparently risky alternative. It's hard work to make good decisions with less than all of the data.

Today, working hard is about taking apparent risk. Not a crazy risk like betting the entire company on an untested product. No, an apparent risk: something that the competition (and your coworkers) believe is unsafe but that you realize is far more conservative than sticking with the status quo.

Richard Branson doesn't work more hours than you do. Neither does Steve Jobs or Alan Sugar or Julian Richer.

None of the people who are racking up amazing success stories and creating cool stuff are doing it just by working more hours than you are. And I hate to say it, but they're not smarter than you either. They're succeeding by doing hard work.

As the economy plods along, many of us are choosing to take the easy way out. We're going to work for a big company, letting him do the hard work while we work the long hours. We're going back to the future, to a definition of work that embraces the grindstone.

Hard work is about risk. It begins when you deal with the things that you'd rather not deal with: fear of failure, fear of standing out, fear of rejection. Hard work is about training yourself to leap over this barrier, tunnel under that barrier, drive through the other barrier. And, after you've done that, to do it again the next day.

The big insight: The riskier your (smart) coworker's hard work appears to be, the safer it really is. It's the people having difficult conversations, inventing remarkable products, and pushing the envelope (and, perhaps, still going home at 5 PM) who are building a recession-proof future for themselves.

Author Seth Godin.

I share it because it sums up perfectly what we're forever banging on about alot at Here Be Monsters, the constant need to be smart in what we do.

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM TV?

I've lifted this from an interview Creative Generalist did with Steve Callaghan, writer and producer of the Family Guy cartoon series. Here is how he describes the process of developing and writing a script.

"Well, as you might imagine, it is a highly collaborative endeavor. There are about 100 people or so who are in some way or another involved in putting together an episode. The process begins, of course, with the writing staff. My fellow writers and I will come up with a concept for an episode and discuss the general storyline that it would contain. The episode is then assigned to a particular writer who will write the first draft of the script. The whole writing staff then takes that first draft and, as a group, rewrites it -- improves jokes that might need some help, fixes any story issues, etc. -- before the show gets recorded by all of our voice actors. Once the audio has been recorded, then our animation team takes the baton, creating an animatic, which is a rough, pencil-sketch version of the show. Once we all screen the animatic, the writers take another pass at the script to address any remaining writing issues. A while later, the show comes back in color. We then do one more, smaller rewrite on the script before the finishing touches (music cues, sound effects, etc.) are added and then you've got yourself an episode of "Family Guy."

Now, compare that with how the typical creative team in the typical ad agency creates their script.

Account person and/or planner explain brief to creative team. They leave. Creative team spend anything from a day to a few weeks sweating it out. They present their ideas to the CD, who says yes, no, maybe, perhaps etc. What is very unlikely is that he will spend any time working with the team beyond this verbal input. Not through laziness, but because the script 'belongs' to the team. Work is then presented back to the account person-planner combo,  who are allowed to comment on it, but only within the confines of their job title remit. God help them if they mis judge this and over step into the creatives' domaine. Conversations between planner and account person, account person and client, planner and creative director, planner and client all take place in a isolation to one another. As a result nothing much changes in the script until a director is selected. Now the creative team will listen and make changes, because a) the director is also a 'creative' and  b) the team really want to be him.

I've been fortunate enought to have been a part of both processes and I know which one delivers the better work.

K. I. S. S. Apparently not

Great article over at psfk which itself has been inspired by an article posted by author and designer, Don Norman who argues that maybe the first thing we look for in a product is something that is accessible rather than totally simplistic, then we look for detail and complexity.

what I learnt at school yesterday

The thing that stuck me the most about yesterday was the way that logic and creativity really are one and the same thing to children - hardly the most insightful lesson perhaps but it was a real joy to be able to see how naturally creative, confident and resourceful we are in our early years.  As Picasso said,“ Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up".

My favourite moment was chatting with 3 kids about who lives in the sky. It started off with clouds, planes, helicopters and spacemen, went onto birds, butterflies, dragons and ended up with Santa, the wind, snowmen and water.  100% correct answers and all delivered with utter confidence and self-assurance.

I also learnt that, robots are never pink, monsters can have 3 ankles and that Lexi Bo likes to lay on the ground and pretend to be dead all breaktime, although I didnt find out why.

More on the dadhood vibe Russell has pointed out this as worth listening to, I just have and once again he's on the money and I urge you to do the same, it's half an hour long. I warn you though it's as much a tearjerker as the Dick and Rick Hoyt story

 

why don't creatives blog | 2

Over at Beeker's fine blog she's taken it upon herself to find some creatives who do blog, well she picked the brains of someone else (fine planner behaviour of course), a mate and a rather glam headhunter, who came back with the following (some of you, of course, I already know, but the others I would like to).

• http://creativeinlondon.blogspot.com/
• http://whatiftheydid.blogspot.com/
• http://www.adsareboring.blogspot.com/
• http://www.niazipan.com/
• http://branddna.blogspot.com/
• http://www.scampblog.blogspot.com/
• http://gwenyip.blogspot.com/

If anymore of you are out there then I'll be glad to list you.

I seem to have started something here, and oh, big thank you, Beeker.

sign of the times indeed

On the conformists unite blog there's a post about a night round friends this Christmas when the TV was ignored in favour of showing one another their favourite YouTube clips. This resonated with me because on two separate ocassions that's exactly what happened to me. And in one case we managed to convince the host to sell his Dell and get himself a Mac. By the end of the evening the PC was on eBay and an order for a MacBook placed. Yes indeed a sign of the times if ever there was one.

And here's another.

NO ONE WANTS JUST PERFUME ANYMORE

It's that time of the year when you go out armed with a presents list for the family. You know the thing;

• tie (novelty if possible),
• book  (anythingby someone famous, just make it hardback)
• socks
• box of sticky dates
• perfume, no too obvious, I need something else, something, I know something far beyond, to show I care.

or even better, a new perfume system.  I wonder  where I  could find one of those

Both posters found at Marble Arch Tube.

When selling your dvd

At the School of Self Promotion they have a very strict rule when selling your dvd. There is only one position you should adopt and that is

Don't ask me why.