Filed under: Comment
Before I go on, let’s remember we’re talking about a full page ad dedicated to this …
:
Got it?
Right, can someone please answer these 4 questions.
1/ Is ‘:’ really a radically new visual identity?
2/ Am I the only one who thinks ‘the big colon’ sounds more like a nasty medical condition than a cutting edge ad philosophy?
3/ Does a colon really focus more attention on a subject?
4/ Is this another pile of steaming adwank justifying turd?
I remember when I was just starting in this business, the objective of most ad agencies seemed to be to stand out … make a difference … take a stand … move people and clients forward … however it seems nowadays the attitude is to simply go where the money is which might explain why Hakuhodo have decided to duplicate the bollocks being spouted by Landor and Arnell rather than beat and humiliate them.
The problem with my industry is that everyone pretty much say’s the same thing – they just use more and more ridiculous ways to express it – but the days of pure positioning are over, it’s now about doing stuff because when you do things that are interesting, imaginative, purposeful and generous you don’t have to tell anyone about it, they find out for themselves.
That’s probably why so few agencies – despite all their claims – do anything fresh.
Not only are they clueless how to charge for this kind of thing, they’re petrified of putting themselves out of a job.
We are an industry crippled with fear … and yet this ‘baton down the hatches’ approach is speeding our decline, not delaying it.
What is possibly even more upsetting is that in every agency [and I mean EVERY agency] there are people who have the ability to use insight, imagination and bravery to make a real difference for companies … a difference that would be far more powerful and longer lasting than any new logo or corporate downsizing … and yet they are continously ignored because the people making the decisions have forgotten their future lies in understanding and motivating people, not understanding and following MBA processes.
What we need now is more action, less words – and that applies as much to the people inside the agencies as the agencies themselves – so regardless of who you are, what you’re doing or how you feel, create your own fate or you only have yourself to blame.
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introducing the new proprietry tool from the agency that brought you the big colon: the big shit and were full of it
who comes up with this stuff? oh yeah, fucking planners
Comment by andy@cynic March 3, 2009 @ 7:14 amActually Andy, I blame creatives. If they’d just stick to the brief, then the planners wouldn’t have to post-rationalise the shit out of their “idea” to try and link it back to a brand strategy the client signed off on two months earlier.
Just raising a counter argument… >:)
Comment by Age March 3, 2009 @ 7:48 amhave you been sucking down your mums menopause pills again age?
Comment by andy@cynic March 3, 2009 @ 8:12 amhaha, gold.
Comment by Age March 3, 2009 @ 8:26 amno, I’m suffering from focus group fever!
no age. were fucking suffering from your focus group fever
Comment by andy@cynic March 3, 2009 @ 8:42 amno, don t think so, could be if you can identify it as one, absolutely. the colour scheme also reminds me of the techy square telekom cd http://tinyurl.com/ct9mo2 for some reason.
Comment by peggy March 3, 2009 @ 8:44 amand what the heck are they talking about with ‘the big colon’? i don t get it. and maybe i m not having a clue about asian design philosophy. but this logo thing is weird looking.
A colon doesnt extablish a relationship – it delineates the one that’s already there. Don’t people know anything? And this isn’t MBA produce, the source is somewhere else though I don’t know where.
Comment by John March 3, 2009 @ 8:49 amLooks like John has been spending some time over at http://www.google.com doesn’t it!
Comment by Rob March 3, 2009 @ 10:30 amha! you are on fire at the moment rob..
and to answer your questions:
1. no. a radically different visual identity is to not have one at all, for fucks sake. we don’t care!!! unless of course it’s the CORGI/NGR debacle..
2. no
3. yes, but not in pink. and outlined to make it look like anything but a :
4. yes. as usual, adland takes the cake for biggest load of overpriced tub of wank. and that’s including most contemporary art! we may blow our load about a pile of incomprehensible drivel, but at least we have the argument of getting paid fuck-all for it. 🙂
more action, less words? yes please!
Comment by lauren March 3, 2009 @ 2:59 pmI wish I was on fire Lauren – because if I was, there’d be a couple of people [5 actually] who I’d be making sure got burnt to the point where they had a slow, painful and horrible death.
Does anyone sense tension??? 🙂
PS: No, Andy is not to blame for any of it, ha!
Comment by Rob March 3, 2009 @ 3:30 pmremember Rob..use diesel to keep the fire lasting longer and petrol for big flames..
most get it wrong and all you get is guys running around on fire. amusing, but not effective
Comment by niko March 3, 2009 @ 3:42 pmThanks for the advice Niko, it’s very helpful because I definitely want to enjoy the spectacle of their pain before they die their horrible death. I’m off to Shell right now … 🙂
Comment by Rob March 3, 2009 @ 3:48 pmFirst blog I read after wakeup from sleep today!
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Comment by Sela March 3, 2009 @ 3:53 pmMind Blowing!
support the economy, buy local 🙂
Comment by niko March 3, 2009 @ 3:54 pmsupport the local, buy beer
Comment by John March 3, 2009 @ 5:24 pmOnly blog I read before falling into a coma.
Comment by John March 3, 2009 @ 5:45 pmKeeping you in a coma is my gift to the World!
Comment by Rob March 3, 2009 @ 5:51 pmWell it’s not anywhere as bad as the Pepsi one, and at least it appears to stand for something and…….. wait a sec, this is an AD? Not internal brand comms? Oh bloody hell
Comment by Rob Mortimer March 3, 2009 @ 6:42 pmYes … an ad … an ad for a radically new visual identity. Cough Cough Splutter Splutter
Comment by Rob March 3, 2009 @ 7:15 pmthat might be a lot of things but it sure as fuck isnt an ad. ads are supposed to seduce, attract and energise not make people run for the fucking hills
Comment by andy@cynic March 3, 2009 @ 8:03 pmthey stole that colon idea by the way..
http://digg.com/arts_culture/Strollin_in_the_Colon
Comment by niko March 3, 2009 @ 8:33 pmhow fucking bad must an agency be to steal that fucking shit. screw that. how fucking bad must an agency be to think that shit is worth stealing. well uncovered sherlock niko.
and campbell told me your news. good man
Comment by andy@cynic March 3, 2009 @ 10:30 pmallegedly btw 🙂
cheers andy..
Comment by niko March 3, 2009 @ 10:50 pmHHCL adopted the full colon in 1998 if Im not mistaken. As part of the Professional Radicals positioning.
Comment by Charles March 4, 2009 @ 1:53 amthey didnt put it on a fucking pedestal and have page ads about it though did they?
using a colon and promoting a colon are 2 very fucking different ideas
Comment by andy@cynic March 4, 2009 @ 7:20 am