Remember a couple of weeks ago I wrote about Hakuhodo’s amazing ‘Big Colon’ brand philosophy?
I think we all came to the agreement it was a bit of turd …
Well in the ever-competitive marketplace of Japan, the dominating force of the market, DENTSU, obviously felt that if one of their competitors had spent money promoting their pointless new philosophy, they’d better do something similar pretty damn quick.
So they collared a bunch of planners, creatives, designers and managers and locked them in a room till they came out with something errrrrrrm …. that’s it … they kept them there till they came out with something.
And what ‘magic’ did these genius’ of communication come up with?
This …
GOOD INNOVATION.
To be fair, it’s a vast improvement on Hakuhodo’s but it’s hardly inspiring is it?
I mean, GOOD Innovation … GOOD … it’s abit like saying you’re pleasant.
Thing is, I can overlook that because ‘good innovation’ is – in my mind – what iPOD was and what PS3 is … technological marvels that stem from much simpler, but-no-less-impressive-for-the-time, innovations.
The problem I have with this whole thing is something entirely different.
1/ Anyone who knows DENTSU in Japan know they basically own the media. The traditional media. So in the majority of cases, they’re going to always push a traditional approach to media because it’s earns them a bloody fortune – probably more than their clients pay in fees … so the most innovative thing they’ve ever done is probably some banner ad on the internet.
2/ If ‘good innovation’ is their philosophy, why did they repeat it 4 times on their ad, making it increasingly ridiculous.
Don’t get me wrong, the graphical element is all well and good, but what the fuck is it supposed to mean?
Are they saying the symbols that replace certain letters are representative of ‘good innovation’?
Is an elephant basically dog 2.0?
What about a baby? Is that a ‘good innovation’ on sperm?
I love Japan – I love it’s madness and colour – and yet in a corporate setting, it is unbelievably conservative and more obsessed with perfection than innovation which is why I can’t help but feel this is another example of a company more focused on words rather than action and as I’ve said for years, we’re in the communication age of ‘doing’, not saying … so for all intents and purposes this is nothing more than the byproduct of a corporations ego than a genuine desire to change and move forward.
Brand philosophy is very important – however if it doesn’t manifest itself in everything you do, then it’s nothing more than a marketing slogan – and whilst some brands might fall for that, the brands that make a real difference [and want their agencies to be part of that change], don’t.