Filed under: Comment
Twitter is the new media darling on the block.
Before that it was Facebook and before that it was MySpace … but today, the 140 character digital media broadcaster is being lauded by all and sundry as the next big thing.
BOLLOCKS!
I know it can be useful occasionally [pub quizzes for example] … I know it doesn’t have to make money to be regarded as useful [though it does have to make money to be regarded as a valid business] and I know someday, someone will find a use for it that goes beyond just telling the socialphobic every boring poxy detail of their life because they think they’re soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo important … but let me get something straight, it is not this all conquering media tool, at least not yet.
The problem with the marketing media community is that they are continually searching for the next big thing – not because they are bothered about its effectiveness, but because it helps them feel relevant and important and – most vital of all – keep scared and unsure brand managers spending their money each and every day.
Just like the industry thinks the ONLY way to communicate with the World’s youth is via digital, they are now claiming Twitter is the tool that can revolutionise business and company communication.
Well maybe it can but it’s nowhere near there yet – and the companies being lauded as ‘geniuses’ seem to be adopting it more as a cheap PR stunt than something that has genuinely and totally infiltrated how the company operates.
Someone told me recently Twitter was all about ‘ambient friendships’ which I find one of the greatest justifications since “I was only following orders”.
I appreciate not everyone has the same definition of friendship as I do, but letting your conversations be seen by any sad twat who decided you were worth ‘following’ doesn’t seem very friend-like to me, which is best demonstrated by Marcus’ evil genius ‘twitter readings’.
People who use Twitter [and write blogs and update their MSN/Facebook ‘status’ 15 times a day] are like people who used to write letters into ‘Points Of View’ … they are not, as the ad and blog industry like to believe, the social majority or even the ‘trend setters’ … they are a bunch of ego maniacs who think they are part of some elite group who has its finger on the pulse and have a million people hanging onto their every word.
So yes, I am one of these sad bastards – which explains why my beloved Andy signed me up to this …
[Click to visit]
He also made a rather interesting comment as he was happily telling me of my official ‘twatdom’ status …
“How can the fuckers in adland say powerpoint is shit for it restrictive way of communicating but treat Twitter like it is the 2nd coming of Jesus?”
Now I know people will respond to this by saying Twitter forces you to get to the point because of its limited 140 characters – whereas Powerpoint lets you blather away adnauseum – but the power of Twitter [as a communication tool] is very similar to powerpoint because ‘what you say’ and ‘how you say it’ are key ingredients to its effectiveness – equally as important as the method of distribution [unless you’re a twitter star, and then just like Dr Drew, you’ll have millions hanging onto your every word even if you’re talking unmitigated shit] though few people seem to talk about that because like most things, no one likes the idea of having to accept that even if we have all the tools, we may still not be able to rise amongst the crowd.
For me, Twitter isn’t the future, personality and life experiences are.
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.
Filed under: Comment
… what does this say about the quality of media person in Singapore these days?
Read the blog exchange from Media.com.hk … and hopefully MEDIAGUY’s response will make you as angry and sickened as me.
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Pitching In Singapore – The Dark Side
An agency head contacts us from Singapore with some disturbing news about a major pitch by a particular government body. Take a look…
“They made us pitch over christmas and new years…because of which half the agency couldnt go on holiday. And now, just after we submitted the tender and are getting ready for the second round of presentations next week, they’ve taken a huge chunk of the old tender, added a million more things to it and called for another one.
Whats even better is that we have only five days to work on ten sets of creatives!
They know that agencies want govt. money in these times of recession and are just exploiting that as much as they can! AND they have the gall to say things like “we want to keep the agency on their toes”, after being responsible for me falling sick, not taking holidays, hair turning gray.
Can someone leak this to the press or something?”
Consider it done …
Is this a fair representation of what is going on in Singapore at the moment? Are government departments using the increased interest in their accounts to drive ever harder bargains? Or is this just part of the game?
4 RESPONSES TO “PITCHING IN SINGAPORE – THE DARK SIDE”
1. Judas Says:
February 19th, 2009 at 9:12 am
The even darker side of pitching for government business is that you know darn well someone in the client side knows someone in one of the bidding agencies, so rest assured that information is shared and the bidding process is far from transparent.
My advice to anyone in the mood for pitching goverment business … run a mile on broken glass … bang your head against the wall and go for a swim in the Singapore River. At least this process would prepare you for the pain of dealing with the world’s most annoying, incompetent and moronic bureaucrats.
2. Absolut Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Nothing more then the truth and well said. Bringing back the old “wonderful” memories.
In short nothing more then getting the worst brief and being insulted by a bunch of incompetent bureaucrats over your ideas and yet later found out part of it got stolen.
Talk a about Piracy…
3. MediaGuy Says:
February 26th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
If you hate hark work, discipline and sacrifice – tenets on which Singapore was built on – I would suggest you move to India and work for the government there. Perhaps then you would develop some real life exposure with the world’s most annoying, incompetent and moronic bureaucrats. And maybe even get rich enough with corruption money to buy that bum beach hut in Thailand you’ve always dreamed about.
To be fair, government accounts need to go through rigorous consensual checkpoint procedures, country comes before ego. But once the initial teething pains are over, they generally stick to plan. Try working for clients who change their strategy every week, grey hairs and the flu are the least of your worries, a chronic heart seizure is more likely the effect.
And, government accounts pay on time…
Over the past decade, many in the industry have become too soft with the easy life and easy expectations. One to two years of 24/7/365 recession grind to avoid sleeping on the side of the railway tracks should be a good thing… alternatively you could join Ogilvy China and get a few ship up or shape out slaps from that TS guys lol
4. Robert Campbell Says:
February 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
And the winner of media’s most prejudice and myopic Adman of the year goes to …
“MEDIAGUY”
Congratulations, I hope you can make it up onto the stage with all those chips on your shoulder.
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Even though I totally and utterly love the Asia region, I have always said it is one of the most racist places I’ve ever been to.
Whilst on the surface people are pleasant, kind and accommodating, behind closed doors – or in places where they can maintain their secrecy – they spit the kind of vitriol that would make a member of the BNP blush.
I honestly don’t know which is worse … the racists who come out and let you know exactly where they stand or the idiots like MEDIAGUY who keep it within until they feel they can get away with it.
Now I must admit, I don’t know if MEDIAGUY is from Singapore but I have a sneaking suspicion he might be.
While his attitude is no way limited to just Singapore, it does – yet again – demonstrate how the ever-developing attributes of arrogance, elitism and entitlement are going to undermine Singapore’s future prosperity because as much as many of the people think they did it all on their own, the reality is the nationalities they look down on [and that does include Westerners, though in a very different way] are the very people who helped them create their astounding success in the first place.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t clever and amazing people in Singapore – of course there are, some of the most dynamic people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting – but this next generation are in danger of fucking up the amazing achievements thanks to their myopic and misguided attitude towards life, culture and society.
Need proof?
Well how about the fact the author of the original blog post never mentioned – or indicated – their nationality, yet MEDIAGUY felt justified to respond via an irrelevant and racist barrage? Yes, Singapore was built on hark work, discipline and sacrifice … but so were other places … and whilst they have been smarter than most in the decisions they’ve made, once the genius architect of it all passes away, it will be interesting to see how/if the country copes.
I find it especially funny MEDIAGUY has the nerve to talk about getting some “real life exposure” given he demonstrates the longest he’s been away from his cocooned little bubble is about 3 days. Oh, and for the record – corruption can be more than just back handed payments, it can be ensuring key industry is owned/controlled by family members. Sound familiar dumbass?
Seriously, is it any wonder clients don’t place much value in adland when fuckwits like this are employed!
Personally I think Media magazine/blog should find out who wrote this comment and name and shame them … not just because the person is a small minded idiot who deserves a great big fucking slap, but because his/her attitude means they must be shit at their job.
Come on MediaGuy, reveal yourself – because talking big means nothing if you have to hide behind your Mothers skirt.
T
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Filed under: Comment
I hope to God someone within the Singaporean Government listens to it – because in my opinion, what Barry is describing is one of the key reasons why their countries future is not going to be anywhere near as bright as their past.