I know this might come as a shock, but I want to write about an ad I like. Yes … LIKE!
I know it’s my own fault, but a lot of people think all I ever do/think is negative stuff – and whilst I certainly think adland treats society too dismissively and itself far too importantly, there are many times when I look at something my industry has produced and thought, that’s got something interesting in it.
What kind of bothers me, is the things I find interesting are not the things everyone else does …
For example, the T-Mobile ‘Trafalgar Square Singalong’ spot that Saatchi’s London has just done doesn’t do that much for me.
Actually I should rephrase that …
I love the execution and I really like Richard Huntingdon’s underlying thought of “Life is made for sharing” … but I just don’t think the whole thing does much for T-Mobile because for me, it could be for any number of brands in any number of categories,
OK, so this might be one of the first spots of their longer term strat … something that in time, will help forge a particular and meaningful identity in the hearts and minds of the British public … however as a person immune from UK telco company communication, I first thought it was a spot for either SINGSTAR or Vodafone’s ‘Make The Most Of Now’ campaign.
‘Life Is For Sharing’ is a lovely thought … but this spot doesn’t really do it for me even though from an executional point of view, it’s interesting and watchable.
Yes … yes … I know you’re going to say “BUT THAT’S THE POINT ROB” but I don’t think it is, infact I think that’s the sort of attitude that has got adland into the state it is and it’s only because I know how smart Richard is that I feel pretty comfortable in saying I’m sure the blame for this sort of ‘substance free’ communication lies at the feet of the client … because there’s too many of them out there who view advertising as a cheap alternative to doing/creating something that people would really find infectious, usable, interesting and valuable.
Anyway I digress …
Back to the ad I like …
Well it’s pretty simple actually, it’s this …
An Ugly Duckling With A Swan Of An Idea
I’m not really sure why I like it as much as I do … but it probably has something to do with the fact there’s a real idea in it and an idea that is counter to the trend of NEW and IMPROVED.
Of course it’s not a new strategic direction … there’s been many brands that have used a similar idea, but quite often they cover it up with all sorts of creative trickery [ie: Heineken] whereas the simplicity of the idea is its strength.
I just like the sentiment behind the ‘We put the no in innovation’ and the way they express it through the copy …
“Henry Perky created the Original Shredded Wheat in 1892.
One man (Him). One ingredient (Wheat). One machine (The machine).
We didn’t give it any add-ons or plug-ins. Heck, we didn’t even name it”
And I also like the fact they aren’t frightened to take the piss out of themselves a bit with stuff like …
“All we did was make it Spoon Size in 1961. Did we go too far? Time will tell”
Lovely.
I know it’s not fashionable to have much copy in ads, but I think that has more to do with certain people [adland and clients] not understanding how to make it interesting than the tired excuse people haven’t got the patience to read it.
As I wrote previously, you could throw that argument at nearly anyone and anything … and the reality is part of the reason agencies get paid in the first place is because they’re supposed to know how to make people interested in brand X, Y or Z.
Of course what is happening more and more these days is that rather than use insight, imagination and bravery … we are using insipid shock, sponsored jokes, over-stylisation and/or extreme-CGI … and whilst there is a place for all of that, I can’t help but feel the simplicity of the solution is getting lost in a sea of self indulgence, often done to justify a huge charge-out rate than actually doing something that can make a real difference to the client, society and agency.
If we’re not careful adland will become like the legal industry.
Not just in the way they try and charge outrageous amounts for every little thing, but in how they try to delay fundamentally solving the issue just so they can ‘extract’ as much revenue as they possibly can.
On face value that might sound like good economics … but I disagree … because I think it’s better to be known as someone who can make a difference than someone who simply goes with the flow.
I love ads – always have and always will – and I love that I have been fortunate enough to work on some rather successful and famous campaigns in my time [and hope to still have a few left in me – as long as I keep working with the clever bastards] … but if adland wants to get back to where it belongs, it has to stop trying to only ‘brand a moment in time’ and start developing ideas that make people stop, think, feel and act again.