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I remember my Dad bet me 50 quid I couldn’t do the Rubik’s Cube.
Well, one day, I spent about 15 hours non-stop on it – and even though I didn’t know how I managed it, I succeeded … though there was little point because my ol’ man was so convinced I cheated [such faith in his son eh!] he didn’t pay up.
I should of sued.
Anyway, I bring this up is because I’ve just been mentally violated/humiliated by this …
What a smart, smug, multi-tasking little shit.
But here’s the thing …
Years ago, while working on Smarties, I did a lot of stuff with young kids [not in the Michael Jackson sense, obviously] and the thing I loved was their ability to notice and place huge emphasis/value on things that were incidental to whatever it was they were viewing/experiencing.
Whereas adults would watch Harry Potter and see a 4-eyed virgin with shit hair and an inability to magic himself up some contact lenses even though he’s supposed to be some sort of Wizard genius … the little un’s would notice things like how the clouds are moving behind him, how some schoolkid is flicking peas at his mate at the dinner table and how the cleaning lady is being spit roasted whilst snorting cocaine off a teachers tits.
Or so I’ve been told.
OK, so this news won’t be new to any of you [that kids notice the details, not that Harry Potter is basically a porn flick] but wouldn’t it be great if agencies and clients adopted the same approach when trying to sell stuff to ‘adults’ rather than the spoon-fed drivel they seem so keen on producing each and every day?
I still get seriously shocked when companies produce boring, unimaginative, unemotional and self-focused pieces of blandom and then act all surprised/hurt/angry when they fail to motivate any interest, let alone action.
Alright, so the agency behind the rubbish should take some of the blame … however whilst mainstream advertising might not be as effective as it once was, I could argue that it has as much to do with what companies want to subject on the masses as it does with the changing media habits of the people.
As I have been known to say, “a bad brand always blames the agency” … but then a client once said to me, “a bad agency always blames the client” but he was wrong because some of them also blame the research.
🙂
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Bad hair. Glasses. Shit music. The kid might be good at multitasking but he’s still never going to get laid. You’ll end up working with him at g-land Rob except you’ll be retired by the time he reaches puberty.
I’ve got another one for you, a bad planner always blames his creatives. LOL.
Comment by Billy Whizz August 17, 2009 @ 7:20 amYou can take Billy out of Andy circle of influence but you can’t take Andy’s circle of influence out of Billy.
Rob. You’ve said technology has encouraged society to strip away the flavors of life and be be more focused on instant gratification but I’d say a suit, tie and share portfolio has done more damage to the quality of adult orientated communication than the internet and SMS.
Get rid of the clothes and the ego delusion and we might see more brands trying to communicate with charm, charisma and the inclusion of small but poignant details.
Allow me a cheeky dig, it is Sunday night afterall. 🙂
Comment by Pete August 17, 2009 @ 8:04 amAre you saying I’m gay Pete?
Are you saying Andy’s gay?
Wait till the big man comes back from his holiday with his male lover, you’re going to be dead.
Comment by Billy Whizz August 17, 2009 @ 8:20 amNice to see CP+B is making you more mature Billy.
And Pete … it might be Sunday for you, but it’s Monday for me and so I can’t be arsed to respond to your deep & meaningful. But I will tonight – just as you step into the office to start your week. Hey, you ruined mine, hahaha!
Comment by Rob August 17, 2009 @ 9:18 amMy wife has informed me only men fail to notice incidental details because they get preoccupied with the belief the World revolves around them.
I do not really understand what she means except this signals trouble for me.
Fascinating video but I would like to know what made him think about trying it in the first place.
Comment by Lee Hill August 17, 2009 @ 10:20 amAre you blame throwing Lee? If you are, does that mean I can say a bollocked husband always tries to blame someone else?
Comment by Rob August 17, 2009 @ 12:02 pm2 Things.
1. The video is very boring. Very, very boring.
2. The fact that Billy thinks this young man is not going to get laid is very funny.
Good morning.
Comment by Marcus August 17, 2009 @ 3:18 pmIs that because the last action Billy had was with his GI Joe, aged 7?
And yes, the video does go on, but wait till you see my fucking iPod dancing, you’ll be wishing this rubbish went on for another 3 days!
You good lovely?
Comment by Rob August 17, 2009 @ 3:44 pmToo many agencies dumb down to the point of losing everything. They assume people can only digest one thing, won’t get anything that isn’t IN YOUR FACE DUMBASS!!! etc
Sometimes that’s our fault, sometimes its the client, sometimes the research.
It does remind me though why I hardly play on Xboxlive. No matter how good I get at a game there is always some person with no job and no life who can win everything. I like games as an alternative to life, not as a reminder…!
Comment by Rob Mortimer August 17, 2009 @ 4:34 pmWould you like the Samaritans number Mr M?
Comment by Rob August 17, 2009 @ 5:08 pmNah, I can still kick it with the best on Super Puzzle Fighter II 😀
But I think this all comes to two things:
Stop dumbing down, simplify yes, dumb down no
Kids are far smarter than we give them credit for. Why is it when people turn 25 they forget what it was like to be a kid?
Comment by Rob Mortimer August 17, 2009 @ 5:24 pmAs I’ve said a before, we should aim for the highest common denominator, not the lowest!
Comment by Rob August 17, 2009 @ 5:29 pmExactly.
Frankly even an acceptance that somewhere above lowest is ok would be better.
I often get the sense that some agencies assume a lack of take-out or understanding is down to a dumb consumer (eurgh) instead of looking at whether the work was actually understandable.
Simple doesn’t mean brainless.
It’s one of the things I liked about the ol Gorilla ad. It wasn’t perfect, but it let people use their intelligence and emotions to get it. Not shoving the message in their faces.
Comment by Rob Mortimer August 17, 2009 @ 5:35 pmI was in agreement with you till you mentioned Gorilla. 🙂
Comment by Rob August 17, 2009 @ 5:43 pmHaha. I’m not its biggest fan by any means, I was one of the few people I saw to not profess a burning desire to (metaphorically) shag its brains out.
I just admire the fact it just lets you get it in your own time. Something the sequels failed to do.
Comment by Rob Mortimer August 17, 2009 @ 5:53 pmAnd this kid is ignoring all the detail to focus on auditioning for America’s got nothing better to do.
Comment by John August 17, 2009 @ 6:04 pmI still can’t get over how shit ‘trucks’ is … and yet I know a creative in HK who absolutely loves it. He bangs on ad finitum about how the film stock has a ‘cadbury’s purple hew’ tone – for fucks sake, I’m all for sensory brand attributes but the bloody thing is called A COMMERCIAL because it’s supposed to sell chocolate, not the latest pissing Dulux shade.
And Mr Dodds, I’ve just read a fantastic comment from Jerry Springer about ‘America’s Got Nothing To Do’ and why he thinks it’s so successful and I have to say his view is insightful and brilliant but as I have to run back into my meeting, I’ll have to save it for another day … which I’m sure will break your cold, dark heart.
Comment by Rob August 17, 2009 @ 7:07 pmthis could go either way. he is either gonna end up coding for games, make a million bucks, if he keeps up that handiwork, the ladies will be lining up and all of us will be working for him in 20 years time.
or, he’ll overdose on a cocktail of ritalin, ketamine and crack cocaine, unable to assimilate into the rest of society without ultra high levels of stimulation.
i love my mediocre life 😀
Comment by lauren August 17, 2009 @ 8:37 pmOr he keeps making videos of him playing guitar hero and solving 8 million rubiks cubes. Eitherway I don’t care.
Comment by Bazza August 17, 2009 @ 10:17 pm