… I’ve run out of things to say.
Literally.
I’ve been sat here for 20 minutes trying to come up with something to write about and I’ve had nothing.
N.O.T.H.I.N.G.
Well, to be fair, there were a few little things – but they were either even more inane than usual, or just too hard to write about given it’s a Monday [remember I pre-write my rubbish] and I’m tired and cranky.
To be honest, this should have been obvious to all – especially after yesterday’s post – so to fill the space, I’ll just leave you with some clips of the best television presenter I’ve seen in ages.
Ladies and gentlemen … boys and girls … I leave you with Bill Dance.
How cool is he eh?
OK, so cool might not be right word – but in this World of highly polished, uber-slick, botox injected, fashion label dressed, focus-group managed television presenter – it’s refreshing to find someone who doesn’t require a script to be funny, embraces their flaws, doesn’t pretend to be someone they’re not and expresses natural charisma and charm in every breath, wink and cough.
And that is what I think is missing in a lot of advertising these days.
Too many brands seem to think that if you express any element other than total and utter ‘perfection’ you limit your appeal … but what they don’t realise is that it also creates a brand that has all the warmth and attraction of Nicole Kidman,
Imperfection is a good thing.
Depending on what element is less than perfect, it creates emotional warmth and connection. It makes things interesting and encourages you to find out more.
At HHCL, one of the most important things we focused on was casting.
We were taught to appreciate just how important choosing the right character was to ensure the commercial worked as hard as it physically could.
Look at this spot from Apple Tango …
God that brings back good memories and I still think the line …
“Imagine tweaking my ring [pause] pull”
… is sheer bloody genius.
Now if memory serves me, it took an awfully long time to cast this spot because we needed characters and surroundings that truly captured the spirit of ‘gormlessly average’, mainly so the dramatisation of the lead character going from ‘fighting to remain normal’ to ‘reluctant involvement’ to ‘total surrender’ would be even more powerful and memorable on screen.
Now imagine that ad with good looking, happy people in it? Just wouldn’t work would it.
OK, so that ad is British advertising personified … however that doesn’t mean other countries wouldn’t react positively to characters who don’t look or act like they’ve come out of the television presenter production line.
The reality is good casting can probably have more impact on effectiveness than good planning … however I think this is also an area where planners should be involved … because spending time on personality [rather than just focusing on ‘appearance’] can create interest and relevance – which in this World of parity products, positioning and lifestyles – could help your ad get noticed over everyone else’s duplication of aspirational and delusional status.
Well what do you know, I did find something to talk about afterall.
Thanks Bill … whataguy!