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… such as these kids, who needed a million likes to get their Dad to get them a puppy …
… or this perv, who needed a million likes to sleep with his girlfriend [that is if her Dad doesn’t get to him first] …
… spare a thought for those poor folk at Smarties Australia, who have to come to terms with the fact that while society will happily come to the aid of some stranger with a self-indulgent request, only 23 people were willing to show their allegiance to them, despite feeding millions of Aussies, millions of yummy chocolates for years and years and years.
Despite Smarties being one of my old clients [and a bloody good one given they let me make Smartie calculators for them] in some ways, this restores my faith in humanity.
I just hope it restores marketing directors brains and we can all get back to doing what interests people, not what brands want people to be interested in.
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“Be the first to like this…ever”
Comment by niko March 12, 2013 @ 6:18 amHave you just had a brain aneurism?
Comment by Billy Whizz March 12, 2013 @ 6:52 ampopped some smarties is all..
Comment by niko March 12, 2013 @ 7:00 amYou’re so casual in the way you mention your smartie calculator creation, but do you realise how few people manage to convince their clients to make such a thing?
Comment by George March 12, 2013 @ 6:37 amThat and your point people act on what they find interested rather than what brands want them to find interesting are the real learnings from this post.
It’s very pleasing to have you back and writing Robert.
Great points George.
Comment by Pete March 12, 2013 @ 7:04 ambefore you get too fucking swoony over campbell, remember he had the prototypes sent to alaska instead of australia.
Comment by andy@cynic March 12, 2013 @ 7:11 amThat had slipped my mind. That piece of information does add another dynamic to the mix.
Comment by George March 12, 2013 @ 7:24 amGood to see you commenting again Andrew.
im not sure i am.
Comment by andy@cynic March 12, 2013 @ 7:29 amStrictly speaking that wasn’t my fault – but the guys in HK who were making the things for me/us … but yes, it wasn’t exactly a high point in my career when all the execs from Switzerland flew over to see nothing but my blank face.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 8:08 amAnd thank you for the nice words George. First Northern writes a nice thing about me and now you’re saying nice things about me. Weird.
But let’s not forget, there are lots of people who get clients to make products, its just that in adland, they think the solution to every problem is an ad rather than developing a genuine idea and then using advertising to amplify it to the masses.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 8:10 amI know what you’d need to promise for this post to get a million likes.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 12, 2013 @ 6:49 amIs it just me or does the blonde chick look like a guy in a wig? I’d still do her, just pointing it out.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 12, 2013 @ 6:50 amBefore you sick bastards call me a pedo, I mean the blonde chick/man in the “I’ll let my boyfriend fuck me if he gets a million likes” photo.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 12, 2013 @ 6:51 amThanks for clarifying Billy.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 8:08 amI shouldn’t need to but you’re all such sicko bastards I thought I should.
Comment by Billy Whizz March 12, 2013 @ 8:24 amToo many clients approach social with the view it can give them free, mass market, advertising. They have no appreciation or regard for the work, effort and cost involved to improve the odds of success which is why almost universally, the brands who approach social with blinkers/ego fail, at least in terms of their expectations.
Comment by Pete March 12, 2013 @ 7:03 amyoure forgetting that a fuckload of clients outsource their social work to another company. yes, the voice of the brand gets executed by some other fuckers because theyre either cheaper than doing it in house or the marketing bastards dont actually know what the voice of their brand is.
Comment by andy@cynic March 12, 2013 @ 7:18 amBoth points you raise are sad indictments on the ad industry. From the cost certain agencies are willing to work at (and the value clients place on that work) and that many marketing managers only know what their brand stands for in terms of their communication template and tagline.
Comment by Pete March 12, 2013 @ 7:36 amGreat to have you slowly but surely commenting again Andy. I also notice [1] less swearing and [2] more focused comments … which is both nice and sad. Nice because it shows you’re not the bastard many people think you are. Sad because it means you’re still not back to your old self after all the recent health dramas. Not that I blame you, but I just hope you guys all feel more peace, soon.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 8:12 amI still don’t get this. Especially in China.
Everyone wanders around saying ‘social is important, social is important’ and then at the point where their company actually communicates directly with the public they outsource to someone that employs an intern to churn out drivel.
Strangely the social company then decides to buy a shitload of fake followers, because it’s the only way they can meet the bullshit KPI of 1.5M followers (because China’s big).
Suck up the cost and do it in-house.
Comment by luoanlai March 12, 2013 @ 11:31 amThe delusion and illusion of brand management and popularity.
Andy’s point that some agencies get the brand and the audience better than the actual people at the brand is also true, which is depressing … both from a brand understanding perspective and a agency value perspective.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 11:38 amAt least social lets you get immediate feedback on what people think of your ideas. If you used a research company, it would take 6 months, cost a mill and still not give you any definitive answer.
Comment by DH March 12, 2013 @ 7:54 amMy little brother had one of those calculators, they were great!
It’s a lesson, and the good brands will learn from it.
The bad ones will blame the agency, sack the social team and do the same thing again.
Comment by Rob Mortimer March 12, 2013 @ 8:09 amWhat do you mean, “used to” … they were built to last. The Tonka Toys of calculators. He better still have it … do you have any idea how long that took to get approved, ha.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 8:13 amI didn’t say used to! He still has it, but where on earth it is nobody knows…
Comment by Rob Mortimer March 12, 2013 @ 9:28 amGreat to have you posting again Rob. Good post, unless you are part of the smarties social media team.
Comment by Bazza March 12, 2013 @ 9:33 amA million likes is only possible if it’s banal. If it’s something important like Nick Clegg being mentored by known paedo (and Tory) Leon Brittan it doesn’t get a mention in the press and nobody want’s to thumb up the info even if it suggests a jail sentence is in order. 21st century living. Can’t beat it.
Comment by Charles Frith March 12, 2013 @ 2:10 pmBut what if the Police said “The courts said we could prosecute Leon Britton if we got a million likes” … wouldn’t that make people take action?
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 3:13 pmI don’t think Andy is a bastard.
Comment by Marcus March 12, 2013 @ 4:51 pmNot always. But definitely sometimes. But not right now.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 4:57 pmExcellent points. Weigel takes a whole aggressive presentation, you manage it in a succinct post.
Comment by northern March 12, 2013 @ 5:46 pmThat’s because I’m not as clever as him nor have as broad vocabulary as him. It could also be because he never made a Smartie calculator.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 6:16 pmSo, what did they think of Smartie cars?
Comment by northern March 12, 2013 @ 5:46 pmGit. Funnily enough, I did get them to buy buses [the ‘smartie party-bus’] that we then gave to councils so they could use them as the exclusive transport for school trips. And I got them to put see-through hubcaps on the wheels filled with Smarties.
So now a car, but close.
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 6:18 pmThis is very timely by the way, I nearly had to loose my legendary passive aggressive cool and throw a proper hissy fit before a certain talentless creative director (who dresses like a cross between a T4 presenter and Andy Peters) would see that First Direct ‘owning’ discerning recommendation was as credible as me owning tea.
Comment by northern March 12, 2013 @ 5:50 pmBad metaphor, I do own tea actually.
Anyway.
You don’t own tea, you are Mr Tea … but I get what you’re saying. More importantly, was this recently or during your MediaArts jail sentence?
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 6:19 pmOH no, it was yesterday. Media Arts would tried to make recommendation a sport, or created an global campaign from one generic word – ‘like’ probably
Comment by northern March 12, 2013 @ 6:21 pmOh that’s even better. Now before I forget, has the CEO’s wife redefined your seat/job/title/salary yet.
And more importantly is Korea confirmed???
Comment by Rob March 12, 2013 @ 6:23 pmShe’s too busy re-branding the agency again after she forgot to check for the other agencies with the same name.
Comment by northern March 12, 2013 @ 6:55 pmI shit you not.
And unfortunately for you, Korea is confirmed, they’ve even got my ugly mug on the website – although Lydia Lee must be having second thoughts, she’s checked my LInked in profile twice……
Korea? What’s going on in Korea, a dog eating contest?
Comment by Billy Whizz March 12, 2013 @ 9:11 pmA T4 presenter and Andi Peters… dear god.
Comment by Rob Mortimer March 13, 2013 @ 8:57 amJust checked and seen you and Freddie on there. Seems we’re all going to be having tea in Korea in August then. You poor, poor buggers … but not as unlucky as the entire population of Busan.
Comment by Rob March 13, 2013 @ 9:12 amIt’s a dog eat dog world Billy.
Comment by northern March 12, 2013 @ 10:09 pm