Filed under: Agency Culture, Crap Marketing Ideas From History!, Egovertising, Innovation, Marketing Fail, Only In Adland, Square, The Quest To Progress
… that would explain this.
Make sure you watch the video.
You HAVE TO watch the video.
Seriously, when someone senior in adland says …
“The industries future is solving problems rather than just driving awareness”
… it not only shows how out of touch and out-of-date they are with the things countless agencies, brands and individuals have been doing for years, but how much this industry needs progressive leaders – and clients – to get us all out of this mess.
It only gets worse when the example he gives to demonstrate this ‘new thinking’ is Volvo Paint … an idea that’s OK but ignores the countless others that have not only been developed in the past 10 or 20 years, but have genuinely infiltrated popular culture.
[Though, to be fair, that’s more by brands than agencies]
What next, a speech on how WAP will make every mobile a potential marketing platform?
For fucks sake. Seriously, for fuck, fucks sake.
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NB. As I am writing this post quite in advance of when it comes out, there’s a chance you may not be able to access the clip because you have to be a paid subscriber. If that is the case:
1. I will try and find a link to what I’m talking about that gets around the ‘paid’ block.
2. All you really need to know is that Grey’s deputy worldwide chief creative officer – who I am sure is a lovely man – say’s ‘solve-vertising’ … the ability to solve problems not advertising awareness of them … is the future. Yes, solve-vertising.
It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic.
Utterly, utterly tragic.
32 Comments so far
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I’m wondering why there is a paywall for the english version of the magazine but not the chinese? Holidays. Free website access. Cheap rice. You guys get everything handed to you on a plate don’t you.
Comment by DH July 23, 2015 @ 6:28 amIf the video on the China page gets stopped today, we can feel proud they think we are important and influential. Unfortunately, I expect it to still be accessible in a month.
Comment by Pete July 23, 2015 @ 6:51 amI think we’re safe in knowing how insignificant we all are Pete.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 7:49 amNo change. We’re nobodies.
Comment by DH July 23, 2015 @ 10:21 pmThe video is even worse than yesterday’s terrible video. I didn’t understand what they said yesterday but today I do and it’s depressing especially how smug he looks saying something he thinks is breakthrough. And wasn’t volvo paint a scam? I’m sure it was but maybe I’m confusing it with all the other scam that has been awarded.
Comment by DH July 23, 2015 @ 6:31 amI thought I had heard some rumblings about the idea before as well but all I could find was this. http://road.cc/content/news/147529-volvo-life-paint-comes-under-fire-while-freebies-fly-shelves
Comment by George July 23, 2015 @ 7:06 amI like the idea but free isn’t commercial, it’s a present.
So Per was praising an “idea” that got a lot of awareness but didn’t actually solve the problem.
Comment by John July 23, 2015 @ 7:18 amI heard something too, but I can’t remember what. Typical. But I didn’t realise it was given out free and the comment about ‘why don’t they put the paint on their cars’ is a good one too.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 7:49 amSo was the stuff Per used to make shitvertising?
Comment by Billy Whizz July 23, 2015 @ 6:32 amI’m amazed you didn’t go ballistic about the patronising idea that regional “problems” have to be solved from head office because the local offices don’t get it.
Because the West is just overflowing with high quality solvertising.
Oh and does he really think Brazilians speak Spanish?
Comment by John July 23, 2015 @ 6:35 amI think Per has done a good job of undermining his own credibility without the Rob needing to step in. But I’m surprised about that too, given I know how much he loves crushing rubbish like this.
Comment by Bazza July 23, 2015 @ 6:40 amAgree with both of you. But Robert is a canny fellow and knows there are times keeping quiet lets you be vicious while maintaining an air of innocence.
Comment by George July 23, 2015 @ 6:48 amYou mean he got me to write it for him and thus screw my own prospects while he continues to pull in the big bucks? I feel such a fool.
Comment by John July 23, 2015 @ 7:07 am#DeviousStrategy John.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 7:50 amI am also kind-of alarmed you have that level of insight into me George. And you still went into business with me. You fool.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 7:50 amYou kept your promise to me Rob. There’s a first.
I think this interview has ensured Per will always be the bridesmaid global creative director, never the bride.
Comment by Bazza July 23, 2015 @ 6:38 amOh and how foolish of me to think that China had been creative for millennia. I stand corrected.
Comment by John July 23, 2015 @ 6:38 amyeah, those fucking commies havent done anything for 5000 years have they? just sat there on their arses eating rice and wearing red fucking caps contemplating how the fuck they can get campbell out their country.
Comment by andy@cynic July 23, 2015 @ 6:59 amThis is what happens when people over think creativity and innovation rather than just doing it.
Comment by John July 23, 2015 @ 6:40 amWow. I wonder how his solvertising will solve the problem that he has just demotivated his entire global creative staff and alienated all his global clients.
Comment by George July 23, 2015 @ 6:44 amExactly what I was thinking George. It’s remarkable his PR people let him say that but the unfortunate reality is there will be people, at agencies and companies, who find this viewpoint revolutionary.
Comment by Lee Hill July 23, 2015 @ 7:33 amGood point. As – sadly – is yours Lee.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 7:51 amYou should send him all the cynic documents from 2003 that talked about how we approach answering clients problems. Then send him some tissues to wipe his eyes. For a senior person to say this is amazing and naive and very sad.
Comment by Pete July 23, 2015 @ 6:54 amOr a bunch of work from the 50’s and 60’s and 70’s.
I would imagine Mary Wells would have something to say to him. With her fist.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 7:52 amMary Wells is a great example Rob.
Comment by Pete July 23, 2015 @ 8:31 amwhat a fucking stupid dick. but he works for grey so theres mitigating circumstances. they still think the biro is modern fucking technology.
Comment by andy@cynic July 23, 2015 @ 6:58 amGold.
Comment by DH July 23, 2015 @ 7:55 amThe only sensible thing Kevin Roberts has ever said was “They’re called Grey for a reason”.
Comment by Ian Gee July 23, 2015 @ 12:22 pmThat’s a bit ironic coming from him isn’t it. Ha.
To be fair, Grey NYC and London have been doing some interesting stuff recently. That is where this sentence has nowhere else to go.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 12:27 pmHello. Me again. Sorry to say that I only managed thirty seconds of this video. I thought solving the problem of awareness was a pretty big chunk of what we do. Per has now solved the problem of awareness for what it is he does.
Time to call his clients and poach his staff.
Comment by Marcus July 23, 2015 @ 3:45 pmI have a feeling his clients and staff won’t want to wait for our call and will pick up the phone themselves.
Comment by Rob July 23, 2015 @ 4:33 pmAnd the last twenty years have not been a dream, they’ve been a nightmare.
Comment by John July 24, 2015 @ 5:58 am