So while going through my photos, I found this screen grab from Dave Trott …
To be honest, I wrote about this a couple of years ago but if it was relevant then, it seems even more relevant now.
There is more and more work that just seems to be a literal execution of the client brief.
Not even the agency brief … but the clients.
Literal.
Contrived.
Feature focused.
I can’t help but feel their strategy is to bore people into submission, and while it may be argued this approach is working – probably because all the competition are following the same thing – the reality is the value of the brand gets diluted and so the long term success of the brand ends up being based on factors like price or distribution.
Of course, price and distribution always have and always will play a critical role in a brands success, but the inherent value of it is elevated hugely when you are in a position that people actively want it and seek it out. Yet, as I wrote a while back, it appears many brand managers are only focused on sales today without any consideration for the sustainable value of the brand tomorrow and if you are constantly harvesting your good will, eventually it will run out.
The big issue is so many marketers still think people are waiting for them to advertise.
That they are sat on the edge of their seat waiting to hear from them and buy from them.
That they have nothing better to do and all that they do do, is based on rational logic.
This approach says far more about the people behind the brands than the people they hope will buy from them and while I appreciate creativity requires a leap of faith – something some marketing folk weirdly feel is an act of corporate irresponsibility – the fact is society respond to [authentic] emotion far more than rational argument, at least in terms of communication, and so if they want their brand to move forward, the only thing that can counter spend, heritage and distribution is to embrace creativity and to do that properly, it means being Lateral, not literal.