The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]


Simple. Wins.

For all the money companies and agencies spend on trying to know their audiences better.

For all the systems and processes companies and agencies put in place to be reduce the friction of purchase for customers.

For all the data companies and agencies invest in and rely on to identify market opportunities they can leverage.

For all the investment in experience to drive brand consistency.

It’s amazing how simple it is for a brand to differentiate themselves from the competition … resonate with a specific audience … encourage emotional loyalty and build commercial value by simply having a point of view that is expressed by doing what people find important rather than what you want them to find important.

This brilliance is from Tesco in association with St John’s Ambulance.

Clothes that your baby will look good in and could – if the worst happens – help save their life.

No eco-systems.
No data analysis.
No additional experience layers.
No focus group idea blandification.

Just an idea where the value is undeniable to all.

A real idea. Not an ad idea.

A real idea where communication amplifies the solution rather than is the solution.

Done for real, not for ad award submissions.

Some agencies [and brands, like Timpson’s] do this sort of thing properly – for example the brilliant Tontine pillow [by the brilliant Mark Sareff] and H&M’s One Second Suit, not to mention the fact Colenso has consistently been doing this sort of stuff for decades – however if clients let their agencies partners solve problems without their dictatorial interference or obstacles … and if agencies listened to what their clients need rather than what they want them to want … we’d not only have more interesting, valuable, creative and effective agencies and brands, we’d be making more of a difference than all the pointless purpose statements put together.

I can but hope.

We all should, because it’s down to us.


20 Comments so far
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What a brilliant idea.

Comment by George

Yep. It’s absolutely fantastic.

It also highlights how much the industry has forgotten about the importance of great ideas. As I wrote a while back, we are all more obsessed with serving the system rather than the idea.

Systems are important. But they exist to let ideas reach their full potential. Somewhere along the line, we’ve started to think the system is the idea. That’s how bad we’ve become.

Comment by Rob

“Don’t advertise the problem, create a solution and use advertising to tell people about it.” That still rings in my head.

Great post and even better idea.

Comment by Pete

didnt fucking do much with it though did you?

Comment by andy@cynic

That’s not fair Andy, don’t forget Pete did the VA kids section. Oh, no he didn’t, did he.

Comment by Bazza

Good. Hahaha.

Comment by Rob

Every little helps!
brilliant x

Comment by Alastair Duncan

if an idea takes more than 3 seconds to explain, its not a fucking idea or the prick talking doesnt know what the fuck theyre talking about.

this is fucking good.

smart simple and could save a fucking life. sounds obvious but it took someone with a creative fucking brain to spot it. thats what clients are paying for, not a fucking tvc that passes endless rounds of inane focus groups.

Comment by andy@cynic

Yep …

It’s amazing how many people forget that. It also reminds me of that old Ronald Reagan quote. If you have to explain it, you’ve lost it.

Comment by Rob

I love this. How clever.

Comment by Mary Bryant

Great ideas optimise themselves.

Comment by Bazza

Yep.

The problem is the standard of what a ‘great idea’ is, has fallen dramatically. I’m judging some awards at the moment and a huge percentage have more holes in their thinking/argument than Edam cheese … and yet they position themselves as if they’ve just created the vaccine for COVID.

Comment by Rob

Great idea, but do they still sell them?

Comment by John

It’s about to be relaunched. Again with St John’s Ambulance apparently. Hopefully I’ve not just upset my friend at Tesco who told me about it. Hahaha.

Comment by Rob

Seems to me it’s the sort of thing that should just be there permanently, rather than once in 2016 and again in 2021. That wrngly suggests that great ideas have a limited shelf life.

Comment by John

Odds are you have.

Comment by DH

I agree. Why wouldn’t you just keep this all the time? Shouldn’t be limited to kids clothes either.

Comment by DH

I’m guessing there’ll be some interesting substitutions in your grocery delivery this week.

Comment by John

I’ll take that bet.

Comment by Bazza

A phenomenal idea. I would be interested to understand why this was not adopted permanently. I do hope it was not because a Tesco executive wanted to charge St John’s Ambulance for the exposure this idea was giving them.

Comment by Lee Hill




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