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


Back To The Future …

Brand experience.

An exciting and new discipline in the brand building space.

Except …

Before some of you had started work.
Before some of you were even born.
SRVT – better known as Sargant Rollins Vranken Tereakes – were not only talking about it, but also doing a ton of stuff with it as well.

Now they were an agency ahead of their time.

An exciting, creative and progressive agency.

One of the very best I had the pleasure of working at.

But still, 23 years have passed since the slide at the top of this page was part of their credentials, so can we stop banging on about experience like it’s the newest, new thing in marketingland?

All we’re really doing by talking about it in these terms is highlighting how slow we actually are.

Especially as many brands – especially in the luxury space – were doing it decades before even SRVT … and certainly better than the ‘lowest level of consistency’ format seemingly favoured and promoted by so many.

God, this week has got off to a positive start hasn’t it, hahahaha.


17 Comments so far
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Twenty three years? That is incredible.
I still remember the credentials deck they had. Mainly because it formed the backbone of cynic’s. ; )

Comment by George

To be fair, if you’re going to borrow, borrow from the best.

Comment by Bazza

doesnt do it for the shit on this blog does he.

Comment by andy@cynic

Yep … and even now I call upon them for stuff. Ha.

Comment by Rob

So what you’re saying is brand experience was “invented” in the last millennium? I’d say it was even longer. Those miracles in the bible played a big part in getting the book distributed.

Comment by Bazza

The original integrated campaign.

Comment by Pete

And the first scam? Hahaha.

Comment by Rob

the bible is what happens when you let the client write their own fucking ad.

Comment by andy@cynic

Perfection in a comment.

Comment by DH

I still love SRVT’s G-Shock work. And the fashion company ad with the headline that would never get approved today. “What the bitch who will step your man wears.” I can’t remember their name but I’ll never forget that ad.

Comment by Pete

Thus proving that ads that are memorable for something other than the brand they’re advertising have also existed for decades.

Comment by John

True. But this was good and for the right reasons … but it was a VERY long time ago. So long that even the internet doesn’t really have any SRVT work on it. Hahaha.

Comment by Rob

True. I’m told Forest were a better team back then.

Comment by John

Touche.

Comment by Rob

I’ve just been looking for them but I think they must be on a hard drive somewhere. G-Shock was good and I know exactly the fashion brand campaign you’re talking about. I can’t remember who it was either – mainly because it was a small shop rather than a big brand. And sadly, it seems our work didn’t change that for them either. Though – as you say – there’s no way that campaign would be allowed today. Nor would we do it, to be honest.

Comment by Rob

yawwwwwwwn.

Comment by andy@cynic

You did not have to explain the poster was old. The use of the word “nowadays” said it.

Comment by Lee Hill




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