THE LAST WORD
The Last Word
Jack Klues, managing partner, Vivaki
Why you can’t think in a straight line in advertising
We need to consign every old, linear agency approach to the rubbish bin. The assumption that there is a universal ‘starting point’ from which all successful marketing efforts flow is an obsolete notion at best. There are no more straight lines between a concept and a human interaction.
Some full service agencies still wax nostalgic for the traditional creative process that started with an idea and culminated as a media buy. Media agencies still tend to operate with a planning approach that is based on ‘mass’, then extends to ‘me’. Enough. Our starting point has to be the consumer, and there are roughly 6.7 billion people on the planet, each of which uses a personal menu of preferences, touchpoints and behaviours – many of them digital.
How does an industry – and one so pressured by fees – deliver 6.7 billion personalised connection plans? We certainly need lots of data. We need mechanisms to capture it and brilliant, insightful talent who can translate it into actionable insights. We need content – information, entertainment, messaging, ideas – from every available source. Content creation is no longer the domain of creative agencies and media owners (just ask the 2 billion people who visit YouTube every day). And we need mash-ups: unexpected partnerships and collaborations that result in new thinking, quicker response rates and tighter production schedules.
No one agency or discipline has “the right to lead”. We are all following the consumer. Everyone has a seat at the table. The table is round. The path to our consumer is circuitous, but we can get there from here. Just not in a straight line.
66 M&M Q2 2010 Dear Aunty M… No question is too big or too small for M&M’s favourite agony aunt
Q: One of my sales people has gained a reputation for getting drunk at industry events and making a fool of herself. I don’t want this to look bad on my company, what do I do? A: I assume this girl must be a “newbie” or looking for a spot on MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’? Media is all about being social, and I am sure you can count on more than one hand how many deals you yourself have sealed over a drink. However, if she can’t handle it leave her behind. She will miss out on deals from a lack of networking and then be forced to change her ways, to secure her commission (if she still gets it in these recessionary times). Deals are often done over a sip of scotch, maybe a glass of champagne even, but certainly not over spilled vodka.
Best of the blogs MASCOT OR PHALLUS?
While the creators of the London 2012 mascots were prepared for criticism from within
the UK, the critics raised their voices around the globe. In the US, Vanity Fair blogger Juli Weiner referred to one of them as a ‘ghoulish cycloptic phallus named Wenlock’. Portuguese blog Adivertido proclaimed that they were simply weird and questioned why they couldn’t “just make pets like they did in the old days”. ○
MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION Paris Hilton caused a brouhaha with her ad for Devassa beer, criticised for being too sexy and
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devaluing blonds. The ad followed the socialite as she partied in Brazil. Textappeal Blog declared that the brand achieved its goal “of establishing itself as the naughty anti-establishment beer”. In the US Stylelist’s Erin Donnelly, didn’t understand all the fuss: “Isn’t Brazil the country that brought us tiny bikinis and radical body waxing? What’s Portuguese for “pot, meet kettle?” ○
HOW NOT TO BUILD SUSPENSE The conclusion of ABC’s ‘Lost’ was such a global event that it was broadcast simultaneously
around the globe. The Invisible Red blog highlighted the efforts of the New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ to promote the episode. In anticipation of the finale the channel erected special billboards in odd places around the country. Photos of the billboards were posted on the TVNZ’s website and the public were asked to guess the location. ○
SENSITIVITY CHECK
An Italian company hit the sensitive button globally when it unveiled a giant post of Hitler
dressed in bright pink, with a love heart replacing the swastika on this uniform. The ad came with the strapline ‘Change Style – Don’t Follow Your Leader’. AdFreak blogger David Kiefaber, poked fun at the controversy and encouraged someone to “start a band and name it Pink Hitler”. The blogosphere rumours that the follow- up will feature Mao Tse Tung. ○
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Q: I’ve less than 2 years experience but I am being head-hunted by a rival agency, I really want to go but I feel bad about leaving my current employer in the lurch. A: No one has loyalty in this industry. Its oh-so-solid foundations are built on poaching talent. Welcome to media.
Q: My agency is pitching for Gap’s global media account, I hate the brand. What do I do? A: Does anyone really ‘like the Gap’, I think it is more of a case of we all put up with it. Consider this your challenge when pitching for the business. What would it take to convince you that a t-shirt is worth $45 and that holidays are equal to a choreographed routine. Crack that and you’ve won the account! ○
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