After 5 years in advertising, the author has learned:
- Campaigns are shifting from short-term to long-term initiatives.
- Successful communication is a process that involves understanding why people will believe a message before communicating it.
- Simplicity should be the standard approach.
- Creative collaboration is key to developing effective strategies.
- Brands are increasingly acting as media companies by creating and curating content.
2. what do i think i know
[non-exhaustive]
•
short term campaigns are moving to long term initiatives
•
successful communication is a process
•
simplicity should be standard
•
people disguise bad thinking with long words
•
businesses should have a noble purpose that motivates, galvanises [ makes money]
•
lots of small things are better than one big one
•
creative collaboration is key
•
data, data everywhere but not a drop to drink
•
entertainment meets utility + commerce
•
brands are increasingly behaving like media
•
good ads solve advertising problems, good agencies solve business problems
•
gaming is mega
•
brand humanisation
3. short term campaigns are moving
to long term initiatives
• WE NEED TO THINK BEYOND
EXECUTION SOLVE THE PROBLEM
INSTEAD
• LETS GET CREATIVE UPSTREAM
BEFORE GETTING CREATIVE
DOWNSTREAM
4. successful communication is a process
• WE SHOULD KNOW WHY PEOPLE WILL
BELIEVE BEFORE COMMUNICATING
IMPACT-FULLY
•
THE TRUTH ISN T TRUTH UNTIL PEOPLE BELIEVE YOU, AND THEY CAN T
BELIEVE YOU IF THEY DON T KNOW WHAT YOU RE SAYING, AND THEY
CAN T KNOW WHAT YOU RE SAYING IF THEY DON T LISTEN TO YOU, AND
THEY WON T LISTEN TO YOU IF YOU RE NOT INTERESTING, AND YOU
WON T BE INTERESTING UNLESS YOU SAY THINGS IMAGINATIVELY,
ORIGINALLY, FRESHLY
William Bernbach
5. simplicity should be standard
• EVERYTHING SHOULD BE MADE AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE. BUT NOT SIMPLER
Einstein.
6. people disguise bad thinking with long words
• LETS TALK IN PEOPLE LANGUAGE NOT IN CORPORATE / BUZZWORD
SPEAK
7. businesses should have a noble purpose
that motivates, galvanises [ makes money]
• THE NOBLE PURPOSE IS A HUMAN
TRUTH THAT TRANSCENDS CATEGORY
• PERSPECTIVE FOR INTERNAL
EXTERNAL PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH
• IT SHOULD BE EXPRESSED IN MANY
WAYS TRANSFORM THE WAY YOU
DO BUSINESS
• HUMAN UTILITIES CAN ENCOURAGE
AND REWARD USER BEHAVIOUR AND
PROVE OUR BRANDS PURPOSE IN THE
WORLD
VW
8. lots of small things are better
than one big one
• WHY PLACE ALL OUR EGGS IN ONE BIG
BASKET IN A WORLD THAT RELIES ON
EXPERIMENTING DIVERSIFYING TO
SURVIVE?
• LETS TRY LOTS OF SMALL THINGS
ALIGNED WITH THE NOBLE PURPOSE OF
THE BUSINESS
• IT CAN MAKE BIG COMPANIES SEEM
SMALL HELP IDEAS SPREAD
W+K London - Nike Grid
9. creative collaboration is key
• LIFE IS A TEAM-SPORT
• BRAND MONOLOGUES ARE SO OVER
• COMMUNITY CENTRED DESIGN MEANS
1+1=3
BBDO Proximity - Doritos - The End
10. data, data everywhere
but not a drop to drink
• DATA IS NEVER JUST DATA; IT HAS A HUMAN CONTEXT SO SHOULD BE
DESIGNED FOR IT.
• DATA DOESN T STOP, IT KEEPS GOING AS SHOULD ITS MEASUREMENT.
• GOOD RESEARCH IS A MUCH NEEDED AND SOMETIMES UNDERVALUED ASSET
11. entertainment meets utility + commerce
• MASH-UPS THAT CREATE CONVERSATION,
COMMERCE, UTILITY ENTERTAINMENT
ARE THE WAY FORWARD
Droga5 NY - Jay-Z Decoded book launch
12. brands are increasingly behaving like media
• BRANDS HAVE BECOME CONTENT
CREATORS CURATORS
• THEY SHOULD OWN THE MEDIA
[BESIDES PAYING FOR EARNING IT]
Toyota s Prius Projects
13. gaming is mega
• GAMING CAN CREATE BEHAVIOUR
CHANGE IS A MEGA GROWING TREND
• ITS ALSO ADDICTIVE
14. great ideas transform
• THEY PUT A STAKE IN THE GROUND
• MAKE THEIR OWN MEDIA
• THEY RE ENGAGING REMARKABLE
W+K Portland - Old Spice
15. brand humanisation
• PEOPLE DON T FALL IN LOVE WITH BRICKS
• EVERYTHING BUSINESSES DO
COMMUNICATES WHO THEY ARE
• TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS BRANDS TO
ARTICULATE THEIR PERSONALITY
THROUGH BEHAVIOUR CONVERSATION
Fiat teaching people how to drive efficiently
16. good ads solve advertising problems,
good agencies solve business problems
• THE SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM IS NOT
ALWAYS AN ADVERTISING ONE
Amazon used it advertising budget to offer free delivery