The ad agency business is an interesting one, at the very least, featuring no shortage of folks who would gladly gloss over all manner of actual business considerations or strategic thinking and head straight to creative development. And despite lots of chatter to the contrary, my guess is that at least 80% of the creative directors in the country still see TV as the Holy Grail. They’ve literally never met a marketing challenge that a TV ad can’t fix. They live for TV. They love TV.
Add in the plethora of award shows, with everyone in search of a gold this or that in order to build their book, and you’ve got a recipe that delivers creative for creative’s sake. Not always, of course, but often enough to be an issue in this business.
My point is this: When a social media hack builds something only his basement-dwelling geek friends will like or ‘get’, it is no different than the advertising asshole doing a TV ad simply to gain the praise and admiration of his advertising colleagues at the latest award show gab fest.
Yes. Awesome.
This so applies to web development, too. I was suggesting a new site for a client's campaign because the current one is basically unusable, and the response from my fellow agency folks was, "But it won an award at Cannes."
Well isn't that swell? A shame that no one is using the site, or even can use it.
Posted by: Joel | June 25, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Carman: FYI, I put a link to this post at http://halifax.infomonkey.net
Posted by: Ted Sutcliffe | June 25, 2008 at 10:26 AM
I worked in a great UK ad agency for nearly ten years in the creative department. And you are right about what you say. But the flip side is that the goal of getting a gold award, pushed the ad teams to strive for excellence in creative ideas. And you will find that 80% of the time the ideas in TV that won the awards were the most popular with the public. ( The most entertaining) Now there will always be a few ideas that are great ideas that do not get much exposure. These ideas should be rewarded as well.
These awards are for CREATIVITY.
And this is currency for agencies when pitching for new clients who want to get noticed. And with all the crap that surrounds each individual ad that's a tall order. So the creative thinkers need there platform from which to masturbate.
Lets remember there are advertising effectiveness awards and these are the true gage as to the ads which actually do there job. And you will find the best ad agencies excel in both.
Posted by: conceptx | June 25, 2008 at 12:28 PM
Ah, but conceptx, creativity without a hint of pragmatism is merely masturbation. Oh so much fun, but at the end of the day, you're only fucking yourself.
Posted by: jeff white | June 25, 2008 at 02:29 PM
Joel - glad you like, and thanks for the follow-up post on your blog.
Ted - tks mate...
conceptx - couple of thoughts....
1. Often times, the 'excellence in creative ideas' are advertising ideas, not marketing ideas. Not sure how long ad ideas are going to cut it ;-)
2. re: popular with the public = popular at awards shows. perhaps... but, the public is kinda changing where they spend their attention, no? That was then, this is now, etc.
3. I love art. And I love an entertaining ad likely more than most. Yes the awards are for creativity (which is great) - they just shouldn't be the sole focus of your business.
4. Funny thing about the ad effectiveness awards.... you just don't hear them talked about in the agency game as much ;-)
Lot's of fuel for discussion Thursday evening.... hope you can make it out.
thanks for the comments guys...
Posted by: cpirie | June 25, 2008 at 02:41 PM
Jeff - heh.... lol...
Posted by: cpirie | June 25, 2008 at 02:42 PM
Here, fucking, here!
Brilliant comparison.
Shiny object envy is rampant in the social media space. Wanking with the latest gadget, widget, aggregator, virtual world, and video chat application is no different than the TV folks drooling over location shoots, Terminator and Matrix effects, and the latest post production treatment by the up and coming Cannes wannabe out of film school.
I'm all for creativity, but if what you produce only satisfies your own curiosity then you're just a high priced dancing monkey.
Posted by: David Jones | July 04, 2008 at 07:48 AM