Last night I was looking forward to settling down in front of the TV to watch a rather interesting debate on the subject of direct mail. I was expecting a well balanced argument from respected Panorama reporter Tom Heap looking at the pros and cons of the industry. What I got was anything but balanced. I haven’t seen such a one-sided fight since, well it was Saturday night actually…. broken toe? Come off it David Haye, you can do better than that.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so surprised given the title “Why hate junk mail?” but Mr Heap’s argument was not only unbalanced but incredibly naive, not to mention inaccurate. I also found it incredibly distasteful and dis-respectful to the direct mail industry to tackle the subject of ‘Scam mail’ in the same programme.
A few years ago at Red C we had some fabulous TV scripts that sadly never went into full production. Despite never seeing the light of day, the animation tests that were done for the adverts always made everyone here smile with how incredibly cute and well-executed they were. The guys behind the animation tests were a couple of fellas named Tom & Rory and their colleagues at Once Were Farmers… and thanks to the great experience we had with working with them, we knew that one day it would happen again.
Fast forward a few years and the opportunity to engage the fabulous skills of Once Were Farmers came by when we decided to try some new thinking on our latest Marisota DRTV Advert. The script was simple and charming and required something memorable and cute… so who better to get our Production Company, The Gate, to hire than Tom, Rory and the guys at Once Were Farmers.
It’s no big secret that I’m a bad loser. I hold my hands up and fully accept that my inability to be gracious in defeat is one of my weak points. Yet it is also a strong point too… as it drives me, pushes me harder and makes me ensure I have explored every opportunity for my clients. Simply because I want to create something special that will not only exceed the goals set in the brief… but also deliver some awards because the strategy is sound, it looks damned good, is incredibly well written and has pulled like a freight train.
For me, winning is key to a passionate, productive, purposeful, and prosperous life. If I were to value it less than I do, then I fear I would begin to say goodbye to my talents as a creative. The will to win is what drives me to be the best I can be in everything I do… and I have seen first hand what a winning mentality can do to an agency.
If you’re from north of the Watford Gap, you’ll know that southerners can be a bit snooty about the north at times. In fact, I bet the idea of a visiting a ‘provincial’ northern town like Bradford or Warrington would get those Kensington yummy-mummy sorts quaking in their Manolos. Not that it bothers us lot – after all, us northerners are made of far sterner stuff.
How refreshing it was therefore, when I stumbled upon the work of John Bulmer, a photographer from the home counties, who during the 60s and 70s captured the stark beauty and honesty of working-class Northern people and their communities. In a time when industrial landscapes and economic deprivation meant that for many conditions were more than a little grim up north, he scratched the region’s soot covered surface and revealed its character and charm.
The famous saying goes ‘there is no such thing as bad press’ but is this true? We now live in a society obsessed by celebrity culture. And celebrities are more than just ‘well known names.’ They’re carefully crafted, aspirational brands, as famous for the products they endorse as they are for their ‘talents’. The question is, what effect does negative press have on these celeb brand business.
As you know, over the last few weeks, celebrity scandal has been everywhere. Even the highbrow broadsheets have been dedicating serious column inches to the state of Cheryl and Ashley Cole’s marriage.
In a recent article, Guardian reporter Deborah Orr wondered what Cheryl would now do with the tattoo on the back of her neck, the one that brands her ‘Mrs Cole’ for life? She concluded it would have to be painfully removed and noted: “the pain of breakup can be great to bear. And sometimes it’s the thought of all that rebranding that hurts most of all.”
Sometimes the best ideas are done down the pub scribbled on the back of a fag packet. Or at least that’s what I was told when I started in this business. Who would have thought that someone would take that idea and turn it into a lucrative business… well that’s just what Hugh MacLeod did back in 1997.
When he first arrived in Manhattan to undertake a 2 week freelance Copywriting gig he had no friends and spending an evening back at the YMCA where he was staying did not appeal. So he basically sat in bars doodling on the backs of business cards just to give himself something to do.
I don’t think many copywriters enter the ad industry believing they’re going to be paid millions, never mind millions every year, but in 1907 one copywriter came along demanding just that… and he got it too!
That man was Claude C. Hopkins, a legendary copywriter who worked in the early 1900s on behalf of many companies, including: Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, Swift and Company and Dr Shoop’s Patent Medicine company.
It was only after making some very successful ads for Schlitz beer that his fortunes grew astronomically. He was 41, and was approached by the advertising agency, Lord and Thomas. He agreed to work there full-time after being offered a wage of $185,000 – the year was 1907 – by today’s standards that comes in at a whopping $2 million. Nice if you can get it eh?
Several years ago my art director and I devised a campaign for Rolls Royce that we called ‘whispers’. The campaign was created in reaction to the belief within BMW Innovations (which ran the marketing for Rolls Royce) that Rolls Royce did not need to advertise due to the prestige nature of the brand.
Our ‘whispers’ campaign went like this. We had a new Rolls Royce Phantom that would basically be seen in all the right places. From Yacht Clubs in the South of France, to events around the world held at prestigious places where only the very A-list people would be seen.
A couple made-up of an older gentleman (think George Clooney look-alike) and his younger gorgeous model-like wife, would pull up for lunch at a Yacht Club or attend a party. They would be allowed to leave their Rolls Royce Phantom outside the front entrance or in the near vicinity… before walking into the party, enjoying themselves and then driving home.
Yes it’s still freezing outside, personally I’m getting a bit fed up of scraping my car every morning but not to worry, we’ve got something that might brighten things up a bit…
Marisota is warming up our living rooms and launching us into this spring summer fashion season with its new DRTV commercial. With a little help from Director, Simon Lewis and The Gate Films, we’re confident the ad will do the trick and shake you out those winter blues.
The summer season campaign is always hard to produce as the concepting, planning and filming all take place over the festive period, when the warmth and sunshine of summer couldn’t be further from your mind while you’re dithering in sub-zero conditions in Manchester. But with a team full of great ideas it wasn’t long before we cracked it and brought to life our theatrical-themed concept, ‘The Marisota Show’.
Earlier this week I gave a talk on digital video and how advertising agencies are changing to facilitate a wide range of video needs that are required by clients. From high budget brand TV adverts to medium budget DRTV adverts right to low budget web-video… the demand is increasing and now’s the time to invest in skills and training.
I gave the talk on behalf of GBM at ‘Band on the Wall’ in Manchester and have split it into three parts of around 10 minutes each. Thanks to GBM and everyone who came to the talk, I hope you found it informative… I certainly enjoyed putting it together.
Parts two and three can be viewed by clicking the red button below.
Last night I was looking forward to settling down in front of the TV to watch a rather interesting debate on the subject of direct mail. I was expecting a well balanced argument from respected Panorama reporter Tom Heap looking at the pros and cons of the industry. What I got was anything but balanced. I haven’t seen such a one-sided fight since, well it was Saturday night actually…. broken toe? Come off it David Haye, you can do better than that.
