common sense, marx and advertising

John Lanchester has a brilliant article in a recent London Review of Books called ‘Marx at 193’. It’s very well worth reading. He talks a little bit about Marx’s attitude to that which we call ‘common sense’.  For Marx, common sense was absolutely not ‘common sense’ – rather it was a way in which an elite tried to present its own particular construction of reality as value free, without history, somehow neutral. And like a lot of Marx, it’s something we don’t pay much attention to. However, even if most of us don’t read a lot of Marx, advertisers and advertising agencies present our own constructions of reality all the time – to our own advantage.

The classic example (thanks to the brilliant Ella Parry Davies for turning me on to this) would be Gillette’s ‘Reveal the goddess in you’.

Rather than present the product’s benefit – smooth hairless skin – as what it actually is – the mechanical removal of perfectly natural adult female body hair, it presents it as an act of ‘revealing’, hence normalising a ‘natural’ female state of  hairlessness. Although this is clearly a pretty perverse construction of reality, it is obviously far more powerful as a way of talking about a benefit: I doubt many women want to be reminded that what they’re doing is ripping out their hair because once upon a time people (I’m guessing men) decided they preferred women that way. Quite the opposite in fact –what modern, empowered woman wouldn’t want to ‘reveal the goddess’ in herself?

To an extent the same observation could be made of Persil’s ‘Dirt is good’.

It’s perhaps not as sinister, but again it’s reframing the product benefit, subtly shifting ‘common sense’, to the advantage of the advertiser. Before washing powder was about restoring dirty clothes to pristine almost-newness, because  dirt was an enemy that had to be expunged because people and clothes were meant to be clean. With ‘dirt is good’, the normative idea being suggested is that in fact kids (note that you won’t find an adult in their ads, that’s probably going a bit far even for Persil) are meant to be dirty because this means they’re doing all the kid things they are meant to, yet which we as adults feel guilty about denying them. In this sense, Persil are reflecting (and probably helping to drive) the contemporary obsession with and indulgence of young children (at least in England the little darlings can scream the place down in restaurants, roll around in mud etc etc with impunity).

There are doubtless more examples, (and I’m not saying these are both perfect executions either) but what they show is how powerful and memorable advertising can get when it gets under the skin of the value systems we accept as ‘common sense’. Much is made of ‘insights’ in advertising but in fact this kind of thing isn’t about insights at all. Stuck in front of people on a board in a focus group people wouldn’t agree that dirt was good, or that being hairless was more ‘natural’ than being hairy. Rather an entire creative execution works to change peoples’ minds, with them barely noticing it. It’s absolutely pure Marx – but he certainly wouldn’t have approved of it.

 

The Rise of the Planner Journalist

When planning was conceived 40 years ago (or whenever it was), its function was either to conduct research, or act as some kind of creative marketing consultant. And for a long time, I’m told that’s pretty much how it stayed. In other words, if we imagine an adoption curve, planners existed to bring the interests, needs and attitudes of those ‘behind’ agencies, into agencies. Planner as consumer champion.

Increasingly though, the behaviour and position of planners suggests there’s a different kind of role emerging – or rather, a new job description. Planners are more likely to be found circulating links to the latest web sensation or brandishing an iPad than they are moderating a focus group with (gasp) ordinary people. They’re bringing in the brave new world of all the stuff the Board isn’t quite comfortable with. Step forward the planner as agency journalist.

This isn’t a critique. Certainly I’d advise any planner to do some twitter willy-waving (and possibly even consider blogging) in the interests of showing willing and having a CV that doesn’t make you sound like a contemporary of Stanley whatsit or Steven thingummy. And although I am very much pro-empathy (there’s another post due about that) I have some sympathy with the argument that you do really need to be in the game in order to get it. I doubt whether the hard lunching ad giants of the 80s and 90s eschewed TVs.

But having said that, if planners can’t understand or adequately represent that mass of folk who still aren’t on twitter, live outside Zone 2, and are maybe even over the age of 40, then they’re really not that much use to anything but the most techy, fashion or niche brands out there. And that’s got to be a serious handicap.

Cycle helmets

Here’s a nice bit of film from James Cracknell. Beyond the message, it makes a really good media point. Do a big telly ad about this kind of thing, and it inevitably feels top down, nanny state, and the kind of thing you’d want to ignore almost on principle. But if it’s something peers can share, ultimately from just another cyclist (albeit a famous one) then it’s somehow more palatable and sinks in more.

I’ve never quite believed the medium is the message – but this shows how it is certainly a big part of it.

Can’t stop the pirates

Brilliant documentary as posted on the Oi Polloi blog, harking back to the days of pirate radio. As far as i know, most pirates have shut down, as the web makes DIY ‘radio’ easy and legal. But what strikes me looking at the film (It looks like an old Arena or London Tonight) is that it’s not about the media of radio so much as the fact that this was illegal. That was what made it so compelling for both listener and broadcaster.

You’re also left thinking that this kind of thing is impossible when the establishment tries to co-opt youth culture, as it does these days, but really didn’t until Blair.  For this kind of thing to happen needs a distance from the people making the rules, and  needs those rules to be broken.

How to get into advertising – or at least fail with more dignity

Yesterday my twitter pal mistercastro ( check @saatchi_grads for his enfant terrible antics) challenged me to provide some advice for all the kids out there who want to work in advertising.

It’s all but impossible to do this without sound INCREDIBLY PATRONISING so I’ll keep it brief, and leave out all the standard boring guff about trying to make sure you stand out etc etc.

1. Consider NOT doing a grad scheme at a big agency. Just because all your friends are obsessing about their KPMG application it doesn’t mean you should be sweating blood over your JWT ap. These days grad schemes at big agencies tend to land you straight into account management, and there are lots of frustrated would be planners or creatives trapped in account exec positions. Which brings me to…

2. Sneak in by the back door. Apart from possibly a prison, there are probably no buildings where the inhabitants have such a varied set of backgrounds as advertising agencies. So, you may be better off doing a couple of years in TV, digital production, art school or market research (a LOT of planners have researchy backgrounds). Not only will this mean you bring something interesting to the table, but big agencies are moving towards integrated models of working which will require them to hire from smaller, more specialised and more varied agencies and suppliers.

3. Get your philosophy right. Don’t think about getting in as being about getting through an interview. Rather,  just concentrate on being the person they would want to hire. Get into it. Beg borrow or steal a copy of ”Behind the Scenes in Advertising” by Jeremy Bullmore. It’s the best book about advertising EVER. Hang out in Soho for a bit. Do something interesting on Twitter. Follow some ad people. And if all that doesn’t put you off, you are not only prepped, but you are ready.

4. Don’t try too hard. I once saw an application where, when asked to make an impression, the applicant had written CUNT in letters so big he couldn’t have got more than 4 across the page. I thought this showed promise, but more sensitive members of the agency vetoed. My old boss once told me that you should try to be the cool girl on the periphery of the party all the men want to talk to, rather than the “I’m mad me” girl dancing round her handbag in the front room. There’s probably something in that…

Marketing ideas – and Danny Baker

Much excitement whenever we have an idea that can be called a marketing idea, rather than just an advertising idea. As I understand it, the difference is that whilst an advertising idea is an idea for an advert, a marketing idea is something which isn’t in itself an advert, but could be filmed and turned into one. So for instance the Walkers ‘Sandwich’ idea was an event that would have had some impact simply through word of mouth and social media activity. But it also made for something fantastic that could be filmed and turned into a TV ad. You get the idea.

The way these things are talked about you’d think they were a recent invention. What struck me the other day was that a classic from my own childhood should and does count as a  great marketing idea – and it’s at least 15 years old. God knows why I thought of it, but I am of course refering to the unsung classic that is… the Daz Doorstep Challenge

I love how it says ‘Recorded Live’ – which is of course completely meaningless. Even if it was a bit of a set up, this was still something that made a real change from the two-t-shirts-with-stains-dipped-in-detergent-and-pulled-out guff that continues to make it on to our screens.

Any other classic ads which are actually marketing ideas? I’d love to hear them…

On demand and the ‘emergent quality’

Here’s something i’ve been thinking about for a while. I’m not quite finished thinking about it either, but if I waited til then, I’d never write anything.

The question was, why was I so excited to be able to tune in to hear Andrew Weatherall (for those not familiar, something of a cult figure amongst record shop bothering men of a certain age) on BBC 6 music last Sunday? Why, when the show was going to be made available for a week after on the BBC’s iPlayer was it exciting to hear it THEN, as it was going out? The answer I think is an interesting one and reflects something we are only just getting to grips with.

By way of introduction, I can remember as a wet behind the ears researcher seeing TV clients terrified about the potential effect of the newly arrived Sky Plus on their audiences. This was probably 2005/6. Advertising revenues would surely dry up! Of course, it never really happened, despite the success of Sky Plus and other PVRs since. That’s because although time shifting – and indeed on demand – is great and enjoyed by many, it has become an adjunct to rather than a replacement for scheduled TV viewing.

That’s just because we’re all stuck in our ways and the kids are time shifting EVERYTHING, expect it all to be on demand and will grow up to be schedule ignoring adults of the future you might say. Well, i don’t really believe you. For two reasons.

1. Because for as long as schedules exist and are repetitive, content won’t just be content. It will have a context which will give it meaning due to where it is and hence what role it plays (eg stuff on Saturday evenings being stuff families can watch together on the sofa after their dinner, or soap operas being things people can escape to after another dull day at work). And because it will to an extent be made with a view to filling these roles, it will be a better watch at these times than others. To put it another way, people have social relationships not just with content but with schedules.

2. And this is really my point, but it’s a little different - Because content is linear, it has to start – emerge - at a certain time. So there will be something about getting it hot off the press that makes it attractive to get it as it is emerging. Or rather, we do not like the feeling that it has happened and some  people may be enjoying while we are still waiting. This is different to the potency of the ‘live’ experience, by the way. I have pretentiously dubbed it ’the emergent quality’ but if you can think of a better name, do let me know.

This is an important thing for broadcasters to consider when they think of their futures. I’m almost certain it makes an entirely on demand model a non starter (ever sit in front of Google and can’t think of what to search for? Imagine that on your telly). Or rather, that if a broadcaster – or should I say content provider – wanted to do something without schedules, they’d need to do very well to remove all but a gloss of decision making from the consumer.

Anyway, here’s a picture of Andrew Weatherall, and a link to a wonderful record he featured in his 6 mix.

 

The past in the future

Fantastic image by Joe Robson of what the Euston Arch could look like, if it were ever to be rebuilt. So imaginative, inspirational, and hopefully, realistic – at least if these people get their way http://www.eustonarch.org/ 

I shaln’t bother with a long explanation here – they have plenty there – but look on the website for pictures of what it looked like before it was torn down, join their facebook group and generally show your support. In a time where humanity and its future tends to be looked upon with such pessimism – even apocalyism – it’s a great reminder of a heroic, optimistic vision of the future, that perhaps some day we’ll recapture.  Here’s a great little video of the suprising resting place of some of the stones.

Intel Visual Life

Great little documentary about the Sartorialist, or rather the man and the thinking behind the camera. The Sartorialist is a fantastic, pure, beautiful blog, but this documentary is interesting even if you’re not interested in photography or fashion. He’s got lots to say about the internet, the world, all sorts, and comes across as a really thoughtful, interesting and gentle man. The builder’s boots moment really is wonderful. Please take a look at http://the sartorialist.blogspot.com. I’ve posted the video here too.

BT Vision Work

Shameless plug but the new BT Vision work finally went live back in November, for those not in the UK here is a taster… (one of 5 films we made)

Doesn’t look like a very plannery ad, does it? That’s where you’re wrong. It was a TOTAL change in strategy and took some serious selling/PowerPoint decks to get there. Which makes me love it like a firstborn child. To give you an idea, here’s the old work…



At some point I’ll get into the strategy, but in the meantime, big thanks to Huw and Gary, and of course the account team. Merry Christmas.