Photography Competition - Results

While I was away on holiday, I asked Scamp readers to send in an image on the theme of "Advertising".

There were 86 entries, many of them great.

Here are the winners, chosen by me, Scowling A.D. and super-sub Alastair Merry.


3rd Place


"Looks like Clemmow Hornby Inge are having a refit" says David Bradbury, who took this shot.


2nd Place


This one is from Stefan Hawes, in Vancouver. "One senses a feeling of uncertainty as they put up the primary awning", he writes, "leading them to hedge their bets with the secondary trim. 'Holy crap. What if there aren't enough dancers out there?'


Winner


"Advertising's all about believing" is the simple but undeniably true comment that accompanied this entry from English Tim.


Agree with the verdict? Disagree?

Personally, I love that 'Believe Believe' shot.

In our line of work we promise people so much, and so often... and so rarely with any originality.

Good stuff, guys. I'll be contacting you about your prizes shortly.

Tuesday Tip No.51 - Don't Write Ads, Write Strategies

This tip is for those of you taking your book around

It takes a long time to write an ad.

Even longer for a whole campaign.

Then if people don't like it, you may find you've lost an entire day's work (or more) in 30 seconds.

So my tip today is to not write any ads at all, until you have your strategy in place.

Back when Scowling A.D. and I were looking for a job, we used to type up strategies as one-liners, stick them on a page of A4 and send them out to teams for feedback. (This was so long ago, I think we actually used to fax them). Only if a strategy was liked by several teams that we respected would we then go on to turn it into an ad campaign.

Rachel and Debbie e-mailed me some strategies the other day. Very easy to do by e-mail. You could get 10 crits a day, instead of the 3 or 4 a week you can get by going around in person.

And now Wal has very helpfully posted The List, a collection of strategy one-liners from student books collated a few years ago by John & Chris of Fallon.

The system is definitely flawed, because some great ad campaigns of the past probably wouldn't come across at all well in this format, and some strategies that look great written out as 'one-liners' may be shit when done up into ads. Nevertheless, I think you'd gain more from it than you lose.

And why not try writing out your current book as a series of strategy lines? It's a useful exercise - seeing whether your underlying thoughts are interesting, and can be expressed in a single line - even if you don't send it to anyone.

I cringe at some of these now... but for the record, the strategies that Scowling A.D. and I had in our book when we got hired at DDB (in 1999) were:

Frazzles - Made by electrocuting pigs (this has since been done, by a team at AMV)
HMV - Nothing has a bigger effect on people than music
Comptons Bar (this is a bar on Old Compton Street in Soho) - The place for cock
Jet Petrol - Who cares what the shops are like or whether we sponsor a Formula 1 team, our petrol is very cheap
Nescafe - Ideal for those working late, like burglars and prostitutes
No.7 cosmetics - The seventh deadly sin is jealousy
Domino's Pizza - The outside world is a terrible place. So stay in
National Blood Service - London has lots of red paint, like on buses and post boxes, but is running out of blood

Previous Tips:

How To Choose Where To Work; Working Outside London; What Would John Webster Do?; What Would Paul & Nigel Do?; The Hidden Flaw; How To Write Copy; Be Funny All The Way Through; How To Do Virals; How To Get A Pay Rise; Be Wary Of Punding; Challenge The Brief; Tell The Truth; Playing To Lose; How To Write Headlines; How To Do Direct; How To Do Radio; How To Do Press; How To Do TV; How To Do Digital; How To Do Posters; Look At Weird Shit; Presenting To The Client; Presenting To The Team; Presenting To The Creative Director; How To Deal With Rejection; Look Creative; Don't Be Afraid To Ask; Your Idea Has To Be 120%; Read Iain's Tips; Don't Behave; How To Discuss Ideas; Read Hugh's Tips; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part IV - How To Turn A Placement Into A Job; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part III - How To Approach Agencies (re-print of Tip No. 7); How To Get A Job In Advertising Part II - How To Put A Book Together; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part I - FAQ; Make Friends With Traffic; Get Reference; Don't Stop Too Soon; Be Very; Breaking Up; Working Well With Your Partner; Finding The Right Partner; How To Approach Agencies; Never-Seen-Before Footage; Dicketts' Finger; Two Blokes In The Pub; Play Family Fortunes; Should You Take A Bad Job?; Don't Overpolish

Photography Competition Finale

We've been running a photography competition on the theme of 'advertising' whilst Scamp's been on holiday. Thanks for all the entries, sorry we couldn't post them all. Winner to be announced next week. Here's a few to finish with

from Stefan Hawes

from English Tim

from loads of people...

Photography Competition - Sale

Thanks to Hayes for this one

Photography Competition - Thai Hot Shop

thanks to Ted for this entry.

Photography Competition - Why I Love My Mom

"she had this dreamy mary tyler moore quality to her with her perfectly matched outfit, jewellery and make-up, the latter of which you sadly can't see. little country girl in the big city. I had to take a picture..."

It's a tight squeeze into the 'advertising theme' but we think it works, thanks to Chris for this.

Over Here Ladies

Thanks to Richard for today's entry.

Photography Competition - Week 2

I'm on holiday for another week.

But instead of just putting up a 'Closed' sign for, we're going to try something out here.

If it doesn't work, we won't do it again. (In fact we'll probably pretend it never happened.)

But if it does work, it should be a lot of fun.

We're going to have a photography competition.

The theme is "Advertising."

Here's one to get things started. From 'anonymous'

Entries can be a photo, cartoon, illustration, photoshop comp, whatever. Either something you've made, or something you've found. Just your take on the theme.

Send it to my friend Ali Merry. Alastair dot Merry at BBH dot co dot uk. Let him know if you want your entry to be anonymous, or have your name on it.

He'll put up one image a day.

At the end of the two weeks, the 1st 2nd and 3rd will be announced.

The Winner will be interviewed on Scamp. (Unless you want to be anonymous). Other prizes for 2nd and 3rd.

So come on, have a bash. The worst that can happen is you've wasted some time. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Photography Competition - Seriously Proud

Hockey Recruitment from Lisa Wallace.

Peckham Style

Taken in a shop in Peckham. Thanks to Nick for this entry.

Adidas Dogs

Sleepy dogs in front of adidas shop window. Bucharest, Romania.

Thanks, Aurel.

Photography Competition

Straight from the camera- Outside Gray's Papaya, W.8th Street, NYC. From Avril

Photography Competition

A donkey, advertising El Burro mexican restaurant on a wet Wednesday lunchtime, Goodge Street. El Burro promises crazy times. It's raining. One of his ears has drooped.

Thanks to Simmer Dim for this one.

Photography Competition

I'm on holiday for the next two weeks.

But instead of just putting up a 'Closed' sign for a fortnight, we're going to try something out here.

If it doesn't work, we won't do it again. (In fact we'll probably pretend it never happened.)

But if it does work, it should be a lot of fun.

We're going to have a photography competition.

The theme is "Advertising."

Here's one to get things started. From 'anonymous'

Entries can be a photo, cartoon, illustration, photoshop comp, whatever. Either something you've made, or something you've found. Just your take on the theme.

Send it to my friend Ali Merry. Alastair dot Merry at BBH dot co dot uk. Let him know if you want your entry to be anonymous, or have your name on it.

He'll put up one image a day.

At the end of the two weeks, the 1st 2nd and 3rd will be announced.

The Winner will be interviewed on Scamp. (Unless you want to be anonymous). Other prizes for 2nd and 3rd.

So come on, have a bash. The worst that can happen is you've wasted some time. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Is It Time To Re-Appraise CHI?

So we've discussed how much they pay. But are they any good?

Actually, I think maybe they are now.

Here's the new spot for Drench mineral water.



Puppets are funny. Fact.

Okay so it drags a tiny bit - the 60 is probably better than the 90 - but the sight of Brains grabbing his crown jewels is not one I'll forget in a hurry. Even logic-fans will be thrilled, because all that lovely entertainment is fully justified with an endline about Brains performing best when hydrated.

Exhibit B, this ad, with the remote-controlled plane. A funny idea, with great casting and great performances. What more do you want? Toyota is carving out quite a nice little VW-esque tone of voice for itself.



And let's not forget the awesome 'Tide' spot for Big Yellow Storage.



Even their print is getting better.

I saw a cracking tube card the other day for the Prius. It was just a picture of the car, and the words "The bandwagon. By Toyota."

CHI have always had some good Creatives - like Charles Inge, Mickey Tudor and Brian Turner. But the work was inconsistent. I thought the Telegraph 'Bestseller' campaign wasn't bad, and the Tango spoof was okay. But nearly everything else was abysmal. Especially British Gas.

So why the improvement?


Two words. Ewan Paterson.

Since he joined, the graph has moved in only one direction.

I like that. I like the fact that they have the same Suits and the same Planners, but a great new CD makes a great difference.

I know Ewan from DDB days, so I'll probably get accused of arse-licking.

It won't change the fact that he's doing a pretty nice job over there.

Tuesday Tip No.50 - How To Choose Where To Work

A Certain Ratio were a band from Manchester,
and are tangentially related to this post

Let's assume you are lucky enough to be offered more than one job.

How do you know which agency is better?

Well, there are lots of factors that will be particular to you - whether you like the people, the agency's style of work, and its location, for example.

But the most important factor, by far, is Awards Per Head.

For reasons we all understand, and have discussed many times before on this blog, nothing will help your career more than awards.

Therefore, the best agency is the agency that wins the most awards per creative team.

Judging on the ratio is crucial. If you only look at overall number of awards, and not ratio of awards-to-Creatives, you could go wrong. For example, some might think AMV is a better career choice than Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, because AMV wins more awards - maybe 30 a year, to MCBD's 10. However, AMV has about 60 Creatives and MCBD only has 10. These are very rough figures, but as they show MCBD wins twice the Awards Per Head as AMV, it's still pretty conclusive.

I reckon Awards Per Head is how all Creatives rank agencies, albeit unconsciously.

So it can't do any harm to be consciously aware of it, when deciding where you want to work.


Previous Tips:

Working Outside London; What Would John Webster Do?; What Would Paul & Nigel Do?; The Hidden Flaw; How To Write Copy; Be Funny All The Way Through; How To Do Virals; How To Get A Pay Rise; Be Wary Of Punding; Challenge The Brief; Tell The Truth; Playing To Lose; How To Write Headlines; How To Do Direct; How To Do Radio; How To Do Press; How To Do TV; How To Do Digital; How To Do Posters; Look At Weird Shit; Presenting To The Client; Presenting To The Team; Presenting To The Creative Director; How To Deal With Rejection; Look Creative; Don't Be Afraid To Ask; Your Idea Has To Be 120%; Read Iain's Tips; Don't Behave; How To Discuss Ideas; Read Hugh's Tips; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part IV - How To Turn A Placement Into A Job; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part III - How To Approach Agencies (re-print of Tip No. 7); How To Get A Job In Advertising Part II - How To Put A Book Together; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part I - FAQ; Make Friends With Traffic; Get Reference; Don't Stop Too Soon; Be Very; Breaking Up; Working Well With Your Partner; Finding The Right Partner; How To Approach Agencies; Never-Seen-Before Footage; Dicketts' Finger; Two Blokes In The Pub; Play Family Fortunes; Should You Take A Bad Job?; Don't Overpolish

Is It Time For A New Type Of Creative Team?

This guy, Nick Law, thinks it is.

He is the chief creative officer of digital agency R/GA, and he expounds his view in this article in Creativity Online.

Nick's big complaint is about digital being added on at the end of the process. His solution? Add a digital person or tech person to the standard creative team.

"The copywriter and art director should now be a part of a flat, flexible and modular creative team that understands technology and how the customer relates to it"

But more worryingly:

"This new team... do not wear backward baseball caps and high five each other in the hall"

What? No high-fiving... ever?

"Some of them have food in their beard. Some of them have never heard of Cannes. Some are women who smoke pipes. This is big tent creativity. It's big enough for designers, technologists and, yes, storytellers. Out of this tent will march the next creative revolution"

I don't know, Nick. You're a funny writer, but it's hard enough already for Scowling A.D. and I to find time for idea-generation together without having to schedule a woman with a beard into the mix.

Yes let's have sessions with tech people, just like we have sessions with planners. Why not? That's already happening here.

But they don't need to be 'in the team'.

Actually, it's a bit of a myth that ideas are the product of a creative team.

I have all my ideas on my own. So does everybody. After all, an idea can only 'appear' in one person's head, right?

The real question is... while I am working on a particular brief, who is putting stuff into my head, and thus shaping the kind of idea that comes out?

The most important person doing that (as indeed I hope I do for him) is my partner.

Then come the CD, the planner, the account handler, the client, my friends and family, taxi drivers, even the cleaning lady if I am really having trouble cracking a brief.

And of course digital shouldn't be added on at the end of the process. It only is for you, Nick, because you work in a digital-only agency, and you probably do get stuff 'passed down' to you. Just disband your agency and then you won't have that problem.

And for any clients reading this - the way to get your regular agency to come up with ideas which work in digital as well as 'traditional' is simply to ask us to.

Any decent creative team can do the full range, from a radio-only tactical brief to a big media-neutral brand idea.

And we know how to use the internet, you know. I'm using it right now.

User Generated Poll

Almost two-thirds of Scamp readers are Creatives.

The ideas just flow out of you.

So come on...

suggest what the next poll should be.

Previous poll results:
Friday Poll No.22 - What Time Do You Leave Work?
Friday Poll No.21 - Does Juan Earn One Million Pounds A Year?
Friday Poll No.20 - How Much Do You Earn?
Friday Poll No.19 - What Do You Think Of Our Trade Rag?
Friday Poll No.18 - Should A Creative Look Creative?
Friday Poll No.17 - Ad Of The Year 2007
Friday Poll No.16 - Do Difficult People Do The Best Work?
Friday Poll No.15 - Who Is Responsible For Ineffectiveness?
Friday Poll No.14 - Your Personal Success Record
Friday Poll No.13 - Which Department Is The Most Insane?
Friday Poll No.12 - What Music Do You Listen To While Working?
Friday Poll No.11 - What Time Do You Get In?
Friday Poll No.10 - Who Drinks The Most?
Friday Poll No.9 - Press v Online
Friday Poll No.8 - Success Or Glory?
Friday Poll No.7 - Is Reading Blogs A Waste Of Time?
Friday Poll No.6 - Job Satisfaction
Friday Poll No.5 - Festive Greetings
Friday Poll No.4 - Ad Of The Year 2006
Friday Poll No.3 - What's Your Favourite Medium To Work In?
Friday Poll No.2 - Agency Of The Year
Friday Poll No.1 - Which Department Is The Most Overpaid?

I Saw Vince Noir

I went to a corporate party last night.

It was for the launch of LG's new series of Scarlet TV's. Quite a neat idea - the pre-launch activity was all about pretending they were launching "a new TV series".

They even signed up David Nutter, director of Smallville, to pretend to be directing it. Website here (N.B. is not a BBH campaign, it was Agency.com I think).

Anyway, for a corporate party, it was pretty cool. Lindsay Lohan was at the LA event. In London was supposed to appear Grace Jones, but she didn't show. Apparently she refused to leave her suite at the Dorchester because she hadn't been given her fee in cash, in advance. Not many divas of that calibre around nowadays.

But we did have Noel Fielding (in case you don't know him, he plays Vince Noir, and various other characters, in The Mighty Bhoosh, comedy programme on BBC). I was in awe; wanted to get my photo taken with him but was too shy. I should have just gone up to him. He seemed very happy, not surprising as he was constantly surrounded by about eleven girls, and was probably being paid a small fortune to be there.

Anyway, if you've never seen this clip - 'Old Greg' from The Mighty Bhoosh - you have a real treat in store.

It is probably the funniest thing ever. Ever.



P.S. thanks for all the birthday wishes

Job Ad

The classic in this genre was by Paul 'Swingers' Bringelow a few years back. It was an all-type ad that just said "Christ I need an art director" in really terrible handwriting. Even the box around it was wonky.

But I've never seen an actual piece of moving film to this brief before. Fair play to Miles for doing something different.

Tuesday Tip No.49 - Working Outside London

Phil Hickes, Creative Head at Golley Slater, Cardiff - one of Britain’s most successful regional agencies – reveals all.

Advertising does exist outside of London. Not that you’d know it by reading Campaign. While you London dandies prance about from one private members club to the next, decrying the latest YouTube derivatives, there are hundreds of us quietly getting on with the business at hand, furiously polishing turds for our latest creatively-challenged client.

See? Life could be worse. The frustration out here is that we creative exiles share your ambitions. Like you, we want to be lauded, feted and carried shoulder high from the D&AD halls. But we’re disadvantaged before we even dust off our pads. We don’t share London agency resources, profile or clients. So we’re constantly struggling to get decent stuff through, swimming against a tide of financial and cultural constraints.

Try doing justice to your beautiful concept with a budget of 50p. See if you can hide the horror on your face when your new client proudly proclaims that their last ad was shot “by the same bloke who directs the DFS ads!” Or when your MD tells you that they’re wooing another ‘exciting new client’ in the insurance industry.

So why do we stick it? Because there are always exceptions to the rule and there are great accounts to be had if you look hard enough. It only takes one good client doesn’t it? And I’m sure you’re not all sitting down to tea with VW and Guinness every day.

Of course we could also stop boo-hooing and get back into the mix. Maybe we’re not good enough to cut it in the Premier League? Well, I don’t buy that. For starters, many Creatives out here have come direct from the Smoke. (You can spot them immediately; the hollow-cheeked, haunted-looking alcoholics.) And besides, if we start to feel a little inferior, then we only have to look at some of the toe-curlers to roll off the London production line and our confidence is restored. Cue Berocca.

I’m on thin ice here though. The regions churn out more than their fair share of excremental advertising – stand up the recent Honey Monster ad. But there are also some cracking examples of what the regions can do when conditions allow: WKD from Big Communications; the Irn Bru campaigns from Leith; the Adidas Manchester ad from McCanns; anything from Golley Slater ; ). If you sift through the shit, you’ll find plenty of golden nuggets.

The other main factor, of course, is the quality of life. The hours are better. The commute is shorter. By the time you’re exiting your plush receptions we’ve been to the gym and are settling down to watch Corrie with a glass of Tesco’s finest. We’re not losing hair and sleep because some cocky young graduate team have just moved in down the hall. Creative careers last longer (one of our AD’s is 67 and still going strong). When a creative team has a result, the rest of the department don’t start muttering darkly about ‘rip-offs.’ There is no ‘I’ in ‘TEAM.’

And…we still get to dip our toe in the London scene and enjoy a Satsuma Bento box at all the best production houses. Just less often.

So if you’re growing weary of the backbiting and the sniping, consider a move to the regions. We’re crying out for experienced people. You won’t be having conference calls with Chris Palmer every week, but it’s far from being a creative bone-yard either. You’ll love the relaxed, relatively stress-free lifestyle. Plus you’ll still get a sniff of awards - though it’s probably best to bid ‘adieu’ to the Hotel Du Cap and say ‘bonjour’ to the Hotel Du Thistle. It all depends on your priorities. Personally, I don’t want to ever stop enjoying what I consider to be one of the best jobs in the world. I’m not sure that would be the case if I was in London. (Whatever Dr Johnson says).

P.S. Scamp, did you get my book?


Do you work outside London? Did Phil tell it like it is? Let us know.


Previous Tips:

What Would John Webster Do?; What Would Paul & Nigel Do?; The Hidden Flaw; How To Write Copy; Be Funny All The Way Through; How To Do Virals; How To Get A Pay Rise; Be Wary Of Punding; Challenge The Brief; Tell The Truth; Playing To Lose; How To Write Headlines; How To Do Direct; How To Do Radio; How To Do Press; How To Do TV; How To Do Digital; How To Do Posters; Look At Weird Shit; Presenting To The Client; Presenting To The Team; Presenting To The Creative Director; How To Deal With Rejection; Look Creative; Don't Be Afraid To Ask; Your Idea Has To Be 120%; Read Iain's Tips; Don't Behave; How To Discuss Ideas; Read Hugh's Tips; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part IV - How To Turn A Placement Into A Job; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part III - How To Approach Agencies (re-print of Tip No. 7); How To Get A Job In Advertising Part II - How To Put A Book Together; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part I - FAQ; Make Friends With Traffic; Get Reference; Don't Stop Too Soon; Be Very; Breaking Up; Working Well With Your Partner; Finding The Right Partner; How To Approach Agencies; Never-Seen-Before Footage; Dicketts' Finger; Two Blokes In The Pub; Play Family Fortunes; Should You Take A Bad Job?; Don't Overpolish

New Nike Ad 'Take It To The Next Level' - Launches Tomorrow And It's Good

Just when I was moaning they don't make Nike ads as good as they used to, they make one that is.

It's epic stuff, with a strong narrative, and lots of nice detail along the way.

Shot by Guy Ritchie, apparently.

Doing The Right Thing

I’m working on a campaign for a charity at the moment.

So of course, I’ve been spending some time looking at great charity ads that have been done in the past. Not to steal them, if that’s what you were thinking, but just to get my head into that space.

Coincidentally, my good buddy Copyranter who recently announced he had retired but now seems has started again has recently written an acerbic
post about charity advertising.



Commenting on the above ad for Crystal Meth (sorry, I mean against Crystal Meth), he writes:

I'm sure the somber admen from San Francisco agency Venable Bell and Partners, standing on the various ad awards show podiums next spring, will somberly tell the suddenly not goofing-off audience that if the ads stopped just one kid from smoking the Meth, then every pro bono second they spent toiling to craft these graphic, perfectly art-directed scenes will have been so worth it, man.

He goes on to propose a solution to the same brief that he believes would be more effective:

(all type)
GET HELP GETTING OFF METH
MontanaMeth.org

Anyway, that post set me wondering… how many of the good charity ads I have been looking through were created specifically to win awards, rather than help people?

Common sense says it shouldn’t matter, as long as the ads worked.

But if the ‘Ranter is right, and the type of charity ads created to win awards are perfectly art-directed duds, then it does matter.

What do you think?

Supplementary question – the last charity campaign you worked on, what was uppermost in your mind: winning awards, or helping people?

What Would John Webster Do?

The second in a series of tips that suggest, if you’re stuck on a brief, you try looking at your problem through the eyes of someone else.

Today, John Webster - perhaps the greatest writer of television commercials the UK has ever produced.

He had a wide variety of output, but is probably most associated with an ability to create enduring ‘characters’, including the Cresta Bear, the Hofmeister Bear, the Smash Martians, the Humphreys, and the Honey Monster.

Most of these ads are quite old now, but their approach is as valid as ever – just look at the success of Monkey for PG Tips.

Today I’m going to try to analyse how John did it.

Let’s start with the Hofmeister Bear and Smash Martians.





What I want to pick up on first of all is that although John’s characters were often wacky, they were the very opposite of random. There was always a rock solid logic behind them.

The Hofmeister Bear was on the pack. The Smash Martians were robots because Smash was the food of the future. Now, a Hofmeister robot might have been funny, as might a Smash Bear… but they wouldn’t have had the crucial relevance that makes them so satisfying.

So, when you’re creating your character, don’t just pick an animal out of a hat. If it’s going to be a robot, make it a robot for a reason.

Now let’s look at the Humphreys and then the Honey Monster.





The point I want to make here is one of role. I strongly believe that a big part of the success of John’s characters was that he gave them a fantastically simple role to play in the commercial.

The Humphreys want your Unigate Milk. That’s it.

The Honey Monster is obsessed with honey. End of story.

(Similarly, Gary Lineker wants to steal your Walkers crisps).

So if you are creating a character-based campaign, the learning from John Webster is that you don’t need to create a clever strategy. Give the character a simple and clear role to play that connects them to the product. They hate it. They love it. Etc. Most of the power of your campaign is going to come from the character-creation, not the strategy.

Finally, let’s look at the Cresta bear.



The lesson here is a complex one, and maybe the most important of the three points I want to make. It’s this - how do you make your character interesting?

Well, the most important thing a character needs in order to be interesting is a degree of contradiction. (No contradictions = smooth conformity = bland, characterless)

The Honey Monster embodies the classic contradiction of the gentle giant. He is physically imposing, yet mentally kind and childish.

The Humphreys are ordinary drinking straws… and yet have a sinister methodology to their actions.

The Smash Martians are robots, but they are constantly laughing.

As well, as his understanding of contradiction, John wasn’t afraid to borrow interest at times. But he was brilliant at hiding his sources.

John’s particular trick was to take well-known actors and re-make them in another medium. The Cresta Bear was based on Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider. The Hofmeister Bear was a Cockney Fonz.

That doesn’t have to be your trick. But there has to be something about your character that is contradictory, compelling and memorable… while at the same time relevant, and they have to have a clear role in relation to the product.

Give it a try. Madison Avenue has an annual parade of advertising icons. It’s time we created a few more over here.


Previous Tips:

What Would Paul & Nigel Do?; The Hidden Flaw; How To Write Copy; Be Funny All The Way Through; How To Do Virals; How To Get A Pay Rise; Be Wary Of Punding; Challenge The Brief; Tell The Truth; Playing To Lose; How To Write Headlines; How To Do Direct; How To Do Radio; How To Do Press; How To Do TV; How To Do Digital; How To Do Posters; Look At Weird Shit; Presenting To The Client; Presenting To The Team; Presenting To The Creative Director; How To Deal With Rejection; Look Creative; Don't Be Afraid To Ask; Your Idea Has To Be 120%; Read Iain's Tips; Don't Behave; How To Discuss Ideas; Read Hugh's Tips; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part IV - How To Turn A Placement Into A Job; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part III - How To Approach Agencies (re-print of Tip No. 7); How To Get A Job In Advertising Part II - How To Put A Book Together; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part I - FAQ; Make Friends With Traffic; Get Reference; Don't Stop Too Soon; Be Very; Breaking Up; Working Well With Your Partner; Finding The Right Partner; How To Approach Agencies; Never-Seen-Before Footage; Dicketts' Finger; Two Blokes In The Pub; Play Family Fortunes; Should You Take A Bad Job?; Don't Overpolish

Nike Ads Today

So this is what Nike ads are like today.

First off, it doesn’t own up to being an ad. (It hasn’t run on TV). And, it didn’t cost much to make, with the possibly massive exception of Kobe Bryant’s fee.



And this is the type of Nike ad I grew up with – Good vs Evil.



Production cost - enough to feed a small country for a year. Add in the media cost, and you could buy that country.

So have things got better, or worse? And for who?

Copyranter Quits Blogging

Image via Where's My Jetpack?

Award-winning NYC copywriter and one of the world's Top 10 ad bloggers Copyranter has announced he will no longer blog.

In typically no-bullshit style he gives his reason for quitting as "it takes too much time."

If you never read him, you probably won't care. But if you did, you'll be gutted.

Copyranter encouraged me a hell of a lot when I was starting out, and there's little doubt that he was the world's top 'creative who blogs'... he even got a gig writing a series of columns for U.S. web giant Gawker entitled 'Lies Well Disguised'.

Beneath a facade of contempt, Copyranter wrote about our business with unequalled wit and verve.

The proof that he cared was the special venom he reserved for cliche, sexism and ads that talk down to people. Example - his Most Gratuitous Use Of Breasts To Sell Something award.

If you liked him too, or had a favourite post of his and know how to do links within comments, do add your thoughts below.

Friday Poll. You Work Quite Hard. But Who Are You?

The most common time for Scamp readers to leave work is between 6.30pm and 7.

So it seems we're working quite hard. Not as hard as lawyers, doctors or management consultants. But harder than accountants, bank managers and the people I have been trying to get to install my Sky dish, who never show up when they're supposed to and never return my phone calls.


Actually when I say we're working quite hard... who are 'we'?

Who is actually reading this blog? I get the impression it's mostly Creatives, with a few Planners stopping by to stir things up. But I could be wrong.

Input answer now, in the top right hand corner of your screen.

Previous poll results:
Friday Poll no.21 - Does Juan Earn One Million Pounds A Year?
Friday Poll No.20 - How Much Do You Earn?
Friday Poll No.19 - What Do You Think Of Our Trade Rag?
Friday Poll No.18 - Should A Creative Look Creative?
Friday Poll No.17 - Ad Of The Year 2007
Friday Poll No.16 - Do Difficult People Do The Best Work?
Friday Poll No.15 - Who Is Responsible For Ineffectiveness?
Friday Poll No.14 - Your Personal Success Record
Friday Poll No.13 - Which Department Is The Most Insane?
Friday Poll No.12 - What Music Do You Listen To While Working?
Friday Poll No.11 - What Time Do You Get In?
Friday Poll No.10 - Who Drinks The Most?
Friday Poll No.9 - Press v Online
Friday Poll No.8 - Success Or Glory?
Friday Poll No.7 - Is Reading Blogs A Waste Of Time?
Friday Poll No.6 - Job Satisfaction
Friday Poll No.5 - Festive Greetings
Friday Poll No.4 - Ad Of The Year 2006
Friday Poll No.3 - What's Your Favourite Medium To Work In?
Friday Poll No.2 - Agency Of The Year
Friday Poll No.1 - Which Department Is The Most Overpaid?

New VW Golf Ad

Shame there's been a lot of 'people making music with the product' ads recently. In fact I think there was even another car brand that did it... Fiat, if I recall. Not to mention Honda 'Choir', which mined a similar seam.

I still like this though. Originality isn't everything, and the craft here is great.

Tuesday Tip No.47 - What Would Paul & Nigel Do?

Stuck on a print brief?

Ask yourself... What Would Paul & Nigel Do?

This is the first in a sub-series I am planning on what we can learn from some of the masters of our craft. And there is no question that Paul Belford and Nigel Roberts are among the best print teams ever to have walked this earth.

In fact if I were given a print brief and told that the resulting ad HAD to get in the D&AD annual or I would lose my house... I would ring up Paul & Nigel.

They have a very specific approach to print advertising, and I am going to suggest that - if you are stuck on a print brief - it might be useful to give it a try. Maybe you come up with nothing. But at the very worst, you have had a half hour break from your normal working method.

Funnily enough, although Paul & Nigel's ads always have a fantastically modern sensibility, I suspect that their approach is an old-fashioned one (N.B. I have never spoken to either of them about how they work. Everything I am writing here is reverse-engineered from their product).

We all know how a normal print ad is constructed:

The headline and the visual work together in harmony. Take away the line, and the visual doesn't communicate anything. Take away the visual, and the line doesn't make sense either.

This has been the standard approach, ever since Bill Bernbach first decided to have art directors and copywriters sit together.

Now here's a Paul & Nigel ad (you may need to click on some of these to enlarge them).



As you can see, the entire message is carried in the headline. The visual is, strictly speaking, unnecessary. Technically, it's a piece of graphic design, that illustrates the ad, rather than an advertising visual that works hand-in-glove with the line. Basically, they've written a great line about soup, and then just illustrated it with a cool picture of a splash of soup.

Here's a couple more examples.




Here, even more obviously, we see that the visuals are 'mere' graphic design, accompanying the headline. In actual fact they are full of little ideas - the mouse and the sound waves all being relevant to sound, for example. But again, they're working to amplify the line, not complete it.

Of course, this method isn't easy. You almost certainly won't be able to do ads as good as these - Nigel's headlines are among the best in the world, and so is Paul's art direction.

But if you fancy a change, try their approach. (Don't worry that your ads will end up looking like theirs. Paul & Nigel's campaigns don't look like any of their other campaigns).

First of all, each of you must sit down and write headlines. Don't try to think visually at all. Write lots of them. Paul & Nigel were part-schooled at Leagas Delaney, where Tim Delaney is notorious for 'weighing' a pile of print ads in his hand before a review. The man reveres quantity. Perhaps he understands that, as I think Dave Trott said - "the way to write a good ad is to write a lot of them."

So write lots of headlines. Literally, at least a hundred. (It isn't so hard, when you free yourself from trying to write 'ads', and just write headlines). Then leave them for a day. Then pick the best three.

If you can, think of a really interesting way to set these headlines (here's a couple of examples, again from Paul & Nigel):




Then choose which part of your line you are going to illustrate (either photographically or via illustration).

For example if the line is about eggs, get hold of the most interesting photo ever taken of an egg. Try a crazy crop of it.

Use that in the layout as reference, until you can shoot your own.

Anyway, that's today's tip, sorry it was on a Wednesday again. Do let me know what you think.

Previous Tips:

The Hidden Flaw; How To Write Copy; Be Funny All The Way Through; How To Do Virals; How To Get A Pay Rise; Be Wary Of Punding; Challenge The Brief; Tell The Truth; Playing To Lose; How To Write Headlines; How To Do Direct; How To Do Radio; How To Do Press; How To Do TV; How To Do Digital; How To Do Posters; Look At Weird Shit; Presenting To The Client; Presenting To The Team; Presenting To The Creative Director; How To Deal With Rejection; Look Creative; Don't Be Afraid To Ask; Your Idea Has To Be 120%; Read Iain's Tips; Don't Behave; How To Discuss Ideas; Read Hugh's Tips; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part IV - How To Turn A Placement Into A Job; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part III - How To Approach Agencies (re-print of Tip No. 7); How To Get A Job In Advertising Part II - How To Put A Book Together; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part I - FAQ; Make Friends With Traffic; Get Reference; Don't Stop Too Soon; Be Very; Breaking Up; Working Well With Your Partner; Finding The Right Partner; How To Approach Agencies; Never-Seen-Before Footage; Dicketts' Finger; Two Blokes In The Pub; Play Family Fortunes; Should You Take A Bad Job?; Don't Overpolish

Oh My God, We're All Dead

Fallon's new ad for Budweiser.

What can I say.

This isn't trying to be cool, it just is cool.

Check shirts and a hypnotic, fucked-up VO.

Doesn't feel like an ad.

A piece of communication that's not about product features, or benefits, but the naked soul of the brand.

Some commenters on this blog seem to think I'm in love with Fallon's work. Am I? Not every ad they do is brilliant. Not every ad they've released today is brilliant.

All I can do is call it as I see it. We are sucking on their exhaust, gentlemen, sucking on their exhaust.

Thanks to Wal for pointing this one out.

Why?

Chris Palmer's Last Shoot

Arguably Britain's best commercials director of the last few years, Chris Palmer, has made his last ad.

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Creatives: Howard Green and Pablo Videla

Paul Arden

Paul Arden's ads were brilliant, and by all accounts he was a brilliant creative director too.

But what strikes me the most - reading all the stories about him in Campaign, and on various blogs - is... just how many stories there were about him. Stories of how he punched people, fired people, urinated in a window box. Or offered to reduce his own salary to fund the hiring of a down-on-his luck Tim Mellors.

Thinking further about this theme... I'm sure we could all tell stories about every one of the CD's of Britain's Top 20 agencies, couldn't we?

This leads me to wonder - to have a great career, as well as being great at advertising of course, do you need to be the sort of person that others tell stories about?

Do you need to be extreme?

What if you're not. Can you fake it?

Or, deep down, are we all profoundly weird and individual... but most of us - for whatever reason - don't let enough of our real selves out like Paul Arden did.

Tuesday Tip No.46 - The Hidden Flaw

Someone once said that "the problem with a hidden flaw is it never remains hidden."

Wise words.

Very often, when you're writing an ad, you come up with something great, that you love... but you know in your heart of hearts there's one tiny thing wrong with it.

Your partner likes it. Your CD likes it. So you start thinking that maybe the planner, the account team, the client and the director will like it too, that none of them will spot the hidden flaw.

But they will. Maybe they won't say anything because, hey, they all need an ad too. But by the time it gets to consumers, and to awards juries, that hidden flaw will be as visible as a spot on a nose.

Maybe it's just a little bit too close to something one of the brand's competitors has done. Maybe it's an endline or set of words that works perfectly on two levels, but there's just this extra little meaning it can also have, that you don't want, which keeps creeping in to the communication.

Whatever it is, you know what it is. And you're best off bringing it out into the open.

And yes, I know today's Wednesday.


Previous Tips:

How To Write Copy; Be Funny All The Way Through; How To Do Virals; How To Get A Pay Rise; Be Wary Of Punding; Challenge The Brief; Tell The Truth; Playing To Lose; How To Write Headlines; How To Do Direct; How To Do Radio; How To Do Press; How To Do TV; How To Do Digital; How To Do Posters; Look At Weird Shit; Presenting To The Client; Presenting To The Team; Presenting To The Creative Director; How To Deal With Rejection; Look Creative; Don't Be Afraid To Ask; Your Idea Has To Be 120%; Read Iain's Tips; Don't Behave; How To Discuss Ideas; Read Hugh's Tips; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part IV - How To Turn A Placement Into A Job; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part III - How To Approach Agencies (re-print of Tip No. 7); How To Get A Job In Advertising Part II - How To Put A Book Together; How To Get A Job In Advertising Part I - FAQ; Make Friends With Traffic; Get Reference; Don't Stop Too Soon; Be Very; Breaking Up; Working Well With Your Partner; Finding The Right Partner; How To Approach Agencies; Never-Seen-Before Footage; Dicketts' Finger; Two Blokes In The Pub; Play Family Fortunes; Should You Take A Bad Job?; Don't Overpolish

Blog Orgy

Campaign have asked five bloggers - me, Ben from Lunar BBDO, Richard Huntington of Adliterate, Neil from Welcome to Optimism and Russell Davies to do a group chat about blogging.

Except Russell probably won't be able to contribute because he is on holiday in Tenby and his caravan doesn't have broadband.

Campaign will publish what we write on Thursday week, I think.

If you want to read the tedious shit we are wanging on about, you can do so here.

Can you propose something interesting we should discuss - I am struggling - or do you have a question I should put to the other bloggers?