2009 British Television Advertising Awards

There are many avenues for inspiration in advertising; but, the one that seems to trump them all every year is the annual British Television Advertising Awards.

I was fortunate enough to be back at home in Minneapolis over Christmas and got a chance to see a showing of the awards this year at the Walker Art Center. Although the work skewed more towards the serious this year (most likely due to the economic climate) the work was still excellent. I have found also that the few that you remember a week later are the ones that I truly need to learn from.

I think the greatest or worst piece of a creative persons’ character can be seen when faced with obvious greatness in their field. Those that see it as a command to rise and those that denounce and hate it in fear.

Some of my favorites this year:

Barnardo’s/////BBH

PG TIPS/////MOTHER

Sony/////Fallon

Virgin Atlantic/////RKCR/Y&R

Economic Recovery?

Will the signs of revitalization be noticeable as they happen or only in hind sight?

I’ve liked looking at each agency as a mini-cosmos of the gradually improving economy and I think one of the best success stories of the past few months has been Fallon in Minneapolis.

Creative Success with Alice

Creative Success with Fizzy Lizzy

Business Success with winning Chrysler

Not a bad way to end the year or to bring a jolt back to the ad community in Minneapolis.

Mobile Marketing

Before the iPhone there was nothing but a void.

The question is, will the mobile market truly serve as a viable arena to truly leverage and sell more product in the future? As an iPhone user and designer myself it seems that the average user goes through three phases of iPhone use including junky, clean up and utility.

Personally I have never been sold on a product on my iPhone as of yet. The future of the apps as a mobile market seems to be in leveraging services. Through making a service fully or partially mobile on one’s phone and being hyper utilitarian you can create a greater hook on keeping a consumer.

So apps can certainly pro-long and enhance a current relationship with a brand/service; but, could it ever create that desire solely on mobile? With the oversaturation of the app store, it seems that the chance of that happening is slim to none.

Non-Existent Hero

Can your hero be non-existent?

Society, across all spectrums, appears to have embraced the idea that one can become a hero to another before their prime has passed or even when it has just started. For example, a few designers and artists that are currently looked up to and studied in art and design schools are still very much active in their fields, such as Barbara Kruger, Michael Graves or Milton Glaser.

My question though is the idea that your hero could actually be someone younger than yourself. The concept of looking up to one that is a fresh up start. An example for me, and a few of the people that I went to MCAD with, is Olly Moss. A relatively younger designer and illustrator in the UK, best know for his movie poster work, that could be at par with some of the greats such as Paul Rand or the Eames.

I don’t think it is unusual because I feel that when one is a great in their field, no matter what their age or industry experience, they deserve the recognition for their ability.

The Importance of Integration

“The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time." -Anonymous

What is the point of making advertising if the voice isn't consistent and whats the point of using a logo if the application is random? Many people laugh off the need to have a singular voice projected for any given company or product/service. The need to follow brand regulations doesn't seem to be a large concern of many creatives and agencies. So why is there a perception out there that you need to?

Lets not forget the consumer. If a specific brand is telling them one day that they are high end and the next day they are offering a coupon in the penny saver, exactly what will the consumer think of that brand? Often it seems that consumers perceptions default to the lowest common denominator.

So than, isn't it important to remain consistent to give the consumer a clear idea? I was once told that advertising should speak in the simplest voice possible so the any given consumer can understand it. They continued to say, it's not because the consumer is stupid; but, it's because they don't genuinely care. All they want to do is read their magazine or watch their show. It has to be simple to stick and the way to do that is to remain consistent pushing ONE attribute that differentiates your brand.

Fallon created an excellent example of a great integrated campaign over multiple platforms for the SyFy show, Alice. Check out a piece of the guerilla advertising, social media and online marketing.