"I am a creative person through and through but feel like I have matured quite a lot from being a very selfish creative person who was seduced by the creativty itself (...) to very much someone who really believes in the strategy of creativity and that everything that we do has to have purpose.
That comes from strategy in everything we do. "
David Droga
One of most successfull and influential creative leaders of last decade talks about the role of Strategy, Insight and Bigger Purpose in creating great, outstanding work. Supported by timeless campaigns of Droga5.
Few more cases in addition to ones I have published last week in my presentation "Reinventing Outdoor in Interactive Age" - cases that either were sacrifised to keep presentation on time or few new interactive cases that are launched very recently.
1.
NIKE-ID generator from Nike Japan, 2009. Although it works indoor, in Nike Store, all the principles are so much relevant to outdoor - great combination of personalization, randomness and game elements with very strong link with Nike ID service.
2.
IBM demonstrates similar but much more simplier idea. Also 2009.
3.
When last summer the great Century 21 New York Times Square interactive / augmented reality billboard emerged (see my Slideshare presentation, slied 87-89), for the beginning there was discussion about it's similarity to the following social ad - interactive outdoor in Netherlands with similar approach. Still everybody quite soon agreed that it could be quite impossible to copy the latter - it was only few months difference between both while time to produce either of them would take at least 3-4 months at minimum.
4.
One more interactive social outdoor campaign:
5.
"Occasionally perfect outdoor" by Heineken that got very popular for few weeks all across advertising and digital sources this Autumn.
Finally and in the Christmas mood - a very fresh, interactive Christmas tree in the very center of Singapoure with it's operational center in Facebook by Heineken.
Outdoor advertising is changing. For almost two centuries it was in static, one-directional ("poster based") mode, decade after decade evolving in quality and experience delivered. Now, with exponentially growing variety and availability of digital and social technologies and changes in customer attitude towards participation outdoor based campaigns should move towards being dynamic rather than static, exploiting variety of interactive opportunities, involving customers, personalizing the messages or experience, and helping to tell rich stories in order to create value - tangible or intangible - to customers and and society.
Supporting slides and videos from my yesterday's one hour (keynote) presentation in Clear Challenge outdoor competition in Riga. This is extended version with some 7-9 additional case videos and few additional slides. The material will be developed further and most probably will be a part of new set of presentations/thinking about communication and strategic planning in digital/interactive age.
For now - 100 slides, including 17 case videos of iconic outdoor-based communication cases from last five years. Feel free to comment, ask questions, download and share.
Probably the most influenutal designer of last decade Jonathan Ive about his friend and collegaue Steve Jobs, about culture and attitude Steve embedded into Apple DNA.
Around 10th second you know that it is Big Idea. After second thirty you know - there will be success for client and there will be awards. And then, after second fourtyfive, you just keep asking - how it can be that nobody has tought about it before. Great!
1) Everything that’s already in the world when you’re born is just normal;
2) anything that gets invented between then and before you turn thirty is incredibly exciting and creative and with any luck you can make a career out of it;
3) anything that gets invented after you’re thirty is against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilisation as we know it until it’s been around for about ten years when it gradually turns out to be alright really."
by Douglas Adams
OK, not always and exactly thirty. For some it's sixty, for some it's twenty five. And that is one of reasons why the thinking on mass media age is so deeply embedded into so many organizations. From planning marketing activities (obivously) to organizing internal processes, services, new product development and just changing internal culture.
When the week of Cannes started collegaues form BBDO Group Russia asked us to share TOP5 of our favorite campaigns of 2010/2011. There is my very subjective choices (actually 6, not 5) with a short comment on each.
I saw the commercial very early morning after Superbowl in States has just finished and it stroke me immediately. I think it is by far the best TVC in 2010/11 from great script and superior execution to the much broader role - it speaks not only about Chrysler, or about economicall highly troubled Great Lake region, but also touches the very important issues for the country, society and culture. Although it has got three Golden Lions in Cannes this week, I have expected at least one Grand Prix.
Two quite a different but similarly engaging real-time real-life games with very important role of digital platfroms and social networks. Both perfect in execution form trailers that attract participants and digital ecosystems to supporting everyday activities in social networks and through mobile applications with engaging data visualizations.
But most importantly again shows us that great digital campaigns are not about digital - opportunities and platforms provided by digital technologies to individuals, interest groups and societies are at best use when there is some bigger idea or challenge to be made in real life.
When one month ago I showed this case as one of key examples in a presentation of how video world is changing and video itself is becoming just a part of multi-platform, transmedia storytelling I have got a remark form the audience - “Hey, but this is not advertising and it is barely video”.
That’s exactly why I love it. The full use of then brand new html5 standard with all the time changing screens, integration of animations and hearth breaking dynamic integreation of Google Maps street view from the place that is very important to you - it all was wrapped into great, personalized story and told in way that neither was possible before nor it on other browsers at that moment. Check it out with Google Chrome browser yourself.
Supersimple idea with new use of old-good-outdoor. Just build it on ice in the middle of lake next to busy highway. Winter proposal for VW Pasat 4Motion - special price - is valid as long as the outdoor is visible. And as Spring approaches and ice melts, you can check out is the discount still available on web or just by taking a look when passing by.
The campaign is more than one year old but still it among my favourites. Very warm, very human and focused on creating real value to people. And again - not only having the TV script but doing real thing for real people. Going to the small town behind the Arctic circle and making thery morning and their day brighter. Even if for one day.
By the way I have changed this blogs headline after seing this ad and in particular - after listening to the song "The Great Escape" used in the film. I believe that “It’s not what you say that matters, it’s what you do” will be one of dominating principles in commercial communication for years and decades. And it is The Great Escape from the ways we were doing our communication and thinking about campaigns for more than half-a-century.
Sometimes its all very easy. Sometimes you even do not need big and well-thought through strategies. Sometimes it is enough to have simple, great story and the execution made perfect to the smallest details. The story and execution plan leaving enough space left for improvisation. Or improvisation with some clue about what story could emerge there and where could it lead.
But besides of that you have to have ultimate confidence in the idea from the authors and even more than that - the intelligence and courage of client to see the emerging path and to move on with it. The courage to play this game in quite an unknown territory.
Whaterver the case, great result American Apparel, great result.
In the very best traditions of Burger King and CP+B.
The sources with Direct TV available confirms that campaign really works. Watch five minutes - get Whopper, watch ten minutes - get two, etc. In order not to fall in temptation to go to kitchen for tee (or much worse - for brown, branded sugar drink from your fridge) or just not to fell asleep every few minutes there is small challenge for you.
