things i learned so far after 5 years in advertising

what do i think i know ���[non-exhaustive]

•  short term campaigns are moving to long term initiatives

•  successful communication is a process

•  simplicity should be standard

•  people disguise bad thinking with long words

•  businesses should have a noble purpose that motivates, galvanises [& makes money]

•  lots of small things are better than one big one

•  creative collaboration is key

•  data, data everywhere but not a drop to drink

•  entertainment meets utility + commerce

•  brands are increasingly behaving like media

•  good ads solve advertising problems, good agencies solve business problems

•  gaming is mega

•  brand humanisation

short term campaigns are moving ���to long term initiatives

•  WE NEED TO THINK BEYOND EXECUTION & SOLVE THE PROBLEM INSTEAD

•  LETS GET CREATIVE UPSTREAM BEFORE GETTING CREATIVE DOWNSTREAM

successful communication is a process

•  WE SHOULD KNOW WHY PEOPLE WILL BELIEVE BEFORE COMMUNICATING IMPACT-FULLY

•  “THE TRUTH ISN’T TRUTH UNTIL PEOPLE BELIEVE YOU, AND THEY CAN’T BELIEVE YOU IF THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING, AND THEY CAN’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SAYING IF THEY DON’T LISTEN TO YOU, AND THEY WON’T LISTEN TO YOU IF YOU’RE NOT INTERESTING, AND YOU WON’T BE INTERESTING UNLESS YOU SAY THINGS IMAGINATIVELY, ORIGINALLY, FRESHLY”���William Bernbach

simplicity should be standard

•  “EVERYTHING SHOULD BE MADE AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE. BUT NOT SIMPLER” ���Einstein.

people disguise bad thinking with long words

•  LETS TALK IN ‘PEOPLE’ LANGUAGE NOT IN CORPORATE / BUZZWORD SPEAK

businesses should have a noble purpose ���that motivates, galvanises [& makes money]

•  THE NOBLE PURPOSE IS A HUMAN TRUTH THAT TRANSCENDS CATEGORY

•  PERSPECTIVE FOR INTERNAL & EXTERNAL PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH

•  IT SHOULD BE EXPRESSED IN MANY WAYS & TRANSFORM THE WAY YOU DO BUSINESS

•  HUMAN UTILITIES CAN ENCOURAGE AND REWARD USER BEHAVIOUR AND PROVE OUR BRANDS PURPOSE IN THE WORLD

VW

lots of small things are better ���than one big one

•  WHY PLACE ALL OUR EGGS IN ONE BIG BASKET IN A WORLD THAT RELIES ON EXPERIMENTING & DIVERSIFYING TO SURVIVE?

•  LETS TRY LOTS OF SMALL THINGS ALIGNED WITH THE NOBLE PURPOSE OF THE BUSINESS

•  IT CAN MAKE BIG COMPANIES SEEM SMALL & HELP IDEAS SPREAD

W+K London - Nike Grid

creative collaboration is key

•  LIFE IS A TEAM-SPORT

•  BRAND MONOLOGUES ARE SO OVER

•  COMMUNITY CENTRED DESIGN MEANS 1+1=3

via BBH LDN BBDO Proximity - Doritos - The End

data, data everywhere ���but not a drop to drink

•  DATA IS NEVER JUST DATA; IT HAS A HUMAN CONTEXT SO SHOULD BE DESIGNED FOR IT.

•  DATA DOESN’T STOP, IT KEEPS GOING AS SHOULD ITS MEASUREMENT.

•  GOOD RESEARCH IS A MUCH NEEDED AND SOMETIMES UNDERVALUED ASSET

entertainment meets utility + commerce

•  MASH-UPS THAT CREATE CONVERSATION, COMMERCE, UTILITY & ENTERTAINMENT ARE THE WAY FORWARD

Droga5 NY - Jay-Z Decoded book launch

brands are increasingly behaving like media

•  BRANDS HAVE BECOME CONTENT CREATORS & CURATORS

•  THEY SHOULD OWN THE MEDIA [BESIDES PAYING FOR & EARNING IT]

Toyota’s Prius Projects

gaming is mega

•  GAMING CAN CREATE BEHAVIOUR CHANGE & IS A MEGA GROWING TREND

•  ITS ALSO ADDICTIVE

great ideas transform

•  THEY PUT A STAKE IN THE GROUND

•  MAKE THEIR OWN MEDIA

•  THEY’RE ENGAGING & REMARKABLE

W+K Portland - Old Spice

brand humanisation

•  PEOPLE DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH BRICKS

•  EVERYTHING BUSINESSES DO COMMUNICATES WHO THEY ARE

•  TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS BRANDS TO ARTICULATE THEIR PERSONALITY THROUGH BEHAVIOUR & CONVERSATION

Fiat teaching people how to drive efficiently

good ads solve advertising problems, ���good agencies solve business problems

•  THE SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM IS NOT ALWAYS AN ADVERTISING ONE

Amazon used it advertising budget to offer free delivery