Bears Broadcast

Our two creative partners both took to the online airwaves recently to talk to the world about very different subjects.
First up, Rich was invited onto a panel discussion about the power of having a distinct tone of voice with the GO! Network – you can view his thoughts here: https://vimeo.com/1031905671

And a few weeks back, Jon travelled down to London to share his experiences with Jordan Platten of 20+ years running an agency on his podcast, Agency Giants. You can see and listen to all his musings here: https://youtu.be/68yRu39966w?si=9COucetTlMnFIWpm

A quick word on the safe word

”So to summarise… we want something new and challenging. Something that pushes the boundaries. Something that will achieve our goals, and win awards.

Oh, but don’t forget the safe options.”

Ug. ‘Safe’.

An option that wears high vis to eat vanilla ice cream while it toes the line in sensible shoes.

You’ll more often than not find one of these ‘50 shades of beige’ ideas in a creative response though; no (good) agency is naive to the pressures on marketing teams to appease stakeholders in a timely manner with depleting budgets, nor the strict guidelines that accompany some requests.

But is this really what you mean when you’re pulling your brief together? You want the Unadventurous? The Conservative? The just ‘All right’? Can’t safe also mean dependable? Solid? Reliable? Even, dare we say, effective?

If a creative route is built on a meaningful foundation of research, insights, truths and understanding, could we start to think of this idea as ‘safe’ because it’s designed to work and meet your objectives no matter how left-field it might sound in the pitch? Like, oh, I don’t know… Booking a funeral for a cup; using a drag act to bellow your benefits; arranging a heist to highlight eye care, or asking a lovely lady called Carol to water the garden with her bits out.

Who comes up with this!? That’s right – we do. Ideas that produce work that works – but doesn’t always have to have the stabilisers on.

Ready to move your brand from beige to black, and see what a really safe pair of hands can offer? Get in touch.

#BeFierce

Bossing It: Richard Elwell and Jon Harrison Were Raised by Wolves.

Bossing it.

This article was first published on Little Black Book on 18/3/24 here.

Jon Harrison and Rich Elwell are creative directors of One Black Bear and also co-own the business. They have been a creative partnership since 1991 and set up One Black Bear in 2003. The theory goes (unverified) that they’re now the longest creative team partnership in the UK – if not the world. Just the 33 years and counting. Get less for murder as the adage goes.

They oversee all the creative output of the agency and are highly experienced in developing creative strategies that deliver impressive ROIs for clients as well as win awards. They were reared on a very simple, focused diet – namely, it’s all about standout creative with a sound strategic backbone.

They have worked with numerous travel brands most notably National Express Coach, Eurolines, National Express Bus, Touromo, West Midlands Network and Transport for West Midlands. Their campaigns for National Express have been multi award winning across disciplines from OOH to TV, social to radio and in programmes from The Travel Marketing Awards to Roses and Lurzers.

As well as the plethora of travel experience, Jon and Rich have worked across everything from automotive to beer (famously once convincing Roger Moore to appear on TV for a Wolverhampton Brewery) and from High Street Jewellers to international sports brands. As well as global megastars of the silver screen, the pair have also worked with sporting heroes and up and coming comedians. Active and enthusiastic contributors to client meetings / ongoing client development, Rich and Jon pride themselves on being involved and not just residing in the background as owners.

LBB> What was your first experience of leadership?
Rich> Becoming head of the carpet cutting department at a B&Q. I presided over several other fellow Saturday lads who were students. I was very proud.

LBB> How did you figure out what kind of leader you wanted to be – or what kind of leader you didn’t want to be?
Rich> To be honest, we didn’t. We were raised by wolves. During those formative years at our first agency, we observed all kinds of leadership. Think bombastic, micro management, pure fear, the friendly sort, having enough rope to hang yourself… you name it, we witnessed it. We settled on trying to be nice, laid back and trusting. But we have been guilty of overdoing the soft touch. Every day a school day as they say.

LBB> What experience or moment gave you your biggest lesson in leadership?
Rich> When I suggested to my old MD that this business is basically just ‘rock & roll’, he quickly fired back a brusque: ‘But it’s not though’. Jon and I still wind each other up with it to this day. And while we’d never use the cliché of rockstars we do try and make sure people enjoy spending their time together in the agency.

LBB> Did you know you always wanted to take on a leadership role? If so how did you work towards it and if not, when did you start realising that you had it in you?
Jon and Rich> We knew early on in our careers that we’d like to run our own place. But I think that was more about being in total control of creative output rather than an out and out desire to lead. I think creative folks should aim to be inspirational to those that they lead and then get out of their way to let them do what they do best.

LBB> When it comes to ‘leadership’ as a skill, how much do you think is a natural part of personality, how much can be taught and learned?
Jon and Rich> Personally, I’d hope we lead by example rather than by preaching from a management textbook. We try to instil a high level of self initiative, self discipline and team ethic that seeks to help others, muck in whenever needed and to always strive to do the best work possible.

LBB> What are the aspects of leadership that you find most personally challenging? And how do you work through them?
Jon and Rich> When someone isn’t naturally driven like us. Sounds weird, but we aren’t particularly good at cattle prodding those who haven’t ‘got it’ in the first place.

LBB> Have you ever felt like you’ve failed whilst in charge? How did you address the issue and what did you learn from it?
Jon and Rich> Often. Imposter syndrome looms large as a creative person anyway. Add leadership responsibilities to the mix and… wow, it takes any morsel of self doubt to another level. However, I think (or hope!) that we’ve always been fair, balanced and patient as leaders. I can’t think of many instances, if any, where we haven’t tried to be. We also gave shares to people we shouldn’t have and that wasn’t very clever from a leadership perspective. You live and learn though eh.

LBB> In terms of leadership and openness, what’s your approach there? Do you think it’s important to be as transparent as possible in the service of being authentic? Or is there a value in being careful and considered?
Jon and Rich> I think there’s a very high level of transparency because it ultimately breeds trust and loyalty. We celebrate the good times and support each other during the bad. Yes, we often soak up some of the bad patches and worry ourselves rather than burdening the team – it’s that old football manager approach I guess.

LBB> As you developed your leadership skills did you have a mentor, if so who were/are they and what have you learned? And on the flip side, do you mentor any aspiring leaders and how do you approach that relationship?
Jon and Rich> As we said, raised by wolves. Much of it is self taught and relies on the desire to be exceptional at what you do – and be nice while doing it.Our old college tutor, Steve Dixon was a very analytical, clever guy who was very good at letting you know that your so called, best ever work was actually only lukewarm – but with a smile on his face. I also like the David Abbott example of red penning the junior’s copy without getting all hot and heavy and throwing mobile phones around. Why? Because when the junior writer eventually left DA’s office with his copy free of red pen he was walking on air.

Exceptional leadership right there.

LBB> In continually changing market circumstances, how do you cope with the responsibility of leading a team through difficult waters?
Jon and Rich> Keep doing it and keep going. What other way is there? We are pretty cautious as a business and don’t make rash decisions. We have a duty to look after what we’ve created and the people we carefully recruit. Long may it prosper – come what may.

LBB> As a leader, what are some of the ways in which you’ve prioritised diversity and inclusion within your workforce?
Jon and Rich> Now two middle aged blokes running an agency, we nurture youth, we celebrate experience and strive to have as many points of view within the place as possible. The agency management team is predominantly female and we try to always hire from mixed backgrounds and experiences.

 

If you’d like to grill Jon and Rich about their countless years experience at the creative coalface or chat to any of the rest of the team about something less boring, then drop us a note saying “Haven’t they aged well” here.

Are you tech’in the p*ss?

Artificial Intelligence is a very real threat.

Think I’ve figured out what AI really stands for: Abject Indifference.

I’m talking, of course, about the rather strange gathering of monied Bond villains held (ironically) within the splendour of ‘Camp Clandestine’. AKA Bletchley Park.

What a strange (and strained) bunch of meets and greets that was.

Amid the lashings of tech’ infused social awkwardness and abundant black Amex cards, some truly weird things were said.

See, according to the world’s richest person, it’s all just a matter of simple choice: ‘AI will do everything. So, you can have a job  but only if you want one. Y’know, if you need a bit of purpose and meaning. But don’t feel compelled’.

Oh ok, thanks for that. Earn a living to support you and your loved ones – but don’t stress if you can’t be arsed, just let the computer do it.

I mean, forget for a minute that we don’t raise anywhere near enough in tax revenues to fund our beleaguered, cash strapped public services as it is.

Merely an inconvenient truth that.

No, let’s go even further and suggest that our much patronised, ‘hard working families’ don’t bother doing a stroke of work for the treasury at all anymore.

And best of all, this oh so bold comment met with awkward amusement by our very own economics grandmaster. Oh, and former Chancellor. Oh, and current PM. And latterly, chief courter of tech’ titans. And, oh yeah, did I mention fellow billionaire? (Btw, that last tag doesn’t half help in times of ‘enforced retirement’.)

Go fund that one then Rishi. An entire workforce doing nowt. Sounds like a bit of a bigger bill than furlough. And forever too.

In a feeding frenzy of all things artificial, we don’t half need some side orders of real world, common sense too.

And not from someone who doesn’t need to work either.
Computer says….doss.

If you’d like to speak with a human about the real power of original, tangential and creative thinking, then drop us a note saying “I am not a robot” here.

 

Artificial Intelligence is a very real threat.

AI Came, AI Saw, AI Conquered?

AI came AI saw AI counquered?

School and university heads are wondering how to assess their undergraduates now that anyone can get the AI to spit out a passable five page essay in response to every question under the sun.

Solicitors are starting to get twitchy now the AI can digest the salient points of legal papers in a few seconds and write a decent contract in minutes.

Junior developers are looking nervously over their shoulders now that what looks like pages of working code can be generated from a few sentences of instruction.

Marketing agencies, of a certain ilk, are weighing the pros and cons of being able to churn out endless content without the need to employ countless content writers. Not us, we’d like to note. That kind of stuff is not our bag. Perhaps we might harness the AI to write infinite complaint letters to our broadband supplier – but that’s another story.

Anyway, all this leaves creators of original stuff in a legal pickle. In Creative Review, the illustrator Christoph Niemann summarises it like this: “(An AI tool) doesn’t invent work it goes historically back and, in a very sophisticated way, rips it off. AI is done in a way that traditional copyright laws don’t apply, but for me it’s more of a deepfake of artists’ work.” There will certainly be legal test cases to find the legal boundaries of this very soon.

The long term consequences of AI are impossible to determine. Right now, it feels like it will be a long time before a computer can calculate the creativity we like: the stuff wonderfully works its way into millions of human hearts and minds. But who knows? Maybe that will come in the next update. So we thought we’d leave the last words on this to the mainframe itself…

Prompt: Why AI won’t take over marketing.

Marketing is all about relationships.

AI technology has certainly revolutionised the marketing world but that doesn’t mean it can completely take over the responsibility of a marketer. AI can certainly make things easier, faster, and more efficient. However, it cannot replace the relationship-building aspect of marketing which is so integral to its success.

Marketing is a very human-centric activity. It requires understanding the psychology of the customer and building relationships with them based on that understanding. AI may be able to provide insights into consumer behaviour and preferences but it will never be able to understand or build meaningful relationships with customers in the same way as humans can.

Tonality is also an important part of marketing. Good marketers know how to use language that resonates with their target audience, something AI still hasn’t mastered. AI-driven content maybe informative and factual but it won’t have any persuasive power because it lacks emotion. AI has yet to be capable of replicating nuances like storytelling, humour, and other persuasive tactics that are essential for successful marketing campaigns.

In conclusion, while AI technology can help marketers save time and resources, it cannot completely take over marketing activities due to its inability to build relationships with customers or create tonality in its messaging that resonates with an audience. As AI becomes more and more advanced, we’re starting to see it used in marketing and advertising more and more. But while AI can be a powerful tool, it won’t ever be able to replace the human element of marketing.

Does it know what it’s talking about? Who knows.

If you’re looking for an agency that does more than just generate the generic, drop us a note saying “I’d like to chat not gpt” here.

AI came AI saw AI counquered?

Invest Now. Profit Later.

Advertising in a recession.

It’s 2008, and I’m at Disneyland queuing for the Tower of Terror. When I joined the line an hour ago I was buzzing. Excited, chatty, and confident this was the ride for me. Now I’m on the final approach, and I haven’t spoken to my boyfriend for ten minutes. I’ve morphed into a nervous nelly. And when this happens, I don’t speak. My brain is far too busy pawing through all its anxious thoughts while my eyes dart between watching what everyone else is doing, and pin-pointing an escape route.

We’re psychologically programmed during periods of uncertainty to take a bit of a ‘chin down’ approach. Paralysed by the unknown, we pause to maintain self-preservation. Fear of the unknown can be crippling. But I’d been there before – terrified of Space Mountain and then went round three times in a row. So why the hell wasn’t I learning from the past. Can you see where I’m going with this?

Hold onto your hats and glasses

There are four P’s your brand has to generate value; Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. In nervous times, the last P is often the first for the chop. But unless you’re saving cash to simply survive, or because you can no longer provide your service, cutting ad budget relative to your competitors is an extremely high risk strategy and opens you up to losing sales and, crucially, market share. In a recession, as with so many things in life, it’s important to ensure you’re P-ing properly.

A shift in consumer behaviour results in a diminishing role for short-term sales activation. But it’s dangerous to assume that should lead directly to ceasing promotion. There’s a plethora of research that’s screaming at us to maintain or increase ad spend to ensure recovery and continued growth. It’s the age-old smackdown between short-term tactical and longer-term strategic actions. And as the majority of ad spend tends to be tied up in multi-year activity; cutting it off isn’t just affecting your brand now – it’s exposing it to long term damage.

You should have thought about this when you joined the queue

So that paragraph’s convinced you to pick up your advertising again. Super news. The only downside is this is something you should have done months ago. The issue with a recession is that they’re usually identified and acted on retrospectively. Fail to prepare and all that.

If you want to take full advantage of a future recovery, you need to invest well before it arrives. The IPA cites it’s typically six months before increased sales or share can be attributed to brand building activity. Which just happens to be the exact same amount of time declining GDP needs to be published before we can officially use the ‘R’ word. Decisions we make right now on marketing investment don’t just affect us today, but will have big consequences through 2023 and beyond. Make the right one.

A quick reminder though – this isn’t just about shouting louder, it’s about shouting the right things, too. In a recession your brand is scared. So are the humans you rely on to stay in business, so a demonstration of humanity, understanding, and generosity in your advertising can go a long way. Be helpful. Be aware. Be Fierce.

Exit through the gift shop

I went on the Tower of Terror, and was terrified. But if I hadn’t done it, everyone else in the queue would have experienced that unique, adrenaline-soaked high, while I stood holding their coats. Clamming up and watching everyone else thrive wasn’t really for me, it turned out.

I even picked up a souvenir keyring on my way out. Something to remember that day. Turns out it can be helpful to look back 15 years and learn from experience. Don’t you think?

 

If you’d like to know more about Advertising in a recession and to tap into our wealth of knowledge (we’ve experienced as few in our time) then drop us a note saying “I ain’t scared of no ghost” here.

Does disruption really smash it?

Disruptive advertising.

Disruption is a pesky verb that seems to blur the boundaries of good and evil. Like Twitter, or Google Sheets. Disruption causes difficulty, frustration. But it can also introduce new ideas, and change the way things are done. 

And while it’s been a ‘thing’ for ages, I’m hearing the D-word banded about more and more and more in our industry as brands look to shake up their strategies.

A lot of buzz around disruptive tactics stems from the lightning fast speed that digital technology has evolved. You can’t do a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g online without having to close, scroll, hide, click away from, accidentally click on, watch for a few seconds, skip, answer, accept, or god forbid, actually read or watch an ad before you’re allowed to get on with what you were actually trying to do. It’s disruptive media for sure. But as a human being I find it irritatingly horrible. And while you might assume negative feelings towards this sort of advertising are transferred to the brands, sadly studies have shown the opposite. A study in 2017 saw participants that had been shown pop-up ads while playing video games displayed a preference for the advertised brands compared with like-for-like alternatives, despite perceiving the brand as more annoying.

So there’s some evidence to suggest it’s effective, but also seems lazy. Too much about quick wins and short term sales. Are we fine with being shamelessly annoying? Or can we inject a bit more intelligence into our ideas.

Clever disruptive advertising relies on re-examining rules, whether related to a product, brand, or space. It’s experimenting, and challenging. Going beyond what’s expected, and setting new standards.

Success relies on brands stepping outside of their category comfort zones, doing something different to elicit an emotional connection with a target audience that both achieved immediate goals, and shifts, elevates, or embeds brand perception. And it comes in all shapes, and sizes.

Think Outside The Tropes

Both Oatley and Oasis broke a norm by satirising themselves, and poking fun at their own ads. Lovely.

Take A Stand

Dove’s Reverse Selfie addresses the damaging journey young girls go to achieve the perfect selfie, shining a critical spotlight on the rise of digital distortion and starting an important conversation. It’s an uncomfortable watch with an extremely comforting purpose.

Change The Conversation

Back in 2015, Volvo asked people to tweet at them using the hashtag #VolvoContest whenever they saw an ad for a rival car company, encouraging them to include a nomination of something they’d like to win a free car. So every time potential customers saw a commercial for a different car brand, they immediately thought of Volvo and interacted with them instead. Hailed as the best interception ever, not only were people raving about its brilliance, the approach also contributed to a  70% sales increase too. It’s absolutely perfect.

We’re all vying to get cut through, stand out, rise above the noise, and any other marketing sayings you’d like to throw in at this stage. In order to achieve any of this though, we do seem to be running straight to complex solutions that always involve an algorithm, or artificial intelligence, or machine learning. A quick solution that’s done and dusted. But I feel like if you don’t just shut the lid at that point, and actually sit with the challenge for a little bit longer, you might just peel off a few more layers and arrive at a more creatively elegant solution.

#BeFierce

If you’d like to disrupt our day, then drop us a note saying “Make people love me” here.

2022: A year in review

One Black Bear 2022

What a rollercoaster of a year it’s been. From a new office to new clients, new colleagues to new fun challenges.

Here’s a look back at just a few of the highlights. Big shout out to all the amazing clients, film makers, illustrators, photographers, animators, printers, influencers and media partners who helped to make the magic happen. Also a special mention to Vantage, our builders; Katherine, our interior designer and Studio Gotz, our architects.

Looking forward to even bigger and better adventures in the coming year.

 

As always, full screen it and sound on to the max!!!

Ticking away the moments

Creative thinking time.

But today, time is ignored. We don’t want things to take time. And we don’t want to take our time. Fast fashion, speedy diet plans. Order some food and it’ll be with you in 37 seconds or your money back. And for goodness sake, that email has been in your inbox for over four minutes!!

*ahem*

Generally we associate speed with positive outcomes. Being ‘fast’ is perceived as good; being ‘slow’ is perceived as bad. I’m just writing this blog to confirm that this generalisation is, in fact, total bollocks.

The need for speed can remove the chance to think, devote attention, refine, check, care, reflect, improve. There’s a reason Baristas don’t serve Nescafé.

Daniel Kahneman’s theory of fast and slow thinking suggests thought comes in two forms – “System 1  is fast, instinctive and emotional; System 2 is slower, deliberative, and more logical.” While they don’t work independently from each other, this theory is cited in many areas, including marketing. Sometimes the best answers to creative problems come from taking the time to work through them properly. Pondering is power. (Wow, that’s deep).

Some things come quickly – a problem is easily solved, an idea speedily honed. Losing My Religion was written in ten minutes – I do get this. But all too often we want speedy turnarounds, instant results and quick wins. The time we have to deliver amazing ideas and beautiful work is getting shorter – the time it takes to deliver properly, isn’t. And the void between the two is growing. Rushing a job that shouldn’t be rushed can jeopardise the delivery of a great output. Yup, this is a one-woman-winge to ask for longer than 48 hours to fill in an RFI. More than 96 minutes for your D96.

Some things can be done quickly, some things shouldn’t be. Wanting time to deliver great work isn’t Fault. It’s Fierce.

Enjoy your Cup-a-soup. I’ve got six minutes of yoga to fit in before my next Zoom.

#BeFierce

Creative thinking time

Don’t put all your eggs in one agency.

Agency collaboration.

To be clear – this doesn’t mean a creative agency should be briefed first. To get the best results, media and creative should be briefed together. The point is that after this, it’s the creative that should be in the driving seat, with the media as navigator, advising the best routes to take.

If you’ve worked in the ad industry for more than six minutes, you’ll probably have an opinion on this, too. And I wholly appreciate the merits of meticulous media planning. But hey, as long as you understand your audience, you can start to form an idea. The KPIs, VTRs, Segmentation, Profiling and Optimisations can follow.

Trust.

Let’s not forget – the number one driver of trust when it comes to advertising is the creative. Effective advertising is achieved by expertly combining a concept, narrative and expertly crafted, beautifully produced assets with an audience that relate to it. An audience based on behaviour and choice. Not postcodes.

Just like trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole, retrofitting a big idea into a pre-planned media space is far from ideal. It’ll be efficient enough to output some healthy stats and graphs, but ultimately – it could be working harder. ‘Efficient enough’ isn’t really what we’re about. Furthermore, it could stifle creativity, with the idea, concept or even just line, being given boundaries before it’s even had a chance.

And it’s not just the channel selection or ad size. I’d argue there are discussions to be had regarding budget sharing. More frequently media and creative budgets seem to be pre-assigned before either party is briefed. In instances where I’ve worked with a media partner to share a central pot of money, there’s not only been more opportunity for creative to take a lead, but more importantly, a platform for both parties to work better together towards a clearly defined objective from the outset.

Wouldn’t it be great for 2% less people to see an ad they ACTUALLY REMEMBERED?!

Remember the fundamentals.

And I know, I know – times are changing. Budgets are being squeezed as expectations sky-rocket. But that’s surely all the more reason for creative to take more of the lead as the industry shifts focus away from short-term performance to long-term brand building.

I’m not saying the creative should be finished before the media is even briefed – far from it. But I am making the argument for a bit of a heads up.

I once read that media is an investment against your strategy, while creativity is an expression of it. Both are only useful if they connect with consumers. And they’ll connect with consumers if they work well together.  

I couldn’t agree more. So this is my little call to stop the silo and start collaborating in a more collaborative way.

We’ll always need to make beautiful work fit into teeny, tiny spaces. But give us a chance to do some big thinking first, please?

#BeFierce

Agency collaboration.

If you’re looking for an agency that plays nicely with others, drop us a note saying ‘I’d like to share the love’ here.

You gotta have space-a space-a space-aaaaa

Less is more in advertising

There comes a time when we all just want a bit of space. Some time away from all the stuff and things you need to register, process, and react to to get you through the day.

It’s human nature. An area of study in the late 60s when environmental psychologists began to study how humans interact with their surroundings, and the effects different environments have on both experiences and behaviour. The space we’re in really does have an effect on how we think, feel and act.

Environmental psychology has been applied to everything from prison design, to museum layout, to understanding territorial behaviour. And interest in the area has spiked since people began working from home. Studies show people generate more ideas for novel and useful solutions to creative problems when they’re at home than in any other single environment. This is thanks to a link between physical expanse and creativity. 

It’s believed our physical space (as it actually exists or is perceived) stands in direct proportion to our mental space. This allows us to be more open to new ideas. Space and perception are connected. And allows our very impressionable minds to respond to things as much for what they imply, as much for what they literally are.

So, how does this apply to advertising?

Well, it’s a way of me trying to make the point that: Space. Is. Good. Something I’ve noticed is really difficult to explain when it comes to advertising. If physical space and mental space are so closely linked (so say the scientists), then this angle has to be worth a shot.

I’ve watched so much beautiful creative get shot down because it’s too ‘empty’. Add a strapline, a flash, some smallprint, some more copy, another image, a bigger headline! It almost feels like a race to see who can colour the gaps in quickest. And, it’s a natural reaction, particularly with ads becoming smaller and competition getting bigger. We want to say so much in tiny spaces. But as I’ve mentioned in past blogs, this isn’t something our brains always appreciate, and busy, literal ads risk being ignored altogether.

Doubters

Please can I assure all the doubters now that space – white, negative, whatever you want to call it does not appear in ads because we can’t think of anything to fill it. It’s there, and works, if creative is good enough to capitalise on it.

Good, effective ads have a narrative, and use images and words to lead people to the information they need. Overlaying a good, effective use of space can help to guide them to the focal point of an ad. It helps them build their own ideas, and ultimately interpret and retain messaging in a better way. This can take a couple of seconds, but that’s all you need.

This is one of a series of superb ads from Lego that beautifully communicates the sentiment of freedom and imagination with no faff. Your only focus is all you need to focus on. 

A different approach, but same principle, where space is used to add meaning without adding too many extra elements to the design.

All these ads tell a story, aided by the use of space that gives our brains a chance to focus on and interpret the desired message. They have focal points that have room to breathe. 

The art of using space is something that really does take an expert eye. Even more so today when ad space seems to be sold by the pixel rather than the inch.

Still not convinced?

That’s ok. But just remember next time you head to a fine dining restaurant. You’ll be paying a lot more for the delicate portion in the middle of a vast white plate than you would have done nipping down your local for steak and chips. And there’s a reason for that 😉

So when it comes to space being bad, I’d urge you to reconsider this foolish notion.

Less is more in advertising

If you’d like to give us a little space in your diary for a chat, drop us a note saying: ‘                         ‘ here.

You gonna meet my friend, Pain!

Personification in advertising

Most recently, a banana I was pissed off with because it went straight from green to brown. With no consideration for me or my potassium requirements. It had just sat in the fruit bowl for a week, rent free, being an absolute bastard. And I told it so.

A slightly different approach; my friend Rachel has taken to sticking googly eyes on things in her office to give them a more human feel.

The words danced along to the next paragraph

You might consider personification odd, but it’s actually completely natural. Drawing on the concept of anthropomorphism, when we personify, human attributes can be applied to anything – nature, animals, inanimate objects. Or something completely abstract, through applying stories about their social roles, emotions or intentions (we all know Comic Sans has an evil streak).

Personification reveals a lot about social cognition and how we might understand the world. And we accept it because it’s slipped into everyday language. ‘This house has seen a lot’ – unless Rachel has been there with her stickers, I can guarantee it has no eyes to see anything. ‘She does 54mpg’. ‘Today just keeps on giving’. ‘That piece of cake is calling my name’. A guy helping me learn to swim recently told me ‘water is lazy’.

Some view it as an unsophisticated form of communication. If it’s not logical and scientific, it’s wrong. But actually, it can open up a more imaginative and creative route of conversation.

Time flies when you’re writing

When it comes to personification in ads – there’s a mixed approach. For example, Mr Energizer, the M&M Chocolates, the Michelin Man. They all act as spokescharacters for a brand or product. Love them or hate them, they do what they need to do and make a brand recognisable.

But for me where it gets nice is the use of visual metaphors used to confuse the brain, and trigger an anthropomorphic response. Remember, the brain is super lazy. Yes, even yours. And it won’t even bother to look up from it’s holiday read unless it’s going to get rewarded with something to challenge and surprise it. Below are some examples of ads that demonstrate what a product does by giving it a related human characteristic.

 

If you’ve attended any training around brand personality or storytelling, you’ll no doubt have discussed the merits of the genius personification in Epuron’s Mr Wind. It’s in this kind of territory where personification really flaunts its stuff in advertising – when it’s providing a personality to something you can’t actually see.

A super example is the recent Love that feeling? campaign from the AA. Aside from ticking so many other boxes (great use of colour, sound, no product, no proof points), the ad captures a feeling of happiness (one of the six core human emotions) by applying personification to a rag dog (dogification?) Whatever. You get the idea. What’s more, it’s making your brain tune in and take notice, asking ‘what’s this dog up to, then?’ as it waits for a surprise reveal at the end.

At the other end of the emotional scale, BT’s The Hate that ran during The Euros saw the title emotion personified as an elusive phantasm, terrorising victims of online abuse. Sadness, anger, fear and disgust are four of the six core human emotions, captured in this one ad. As with ‘Mr Wind’, people are aware of the effects of unseen things, but capturing them in a visual form helps elicit a more emotional connection with the audience; the best way to get attention and encourage action.

The blog was yelling for a conclusion

So, in conclusion. I assume Mr. T doesn’t really have a friend called Pain, am almost certain cars don’t have lady bits, and know in my heart of hearts that banana didn’t have it in for me. But, hey ho – surrounding myself with human characteristics in the absence of real humans for a few more months isn’t so bad. At least they don’t talk back. Right, I’m off to say Aloha Vera to the aloe vera – spiky, silent bitch that she is.

Personification in advertising

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