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.

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.

Frankie says, book a ticket.

Shock tactics in advertising

#FGTH was never a hashtag. It all happened far too long ago for that.

However, it’s fair to say that few bands with short careers are as formidable or boast an impact as considerable as Frankie goes to Hollywood.

That’s why I was so pleased to read about a new exhibition wholly dedicated to the Scouse band :

https://www.artscityliverpool.com/single-post/frankie-goes-to-the-british-music-experience-in-2021

I was at school when they first hit the radio playlists.

I would’ve been around 12 and Mike Read had refused to play ‘Relax’ on Radio 1 in the interests of decency.

Well (not) played Mike, because that was arguably the biggest boost you could give a new band with a record out .

Pre BBC ban the single sat at number six. Post ban, Relax surged to number 1.

For five weeks. (It’s also the seventh highest selling UK single of all time).

Loud, proud and with stonking beats just made for the clubs, I’ll admit to finding ‘Frankie’ very scary at the time.

At the age I was and coming from a pretty ordinary background, I guess the whole gay backdrop to this glorious 5 piece, with its risqué imagery and x rated lyrical content, was all a bit much for a 12 year old.

But that’s why I think they’re great – both musically and for helping to change attitudes.

Those with a sniffy, homophobic disposition had the stick up their arse swiftly swapped for a giant, rubberised poker.

This was needed because shamefully, back then, the whole gay movement was still something carefully censored within mainstream outlets like Radio 1 and TOTP.

Non-threatening mumsy gay would regularly grace prime time Saturday night tv but this was a different kind of gay. This was in your face gay. Gay with attitude – and thank God it happened too.

AIDS had shone a big bright light on sexuality but in doing so, had also demonised homosexuality in the media with negative headlines and assertions about a ‘gay plague’ sweeping the planet. Curtain twitching disapproval at its worst.

Headlines like ‘Gay Plague’ look and sound like something from the Middle Ages today because thankfully, social attitudes have evolved massively and for the better. https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/11/30/world-aids-day-1980s-headlines-tabloids/

But this was 1984.

Frankie was unashamedly provocative, sweaty, edgy and predatory. Holly Johnson strutted around in sharp suits while his band mates wore leather biker caps, long macs and even bondage style chaps – all within a video set akin to the last days of Rome.

Relax got turned off in our house if it came on the telly or (non BBC) radio. Again, a sign of less liberal & enlightened times. Also, incidentally, exactly the reaction good bands should trigger.

The video to Relax remains provocative even by today’s standards. And I think that’s great. To this day they are only one of two bands to have consecutive number 1’s with their first three singles.

Trevor Horn and his ZTT records deserve endless thanks for delivering us Frankie.

Being fierce at its finest.

When you want to come (sorry not sorry), book tickets to see the exhibition. I certainly am.

Then I’m going to try and write an ad that will upset mine and every other mum in the land.

If you’d liked to be shocked, ask us to look at a brief here.

Don’t Knock A Little Mitsake

Why marketing should embrace its own Error 404

NOTE URGENT THINGS he’d read. That little mistake had royally ramped up the sense of urgency I was going for. Ooops.

Don’t worry, don’t worry – this isn’t another blog about how an ordering mistake turned out to be the best cluck-up KFC ever made (I’ve already written that). But a smaller error that caught my attention back in January.

Ikea Singapore launched an exclusive range of cloth shopping bags. Exclusive because the web address was wrong. Thousands of bags were printed missing the ‘m’ in .com (hmmmm…. A one letter mishap – sound familiar!?).

Rather than throw them out, Ikea owned it, proudly displaying their bags with this message:

KLAMBY. LIMITED UNIQUE ALAMAK… At IKEA, it’s OK to make a mistake.

The decision to keep them on sale stemmed from a commitment to sustainability and reducing waste. And they flew off the shelves, with people keen to own such an elusive item.

The little point I am trying to make is that sometimes accidents can and do result in something positive. In advertising and in life. Microwaves, pacemakers, x-rays, playdough. All created by accident. And the slinky! Who creates a slinky by accident when they’re trying to engineer a balancing solution for ship equipment? An absolute legend, I guess.

As humans we learn by trial and error. It’s in our psychology from the day we’re born to use mistakes to help us grow, develop, learn, and improve. How do you think you learnt to walk? Run? Not electrocute yourself? My guess would be you spent lots of time as a child falling over and sticking your fingers in plug sockets, gradually adjusting your approach to keep injuries and hospital visits to a minimum through your adult life.* You learnt from your mistakes.

Make no mistake, I know mistakes are far from ideal.

We strive to stop slip-ups, endeavour to avoid error. But sometimes they bring good, so long as we learn from them. What’s valuable is being open to the potential from your mistakes; that unexpected result, and being tuned in enough to realise that what seemed like a problem could be an opportunity in some form.

Ikea sold thousands of bags, learnt to get their copy checked twice, and used the opportunity to showcase their green creds.

Richard James’s invention sold millions worldwide, brought joy to thousands of children that enjoy looking at stairs, and actually helped him in achieving his marine balancing mission.

And I stayed on the phone to Jon until gone 6, and learnt that dropping a critical vowel from an email subject line won’t get you sacked.

This is my little reminder to you that with all that’s going on in the world – little mistakes will happen – learn from them, and keep going. You’re doing fine.

Hang on in there, y’all.

*Christmas parties and social gatherings after 21st June 2021 are not represented by this statement.

Why marketing should embrace its own Error 404

If you’d like to talk to us about making opportunities out of problems, drop us a note saying:. ‘I hope it wasn’t a mitsake to send you this’ here.

The toil for loyal

Can we admit to Brand Loyalty?

A whopping 95% of our decision making is pre-conscious or intuitive. Just like us, out on our one exercise excursion of the day in the wintery rain, it’s always looking for shortcuts. And it’s no different when it comes to making decisions on the brands we buy.

Brand recall

We already know that most advertising receives no active attention whatsoever. Or not enough for our slothful brains to take in what is being advertised. And even if they do remember the ad, they might not recall the brand. Brands are a very small part of a consumer’s life – they don’t think much even about the ones they buy. Tech advances and busy lives have made getting attention increasingly difficult. Couple this with the levels of choice sky-rocketting and humans will look to habit and convenience to guide them, restricting consideration down to a few favoured brands.

A quick route to decision along with physical availability are key factors underpinning brand loyalty. A sensible buying strategy used to balance risk and avoid wasting time. You’ll use this in all walks of life – from choosing which hand sanitiser to buy, to what YouTube Yoga session to try. You’ll narrow your options down to your personal repertoire, and stick with them.

We ‘Satisfice’ (God, I love that word). Rather than fatigue our frontal lobe, we settle for satisfactory. Understand that brand loyalty is unimaginative, not passionate.

This all made perfect sense to me, until things started to change in March 2020. Brand loyalty is defined as:

“positive feelings towards a brand and dedication to purchase the same product or service repeatedly from the same brand, regardless of a competitor’s actions or changes in the environment”.

Regardless of changes in the environment… Hmmm…

How we recall a belief about a brand or anything else is highly dependent on situation, cues, and other things going on in our minds. We already know that what we think about brands is so trivial that our attitudes towards them aren’t always absolute.

Loyalty

I’ve tried to apply this to myself – both a consumer and human with a lazy brain – a creature of habit, ‘loyal’ to brands I know. Since the ‘rona took over, I reckon there’s been a shift in my brand loyalty, thanks to things out of my control. Some brands I would buy haven’t been available on the shelf. Some weeks I have been worried about unnecessary expenditure on a product I usually wouldn’t think twice about. Whatever it’s based on, I reckon my ‘brand loyalty’ is reducing – and I am not alone.

A recent study among US consumers found brand loyalty dropped by 16% between March and November 2020. Mostly attributed to job (and subsequent income) losses. Some also claimed to have switched brands simply because their ‘go-to’ wasn’t available on the shelf thanks to supply chain issues. As our sky-high choice levels fell, perhaps so did our subconscious loyalty.

Brand behaviour

But aside from the devastating economic context, there appears to be some potential positive outcomes too. With the last few months seeing some consumers shift towards brands that align with their values. Some that took part in the aforementioned study said they’d switched brands to ‘take a stand’ in response to a brand’s behaviour and position when it came to important issues. I get these may not be the same participants as those switching brands as a direct cause of income loss or product availability, but the shift is still worth noting. Brand selection could be becoming a little more about purpose than product.

And that’s probably where I have found myself too. I’ve switched energy providers to one with 100% green electricity, and am ordering more beer from BrewDog now they’re Carbon negative. I’m a walking bloody cliché.

Back in the olden days of hugging, pub visits, commutes and rushing about, our choices needed to be quick. There was a brand purpose ripple already in motion. I do wonder if the pandemic has given it a bit more force for some people. Perhaps when so many things have been taken away from us, we’re learning to take a more conscious control of the choices we have left. And perhaps the brands that stood for something will be the ones that thrive when we can all start standing near each other again.

If you’d like to maximise your inner satisficer, drop us a note saying:. ‘Just like Mick, I can’t get no satisfaction’ here.

Can we admit to Brand Loyalty?

Appetite for disruption.

Disruption in advertising… really?

After a year of retreat, agencies and brands need to come back fighting.

As good friends for many a year, the late, great Oliver Reed often liked to invite the equally late, great Keith Moon over for afternoon drinkypoos at his sprawling country estate.

Arriving in style

In keeping with his rock god status, Moon liked to travel by helicopter to Reed’s imposingly grand Broome Hall. He’d land on the quad to be greeted by the first of many lead crystal clad large ones (one would need to line their stomach ahead of drinks with those pair).

On hearing the approaching rotors, Reed would excitedly bound outside. He’d then raise his shotgun to the skies and attempt to rattle his incoming, airborne mucka by taking pot shots as the rasping downdraft blasted the heaps of rhododendron.

‘I’m shooting at the moon’ boomed the celebrated film star as high velocity ball bearings nicked the tail rotor and fuselage. Reed thought all this absolutely hilarious (he also once climbed the chimney of his local naked pretending to be Santa and was barred). Astonishingly, no actors or rock stars were harmed during this jovial discharge of lethal weaponry.

Perhaps that’s what Reed meant when he mentioned having a few shots round at his.

From great actors to great frontmen.

Full metal jacket

At the height of Guns & Roses implosion with band members in court and millions of dollars in dispute, it’s said that Axl Rose attempted to buy his own army.

Yep, an army.

Growing ever more disillusioned by his band’s demise, Axl’s ‘people’ apparently rang several departments of defence around the world asking if they’d consider offloading a battalion or two. Maybe chucking in a bit of artillery with the deal too.

They’d be well paid and well equipped. A penchant for rock & roll was considered more important than valour or stamina. General Rose needs you. Apply here.

Quite what Axl and his Defence Secretary elect planned to do with an army if they were successful in their bidding still remains unknown to this day. He’d tasted global domination musically so now perhaps it was time to up the stakes.

Bigger Guns but same sized Roses. You can have that one.

Playing at it

Truth is, the world needs the likes of Oli’ and Axl. People talk of disruption nowadays because they tweaked a logo or sponsored a whole break instead of running the obligatory 30′ spot. Oooh, you’re so rebellious.

That’s just playing at it. After such a shit year, agencies and brands should make a noise like never before in 2021. Do something that becomes folklore. Be famous. We’ve all had a rocky year, now we need to roll.

So aim high and you’ll win the battle AND the war – but don’t wait for others to pick up sticks.

Be (or even buy) your own army and always, always remember…Be Fierce. 

Disruption in advertising

If you’d like some real disruption, send us a note saying: ‘Reserve me a spot on the helipad, I’m landing at 2 for shots’ here.

Lockdown..or showdown.

Keeping clients out of copyright jail – If you’re going to breach copyright in these testing times, you could (grimly) reap what you sow.

I read with intrigue the other day that during lockdown, breaches of copyright and unlicensed usage of music and images had hit a ten year high.

Perhaps it’s because the culprits think the world has enough on its plate to bother with the odd unlicensed track or rogue, rights managed image.

‘Sod it, they say, stick it in the paper – who’s to know?’

10,000 years ago, Jon and I had the good fortune of befriending a very talented radio producer who’d also worked extensively in the music industry.

His tales of pop world antics were scurrilous, salacious and to be honest, utterly libellous so most can’t be repeated.

A story that won’t light a million beacons for the more litigious readers out there always sticks with me though – and relates to a music copyright breach on a galactic scale.

Someone putting together a campaign for an expansive and well known chain of liquor stores in the mid-west penned a ‘You’ll find it in the chiller’ campaign tagline.

Thriller in a manilla envelope

Thing is, they inserted said tagline into a ‘version’ of a little known pop song.

Dunno if you’ve heard of it?

It was ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson.

No permissions were sought on usage. Nothing mentioned about bastardising lyrics. Who cares. Who’s to know?

And hey, if you’re going to breach copyright, why not choose one of the most famous songs ever written in the history of music taken from an album that is still among the biggest selling of all time?

Go large or……go to prison (as it turned out).

In fact the ensuing litigation hit with such might & fright, it closed the chain down. Graveyard dead.

More suits than a Burton sale.

It carries a valuable lesson and we often recount this story to our team at OBB towers.

Chill in lockdown by all means. But don’t go ‘doing a chiller’ eh?

‘They’re out to get you’ as the song in question goes.

If you’d like us to keep you on the right side of the law or maybe bail you out, drop us a note saying: ‘I’m sick of constant porridge from my current agency’ here.

Could you repeat that?

Repetition in advertising bears repeating

In 12 minutes, the line ‘A million dreams’ was said, sung and whispered by Hugh Jackman’s entourage 17 times (20 if you include the dishwasher sesh). 17 times in 12 minutes. It was too much for me. So on returning from the kitchen, the film was speedily switched off.

The line (amongst other things) had completely exhausted my interest in continuing to engage with the film. I know repetition can be a good thing though, so where do you strike the right balance?

Effective frequency

If you work in advertising, you might have come across the term ‘effective frequency’, used to describe the number of times your consumer needs to be exposed to your message to elicit the desired response – be that buying your product, or actually remembering your message at all. Experts debate the best ways of calculating this number though, with arguments suggesting it could be anywhere between 3 and 20. It’s an idea that’s almost 140 years old, and still people can’t make up their minds. Here’s the basic idea though:

1st time – people look but don’t see your ad
2nd time – they don’t notice it
5th time – they read it
7th time – they get annoyed by it
9th time – they wonder if they’re missing out
13th time – they wonder if your product has value
17th time – they make a commitment to buy
20th time – they buy

This ‘more frequency = more effective’ approach was proposed by savvy marketer Thomas Smith in 1885(!) . And TBH, the majority still agree. Yes there needs to be enough concentration of media weight to cross certain thresholds, but the general consensus remains that messages are more effective when repeated. Studies have also shown consumers perceive repeated messaging as more truthful and believable, presumably because frequency breeds familiarity, and familiarity breeds trust. This is further supported when you consider repeated exposure to an opinion makes people believe the opinion is more prevalent, and therefore assume it’s a popular opinion. In social psych circles this is known as ‘the repetition effect’, and is the cornerstone of modern political campaigning as well as more workaday advertising.

Less is more, more often

So – fewer lines communicated more frequently. That makes loadsa sense, and there’s research and psychological insight to back it up. But all too soon you’ll hear a client utter those dreaded words: We. Need. A. Revamp. This is totally fine if there’s a good business reason, supported by facts, logic and research. However, more often than not, people make this decision because they’re bored. Seriously.

If you’ve been involved in developing a campaign – or you’re inheriting one – you can understand why boredom might arise. You see that same line everywhere you look. Not only have you spent six months planning its launch, seen it all over TV, heard it all over radio, and watched engagement with it on social, it’s now on every wall, notepad and screensaver you walk past when you’re in the office.

Your boredom threshold isn’t an indicator

But trust me, you’ll be bored of it a LONG time before your consumers will even notice it. They haven’t nurtured it from scamp to screen. They need time, sometimes years, to orientate to your message, and as shown above, they need exposure to it a lot before they’ll even care about what you’re trying to say. It’s also worth remembering that when they do take notice, they’ll likely only remember one thing about your ad – a strong claim, or a strong concept.

I am not saying don’t run new campaigns, don’t look at new creative executions, or don’t try new channels to market. BUT brands have got to listen when it comes to advice around not changing lines when they’re far from being exhausted. Give your audience time. There’s a chasm of difference between a rebrand and a refresh.

A million times I heard it

So, I guess to adhere to traditional blog writing etiquette I should try and relate my closing lines to my opening ones – so here’s my scientific conclusion.

‘A million dreams’ played the frequency card, but missed the all important effective point. According to Elder Smith, I should have gone through several stages of ignorance, irritance and intrigue before my 17th exposure to the line and it made me think ‘yep, this is for me’. Oh well, this is why advertising ain’t the same as The Greatest Showman I guess. Glad we’re clear on that.

Maybe I was the wrong audience, or maybe the film is just shit. Guess I’ll never know.

Repetition in advertising bears repeating

If you’re tired of repeating yourself with your current agency, drop us a note saying:. ‘I’d like to have a chat about my marketing… I said I’d like to… oh, never mind’ here.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Human behavioural changes

It’s three weeks on, and there’s things I miss. The office banter, going swimming, shopping without being shouted at for ‘panic buying’ four yoghurts. I even miss the bloody commute. But, there’s good stuff. Less makeup, more reading, less rush, more family video calls (yes that is a positive). I’ve discovered more of my home city on a daily morning run than I’ve managed in the last two years. My thoughts and behaviours have changed quite a lot in just 25 days.

‘Turn and face the strange’ – Bowie

And I know behavioural change is being lived by everyone to varying degrees. The planet is participating in the kind of mass behaviour change marketers only dream of. There’s a new common knowledge all humans are learning to react to.

‘Life won’t be the same after all this shit will it’, suggested one of my less reserved friends in a group WhatsApp chat. A statement that, principally, I don’t disagree with, but would argue that perhaps several months of lifestyle adaptation might not mean our behaviour will be unrecognisable when we’re finally out the other side of this ‘shit’. And here’s why.

‘If you ever get close to a human, and human behaviour, be ready, be ready to get confused’ – Björk

Right, some psychology. Social norms refer to the unstated rules of a group, which as human beings we spend our lives trying to be part of. And they’re incredibly important as they shape both our human behaviour and attitudes. So, you guessed it. Change the social norms, and you’ll likely see shifts in behaviour, both physical and emotional. (So it’s not really that confusing, Björk).

And human behaviour is incredibly pliable. The change in social norms we’re experiencing now are unlike any other. But humans are built to respond, to adapt. To survive. It’s how opinions get changed, behaviours switch, and ultimately the exact kind of thing marketing relies on. Humans want to be part of a group – and communications that balance education and emotion help make sure your prospects pick your gang over your competitor.

A beautifully simple example of this is the Piano Stairs, originally pioneered in Stockholm, and subsequently spotted worldwide. You can watch the video HERE. The simple idea of using fun to change group behaviours. People weren’t told to take the stairs – they actively chose to because 1. It was fun, and 2. Everyone else was doing it. A new little social norm was created. And when they were removed? People had built such a positive association, they continued to use the boring ole’ stairs anyway.

‘It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s really alright’ – East 17

What’s this got to do with anything again? Well, these people tweaked their behaviour to follow a new norm, and be part of a group. They didn’t forget how to use an escalator. I’m currently keeping a distance of two metres from all other humans. But it doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to shake someone’s hand. I’m commuting to my kitchen, but still remember how to board a train.

All I am saying is human beings have been learning how to behave for thousands of years. So however long the weirdness goes on for, it won’t be long enough to undo all that work (seriously, it won’t).

Little new norms are nothing to be scared of, and who knows – maybe they’ll have a positive effect on behaviour once we’re out the other side. Maybe society will keep taking the stairs. There’s behaviours I want to stick with – keeping in touch more, getting out more, and without sounding too #UnFierce, actually appreciating what I have, and not focusing on what I don’t.

Ah, I almost forgot. It felt quite poignant to share a 20th March birthday with this person.

‘We’ll meet again, don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again’ – Dame Vera Lynn (now aged 103)

Keep smiling through, guys.

Human behavioural changes

If you’re looking to change the way your audience behaves, drop us a note saying: ‘Got any change geezer?’ here.