IPA Best of the Best (BOB) Awards


The IPA Best of the Best (BOB) Awards were handed out in the UK last December. The winners in the 6 categories were:
~Trevor Beattie (TBWALondon) for Best Creative Director.
~Trevor Beattie and Bill Bungay (TBWALondon) were awarded Best Creative Team for their work on Five and FCUK.
~Jonathan Glazer (Academy) was awarded Best Commercials Director for his work on Stella Artois and Barclays.
~Pete Mould (BMP DDB) was awarded Best Typographer for his work on Harvey Nichols, The Guardian, Heals, Oxfam and Knorr.
~Alison Jackson was awarded Best Use of Photography for her work on Coca-Cola.
~Matt Shepherd-Smith (TBWALondon) and Tanya Livesy (HHCL/Red Cell) were awarded for their contributions as Best Account Handler

Wallpaper founder sells “swissness” to the Swiss

Interesting article on the role that Tyler Brûlé (CEO and founder Wallpaper) and its agency Winkreative had on the branding of Swiss - the new national carrier that has succeeded the collapsed Swissair. Check article: "Swiss Brand" Winkreative: "Established in 1998, Winkreative was founded by Tyler Brûlé, CEO and founder of the Wallpaper* Group, who recognised a gap in the market for an ‘intelligence-based’ creative agency. Winkreative offers a complete range of creative services for quality brands in a range of disciplines, including advertising, intelligence, packaging, retail design, custom publishing, design and art direction, brand development, identity branding and web design. Past and present clients include SWISS International Airlines, Bally, Villa Moda, Prada, Stella McCartney, Pottery Barn, Selfridges, RJ Reynolds, Moncler, Boeing, Pringle, The Somerset House Trust and Adidas."

Digestive reading: "Brand Failures"

Synopsis: What do Coca-Cola, McDonalds, IBM, Microsoft and Virgin have in common? Yes, they are all global giants striding successfully across the world, but what they are less recognized for are all those branded products they’ve launched that have bombed –spectacularly and at great cost. Brand Failures is a riveting look at how such disasters occur. For the first time we’re given the inside story of 100 major brand blunders that make for jaw-dropping reading. Matt Haig approaches his subject in a truly entertaining style – yes, this is a business book that is actually fun to read! But his message is deadly serious.

Humm it's from Mother, London ...

What if "Josef" and "Mari" lived in the modern times? Would anyone be hospitable and kind enough to bring them inside for one night? It seems that history repets itself. Courtesy of Mother, London» "Can Josef and Mari get a room?"

W+K e a Nikelab.com

"Wieden + Kennedy/Portland turns to some novel animation styles in a new pair of spots for the website nikelab.com. In one, a pair of mechanical crabs pop through a manhole in the middle of a junkyard and take each other on in a game of soccer. The live action and effects for "Crab" were handled by The Embassy Visual Effects, a visual effects company launched in Vancouver earlier this year.

TBWA\London

BMP DDB, London: "Skulls"

St. Luke's Profile

Why does Fast Company magazine call St. Luke’s "the ad agency to end all ad agencies"? Since the late Nineties St Luke's has forged a reputation as one of the UK's hottest creative agencies; also one of its most idiosyncratic. The company still operates as non-hierarchical cooperative - all employees have an equal shareholding in the business. There are no personal desks, a completely mobile phone system, and rooms dedicated to specific clients rather than to its personnel. Does the system work? Well, despite its utopian management style, the agency has built a strong portfolio of leading clients such as British Telecom, a Clarks, HSBC, Ikea, amongst others.

"Creating The Most Frightening Company on Earth"
Sinopsys of Andy Law's interview, Chairman e Co-founder of St. Luke's to Harvard Business Review:

"Andy Law attributes the firm's success to its determination to continuously reinvent itself in a world populated by dot-coms and mega-ad agencies. St Luke's intends to revolutionize the way business is done and provide a credible alternative to the capitalism of both the old economy and the new. To that end, it pushes its people to take enormous risks. As Law says in this candid interview, "We're fundamentally convinced that there is a connection between co-ownership, creativity, collaboration, and competitive advantage." Safety and fear play key roles. No one has ever been fired for poor performance, so employees can feel secure about their jobs, but the firm requires people "to peel away all the levels of their personalities....That's truly frightening." Self-knowledge, Law says, "is the DNA of a creative company in the creative age".

Controversial EasyJet ads are most talked about of 2003 LONDON - EasyJet, the budget airline that does not retain an advertising agency, made the most talked-about ads for 2003, beating campaigns starring Gary Lineker and Jamie Oliver. Source: Brand Republic

Crispin Porter + Bogusky: "Mini & Bat Boy"

Mini Cooper product placement on the cover of the Weekly World News: "Bat Boy the world's favorite freak, went on an incredible death-defying joyride through Michigan, Indiana and Ohio after carjacking a brand Mini Cooper" Excellent work from Miami's agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky

The things they say ...

The things the've said in the past:
1) "The average American family hasn't time for television."
The New York Times, 1939

2) "It's a great invention but who would want to use it anyway?"
President Rutherford B. Hayes after a demonstration of Bell's telephone

3) "The world potential market for copying machines is 5000 at most."
IBM to the founders of Xerox, 1959

4) "There will never be a mass market for motor cars - about 1,000 in Europe - because that is the limit on the number of chauffeurs available!"
Spokesman for Daimler Benz

5) "There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home."
Ken Olson, President, Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

The things tehy're saying now:
6) "I think if I was Procter & Gamble, I'd be buying billboard space. A lot of it."
Professor Nicholas Negroponte, Media Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1994

7) "Supermarkets have replaced TV as the delivery channel for a mass audience. If I want to get my message across to 70% of British households it is obviously going to be more cost-effective to run display ends in major retailers than to purchase overpriced breaks in a soap."
Andrew Harrison, Marketing Director, Nestle Rowntree, UK, September 2002

8) "It [the Internet] is, beyond question, the fastest growth curve of a fundamental change in society. And almost everybody will have to get used to it."
Bill Gates, April 2000

9) "The web is a very socialistic, almost communistic force. It attacks traditional ways of doing things and elites, and this is very uncomfortable for traditional businesses to deal with."
Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP, UK, April 2000

Digestive Reading: "The Copy Book"

The Copy Book: How 32 of the Worlds Best Advertising Writers Write Their Copy. The writers in this book are excellent. That may go without saying. But what really makes this book stand out is how each writer has liberated their own section of the book. It's amazing, that when asked the same question: "How do you write your copy", each came up with a completely different answer. Ed McCabe's writing is especially insightful. It makes me wonder if people with this much talent should have graduated already...to making movies. The book was published by a British Art Directors group, so feel reassured, people of copy, people of art appreciate your laboured yet witty long copy ads.

KesselsKramer, Amsterdam: "Diesel Jeans"

EUROBEST

PRINT Grand Prix a) Kolle Rebbe, Hamburg: Bisley Office Equipment Gold a) Y&R France: Orangina b) JW Thompson, London: Veet c) DDB, London: Volkswagen d) TBWA\Paris: Playstation 2 e) Saatchi & Saatchi, Milan: Mondadori Book Silver a) JW Thompson, Lisboa: Salvation Army b) Mccann, Madrid: Medicos Sin Fronteras / Coca-Cola c) CLM/BBDO: Guiness d) Lowe, London: Stella Artois e) TBWA\Germany: Nivea Visage TV Grand Prix a) Bartle, Bogle and Hegarty: Xbox Bronze a) JW Thompson, Lisboa: "Invisible" To see the complete winners and categories list - Eurobest Live

Some gold campaigns at the Eurobest:

TBWA\Paris: Playstation2 (page of Sports Illustrated - check out the "model" on the right)


DDB London: Volkswagen

"Some People Have Just Got It"

Har Mar the unconventional superstar appears in a new U.K. viral campaign for Scottish vodka Vladivar. In spots posted on the Vladivar site, the cheeky Har Mar (aka Sean Tillman, formerly of noise band Kalvin Krime) flaunts his lavish lifestyle and his bottom. As the tagline says, "Some People Have Just Got It"

"Behind the scenes": Lee Launches New Ad Campaign

The latest ad campaign from Lee takes a look at what goes on behind the scenes of celebrity culture. The print campaign, made by Swedish creative agency Storakers McCann, spotlights the unsung heroes who make life a little easier for today's stars. Characters taking centre stage include Kylie's pet care director and Robbie Williams' fan mail co-ordinator. The campaign will be used by Lee across Europe for this year and next.

Game Over?

Game Over: New Rules for Advertising - Stephen Shaw writes of the decay and decline of the ad agency, an institution victimized by its own arrogance and the dawning realization of many efficiency-oriented companies that agency recommendations might be rationalizations. He points to a bias against non-TV and online media in particular, and the possibility that this may be the very weakness on which the industry's demise may hinge.

Mother with new Orange campaign

After winning the pan-european account of Orange in September, London's Mother has just released its first regional campaign across Europe. To read more on Orange's creative strategy and the scripts of “Snoring”, “Architect” and “Gendarme” TV copies, check > Ad Latina

Kesselskramer, Amsterdam: "Hand Brinker Hotel"

Better Branding ...

"Building strong brands isn’t getting any easier. An explosion in the number of brands—as well as a proliferation of ways to communicate them, from hundreds of cable channels to the Internet, product placement in movies, and even mobile-phone display screens—has made it tougher to get messages through". In this article from McKinsey Quarterly the authors suggest the key to building brands more scientifically is to combine a forward-looking market segmentation with a better understanding of customers and a brand’s identity.

Digestive Reading: "Strategic Advertising Management"

This new textbook deals with advertising from a strategic rather than simply a descriptive standpoint. Percy, Rossiter, and Elliott look first at what advertising is meant to do and then go on to provide an understanding of what is necessary in the development of effective advertising and promotion, using a number of extended case histories, such as: Volskwagen, Orange, Polaroid, Nike, Bacardi Breezer, Wonderbra, Kraft, BMW, Colgate, outros - o que o torna num manual extremamente prático. Recommended reading for Agency's Directors, Creative Directors, Planners or simply curious readers. Table of Contents: Part I: Overview of Advertising and Promotion (Strategic Advertising Management) Part II: Planning Considerations (The Strategic Planning Process) Part III: Laying the Foundation (Target Audience;Positioning Strategy) Part IV: Making it Work (Creative Tactics;Creative Execution)

Pepsi: "It goes great with food"

NY Times - PepsiCo introduces its first campaign in years meant to offer rational reasons to drink its flagship beverage rather than intangible emotional ones. The campaign for the Pepsi-Cola brand, which gets under way Sunday, carries the theme 'Pepsi. It's the cola'. The television and radio commercials, online advertisements, billboards and store signs portray the product as a hero, presenting Pepsi as the perfect accompaniment to all manner of food - like hot dogs, snack chips and pizza - and all manner of fun, like football games and dates (...) Think of it as "Things go better with Pepsi," a sell almost as soft as before but with a more pointed purpose.

JWT, Portugal: "APAV - Victim Support"


"Beware of husband"

BBH, London:"Barnardo's Foundation"

Keys to a Strong Agency Relationship

Good client/agency relationships are like good marriages (...)
Both take a lot of work, especially after the honeymoon is over. - Chris Vernon

The Keys to a Strong Agency Relationship
1) Be your agency’s best client.
Not necessarily the agency’s biggest client, its least demanding client, or even its nicest client; "best" means the agency’s most respected, most professional client.
2) Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
This means being a good listener, even to things you don’t want to hear. Encourage questions. Ask some yourself. And don’t expect simple answers.
3) Create an atmosphere of trust.
4) Think of the agency as a true "marketing partner", not as a vendor.
5) Make the agency part of the company’s team.
Make sure they get sales bulletins, internal newsletters and key correspondence. Keep the agency current about your products, distributors, competitors and markets.
6) Long-term commitment is crucial.
7) Be dependable.
Be there when you say you will. Return approved copy and layout when you say you will. When you can’t, let them know why. Don’t leave your voice mail on all the time, and do return your calls.
8) Be knowledgeable about the agency’s resources and the agency’s business. If you don’t know - ASK!
Understand what you can do to benefit the agency, and what you may be doing unintentionally which wastes their time or makes their jobs more difficult and more frustrating.
9) Treat the people who work on your account with respect.
10) Share the credit with your agency. Share the heat.
Make your team look good in front of your management and the agency’s. They’ll work to make you a hero, too!
11) Don’t cry wolf! Set reasonable expectations.
Don’t treat every job as an emergency. Your account team can become cynical amazingly fast. Give them the time they need to do the job right.
12) Create a "nuclear free" zone.
Make sure the agency knows professional disagreement isn’t dangerous. Let the agency suggest what they think you need, not just what they think you want to hear.
13) Keep the agency insulated from office politics.
Nothing can be more damaging to the agency’s credibility than getting them in the middle of office politics.

Source: Blue Horse Inc.

Leo Burnett Picks Up Global Creative on Wella

Ad Week, CHICAGO Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett will take over creative duties on Wella's global ad account, according to an agency representative. Estimated billings are $100 million.
Burnett client Procter & Gamble bought Wella for an estimated $5.5 billion earlier this year. The shop currently handles P&G's Vidal Sassoon brand in Asia, Pert in the U.S. and Clairol Herbal Essences in Europe. It was unclear which of the Chicago-based agency's offices will handle the business.

Classic Campaign Posters

Context: In 1997 Campaign, the weekly journal of the advertising industry, named the Tory party's 'demon eyes' poster as its campaign of the year - an accolade previously accorded the lingerie campaign - claiming it was brilliantly successful in playing on public doubts about Mr Blair and achieved £5 million of free publicity on the back of a £125,000 spend.
Agency:M&C Saatchi

On Positioning and Incumbent Brands

Positioning is not something that only the new players and challengers in the market need to continuously work if they want to differentiate. For example let's look at FedEx: - FedEx first launched its service against the postal service with an emphasis on overnight delivery. - When other players entered the market offering the same service, it changed its focus to speed and dependability. - With the introduction of innovate tools such as fax and email offering quicker and less expensive 'delivery', FedEx again changed its discourse to the advantages of security and confidentiality.

What brand are you?

In a telling tribute to the vapid mentality of the advertising industry, marketers registered over 20 of 150 fake brand names from a web site poking fun at the ridiculousness of corporate re-branding. Created as a spoof by U.K. ad agency Design Conspiracy, the site, What Brand Are You, asked marketers to enter a set of brand attributes and then click a button to get an auto-generate a brand name. Rather than get the joke, over 20 marketers used the site to generate a brand name and then registered it as a real brand. Some of the spoof brand names that are now “real” are Amplifico, Integriti, Thinc and Winwin.
Source: Marketing Wonk

Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi: "Buenos Aires Zoo"

"Buenos Aires Zoo: Get much more for much less."

Revising Concepts: The Laddering Tool

Laddering is a process of questioning which connects the attributes or characteristics of a product to the benefits that the product gives the consumer to the values those benefits serve in the customer's life.

ATTRIBUTES ------> BENEFITS -------> VALUES
| _____________ | _______________ |
What a product is » What a product means

1. An attribute is a property of a product.
2. A benefit is how a product relates to a person.
3. A value is a need internal to a person.

Mad Dog & Englishmen: "gfn.com - the gay financial network"

"You're partners?Oh!..Then this must be a business loan." ][ "Two fellas living together?Look out ladies!"

Maurice Levy (Publicis): A Frenchmen in Advertising

Foie gras and fashion? Yes, the French can handle that. But advertising? Leave that to the British and Americans, masters of understatement and the brash riposte, with their ad powerhouses, like the Omnicom Group and the Interpublic Group of Companies in the United States and the WPP Group in Britain. Maurice Levy begs to differ. In recent years, Mr. Levy bought a string of agencies, including Britain's fabled Saatchi & Saatchi, that catapulted the French agency company Publicis Groupe into the forefront of the advertising world. Then last year he helped engineer a deal to bring together Publicis, the Bcom3 Group of the United States and Dentsu, the leading agency company in Japan, to form the world's fourth-largest ad company. Source: NY Times

The Fall of Advertising & the Rise of PR

"Creativity wins awards, but does it also win sales?" This is the provocative message that marketing gurus Al and Laura Ries deliver with The Fall of Advertising. And with the following reasoning: " To be effective, advertising doesn't need creativity. It needs credibility." - the authors tells us how and why publicity will assume the major role in product launches, with advertising solidifying brands rather than creating them. It's an interesting book (we have a huge respect fo Al Ries) nevertheless it's a bit rethorical. On their conclusion that advertising has 'no role in brand building' we suggest them to have a glimpse through the IPA Advertising Works annual book.

GS&P, S.Francisco: "Porsche Cars of North America"

Brand name creation

Techniques to generate original names

Abbreviation: Fed Ex - Amex ] Allusion & Analogy: Kitchen Aid - Caterpillar - 7 Eleven
Classical Roots: Midas - Oracle - Avis ] Composition: Pagemaker - Qualcomm - PowerBook
Fusion: Nutrasweet - Eveready ] Humor & Joy: Banana Republic ] Morpheme Construction: Xerox - Qualcomm - Pentium - Viacom ] Image / Sound Symbolism: Adobe - Yahoo! ] Truncation: Fanta - Intel ] Historical: Pontiac ] Geographical: Heartland Bank & Trust

Source: Generra, Knab

Carmichael Lynch: "American Advertising Federation"

"Advertising. The way great brands get to be great brands."

CP+B: The most awarded agency

Crispin Porter + Bogusky was the most-awarded agency in 2003, according to the Gunn Report. CP+B of Miami won the lion's share of its awards for its IKEA TV spots and Mini print work. Check: CP+B

Beacon Communications, Tokyo: "Polaroid. It's sexy."

"Polaroid 1200FF. It's sexy."

TBWA Portugal hires creative top-gun

Icaro Doria who had previously worked in Portugal for Leo Burnett is back in town to join forces with TBWA's local creative team. This Brazilian copywriter has already earned a Cannes Bronze Lion (Timberland 2001) and a Silver Lion (Kellogg's 2003).