Category: Planning

“Advertising isn’t a science its persuasion. And persuasion is an art.”Bill Bernbach, co-founder of DDB and creator of the legendary VW campaign

A planner asked me recently who Bill Bernbach was.
I said that “he invented modern advertising and the fact that you don’t know who he is should be regarded as a fireable offence”.

“Good advice is almost certain to be ignored but that is no reason not to give it” Agatha Christie.

A while ago I posted some advice for young planners that I contributed to a Romanian advertising blog. It got a few mentions out there and a nice person from the US called Stacy asked if she could use it to send to client agenices in the US – she helps train planners in smaller agencies. And I got a bit self conscious since the advice I gave was rather thin. So I have updated it – a few more pointers and a lot more context. Of course you don’t need to be starting out to find it useful but I wouldn’t want to be that presumptuous.

My eldest son has this toy. It is a cow (I think) which normally stands erect but when you push the base upwards it collapses. It perfectly describes how I feel when I come across lacklustre or cliched thinking – flacid, deflated and lacking in the strength to perform simple tasks like standing up properly.
From now on I will submit the strategies of the moment to the Strategy Cow for her to pass judgement.
In addition this service is offered absolutely free to you dear readers – simply submit a strategy of the moment to the Strategy Cow and see what she thinks.
By the way following no popular demand whatsoever the Agrarian Ajudicator has set up shop here

I have been re-reading the Clive Challis book about Helmut Krone – Bernbach’s legendary art director. It reminded me how much better it was in reality than in my head. I encourage you to look beyond the cliche of ‘we try harder’ and engage again with the strategy and more importantly the execution of this campaign. This is advertising at it’s most effortless, most engaging and most persuasive. And look no logo – the best branded campaign in advertising history had no logos in it big or small.
Advertising really can be this easy if we stop getting bogged down in irrelevant strategic discussion, stop navel gazing, stop living in fear of the future and get back to the basics of creative persuasion.
See you on the barricades

I took part in a panel discussion at the IAA European Advertising summit this week along with Jim Carrol and Rita Clifton and chaired by the great John Grant (who gave me a copy of his excellent new book ‘The Innovation Manifesto’). We had to talk about our favourite European campaign. I chose Persil’s ‘Dirt is good’ despite the tragic creative work in the UK. I feel that this bit of thinking really hasn’t had the fame that it deserves which saddens me. This is the kind of thing that I said.
Image courtesy of KoAn

I was recently interviewed by a Romanian advertising blog called iqads. Amongst other questions they asked whether I had any advice for young planners and I thought I would share this with a wider audience. They are short, sweet and incomplete.

Slightly high risk this. But I wanted somewhere to put the strategies that I love but Clients have never bought. Feel free to put to better use or simply to reflect upon my mediocrity as a planner.
In part the idea is to illustrate that good thinking should be simple, radical and well packaged – rather than the dreary meandering nothingness that characterises most stategic thinking in the ad industry.
I am going to update these gradually so that the exit of intellectual property is orderly. Enjoy.

What are the ethics of marketing to children? This article is a little old and pre-dates the obesity debate now gripping the ad industry, but…