Tim Malbon from Made by Many from The IPA on Vimeo.
Monday, 1 June 2009
Thursday, 14 May 2009
IPA 'Game Changers' event, 13th May 2009 – Six to Start presentation
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
IPA 'Game Changers' event, 13th May 2009 – Made by Many presentation
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Game Changers
It was great to see a full house at last night's 'Game Changers' event at the Adam Street club. There was a good atmosphere and a palpable air of anticipation amongst the audience keen to hear from our three game changers Dan, Tim and Giles. All of which helped to make for an inspiring evening.
Dan, from six to start kicked things off with a facinating talk about how his company are helping established businesses and their accompanying models of business to adapt to some of the opportunities that technological changes are bringing about.
We Tell Stories for Penguin is a compelling example of such an opportunity being taken. Creating a new entertainmnet form out of an established form, in this case a printed book. Dan started a theme echoed throughout the evening about the importance of fast and agile methodolgies in the development of ideas. Methodologies that rely on collaboration, putting action ahead of words and a willingness to change things when they don't quite work. To finish Dan teased the audience with an upcoming project for Channel 4 called Smokescreen which is an educational idea developed in the form of a game.
Next up was Tim from Made by Many who helped expand on the idea of agile methodologies with the help of some excellent visuals and quotations. It struck me and perhaps others that in the convergence of creativity, strategy and technology some of the rigours of stratgey are being superseded by a more experimental form of creative development. One of my favourite slides helps to dramatise this idea of old linear stratgey versus a new more agile forms of startegic and creative development.
In fact in many cases I think that the strategic phase is becoming less distinct but instead fused with other disciplines in a collaborative, ever-changing process of innovation. This has to be an exciting development for all of us who practice strategy. In a world where it is possible to bring about change rapidly within a market this new form of stratgey has to be that which is coupled with action.
Finally, Giles a co-founder of Zopa gave a genuinely inspiring talk about how the brand came about, where it sought its inspiration and gave a highly relevant perspective on the current financial crisis and the plight of banks. Zopa, for those that don't know, is the world's first and largest peer to peer lending site. It enables people to borrow and lend money to each other without having to go to a bank. Perhaps not surprisingly their business has blossomed during the crisis as the banks have reined in credit to customers.
As a strategist it was reassuring to hear that at the heart of the business was a desire to serve a particualr customer typology that took a fair amount of analysis to uncover. Zopa call this group freeformers. These people tend to have irregular incomes but in every other way are a credit worthy group. It just so happens they have a lifestyle that means work isn't everything. They may work some of the year and go travelling for the remainder of the year.
Banks do not serve this group particularly well and so Zopa helps to fulfill their need for money with a servie that meets their needs. Against this we have the backdrop of a banking sector suffering from record low scores in terms of trust, something that Zopa scores exceptionally highly in. It was a compelling story and a heart warming conclusion to the evening that hosted so much homegrown talent each trying to change the game within their respective market sectors.
Thanks to them and to everyone who atteneded and don't forget to check back soon as we'll post a link to the film of the night.
Dan, from six to start kicked things off with a facinating talk about how his company are helping established businesses and their accompanying models of business to adapt to some of the opportunities that technological changes are bringing about.
We Tell Stories for Penguin is a compelling example of such an opportunity being taken. Creating a new entertainmnet form out of an established form, in this case a printed book. Dan started a theme echoed throughout the evening about the importance of fast and agile methodolgies in the development of ideas. Methodologies that rely on collaboration, putting action ahead of words and a willingness to change things when they don't quite work. To finish Dan teased the audience with an upcoming project for Channel 4 called Smokescreen which is an educational idea developed in the form of a game.
Next up was Tim from Made by Many who helped expand on the idea of agile methodologies with the help of some excellent visuals and quotations. It struck me and perhaps others that in the convergence of creativity, strategy and technology some of the rigours of stratgey are being superseded by a more experimental form of creative development. One of my favourite slides helps to dramatise this idea of old linear stratgey versus a new more agile forms of startegic and creative development.
In fact in many cases I think that the strategic phase is becoming less distinct but instead fused with other disciplines in a collaborative, ever-changing process of innovation. This has to be an exciting development for all of us who practice strategy. In a world where it is possible to bring about change rapidly within a market this new form of stratgey has to be that which is coupled with action.
Finally, Giles a co-founder of Zopa gave a genuinely inspiring talk about how the brand came about, where it sought its inspiration and gave a highly relevant perspective on the current financial crisis and the plight of banks. Zopa, for those that don't know, is the world's first and largest peer to peer lending site. It enables people to borrow and lend money to each other without having to go to a bank. Perhaps not surprisingly their business has blossomed during the crisis as the banks have reined in credit to customers.
As a strategist it was reassuring to hear that at the heart of the business was a desire to serve a particualr customer typology that took a fair amount of analysis to uncover. Zopa call this group freeformers. These people tend to have irregular incomes but in every other way are a credit worthy group. It just so happens they have a lifestyle that means work isn't everything. They may work some of the year and go travelling for the remainder of the year.
Banks do not serve this group particularly well and so Zopa helps to fulfill their need for money with a servie that meets their needs. Against this we have the backdrop of a banking sector suffering from record low scores in terms of trust, something that Zopa scores exceptionally highly in. It was a compelling story and a heart warming conclusion to the evening that hosted so much homegrown talent each trying to change the game within their respective market sectors.
Thanks to them and to everyone who atteneded and don't forget to check back soon as we'll post a link to the film of the night.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Lantana: March Meet up
Everyone is busy. That's good. Although not so good when it means no-one can turn up to the Stratgey Group Meeting. But heh, there was me & Max. And I can say that we kicked ass in every sense.
Anyway that's the moan over.
Now to the venue - Lantana.
Image courtesy of World Foodie Guide.
Service is great & so is the food. I can see why Richard likes it so much. But it's a bit cosy for a group of 10! Thankfully we only had to accomodate 5 people.
Subjects were far ranging. Adah is off to South America for 3 weeks and Max has a new job at Kindred. The world is going to end etc.
And in respect of what we're up to...
We are planning an event in May on Unconventional Thinking with some interesting thinkers. I will be a lo-fi event with lots of chance to interact and meet other like-minded thinkers before and afterwards. If you would to know more or would like to speak let us know.
There also plans for a book & plans for the Annual Conference.
There's a meeting in April and there is space for one guest a month so if you'd like that to be you then please contact Adah at the IPA.
Anyway that's the moan over.
Now to the venue - Lantana.
Image courtesy of World Foodie Guide.
Service is great & so is the food. I can see why Richard likes it so much. But it's a bit cosy for a group of 10! Thankfully we only had to accomodate 5 people.
Subjects were far ranging. Adah is off to South America for 3 weeks and Max has a new job at Kindred. The world is going to end etc.
And in respect of what we're up to...
We are planning an event in May on Unconventional Thinking with some interesting thinkers. I will be a lo-fi event with lots of chance to interact and meet other like-minded thinkers before and afterwards. If you would to know more or would like to speak let us know.
There also plans for a book & plans for the Annual Conference.
There's a meeting in April and there is space for one guest a month so if you'd like that to be you then please contact Adah at the IPA.
Monday, 2 March 2009
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Help find Lance's stolen bike
Lance Armstrong is using Twitter to help recover his time trial bike stolen from the team truck during the Tour of California.
I doubt the bike has a re-sale value due to the fact it will be pretty easy to spot when ridden on the streets of California.
So this is me doing my bit for Livestrong - if you see this bike send Lance a message via Twitter.
I doubt the bike has a re-sale value due to the fact it will be pretty easy to spot when ridden on the streets of California.
So this is me doing my bit for Livestrong - if you see this bike send Lance a message via Twitter.
Monday, 16 February 2009
Strategy Group Agenda
The strength of the human spirit, along with our appetite for tackling the problems we face at any point in time, is both tested and but often renewed in adverse conditions. As strategists our senses become heightened when we exist within an environment of constant change. This state of high-alert is instructive and should be channelled in a way that can bring about positive results. It is against this backdrop of change that I have taken over the IPA Strategy Group as Chair.
Image Shepherd Fairey
The timing could not be more perfect. I am not one for complacency. I would much prefer a challenge particularly when, it is exactly as a result of such challenges that we adapt in Darwinian fashion to the circumstance we find ourselves in. The coincidence of a damaged financial ecosystem, an advertising business facing a fall in client expenditure and the rapid adoption of technology means that there could not be a better time for many of us to be practising as strategists.
However, to be successful we must be brave and confident in our approach. It is often the case that when faced with challenges that we revert to the tried and tested methods of the past. This, in part is a normal and sensible response, however we must accept that it is also time to complement decades of learning with a more innovative response.
If I have learnt anything in the last 19 years working within the marketing communications business it is that the people within in it tend to be creatively-driven, positive thinkers who tend to shrug off the issues of the moment and instead look to a vision of the future where the problems have dissipated and the brands and business we help steward are leading the way creating future wealth, prosperity and jobs.
What I have also learnt is that we cannot do it as a collection of individuals. The big advantage of working as Chairman of the IPA Strategy Group is that I am surrounded by people more intelligent than I am. This is a good thing. My success is bundled up into what we can achieve as a cohesive force. I believe strategy is a force for good and if ever there were a time in last 20 years that we should unite in order to bring about positive results it is now.
My hope is that if I can help not only harness the collective brain-power of the Strategy Group but also the wider strategic community then we may all reap the wider benefits of collaboration.
This collaboration should give rise to a more visible strategic community, a more open one and one that is best able to meet the challenges we face. We are not doing this from a standing start. Many strategists now write excellent blogs that help to inspire, agitate and capture something that we are all feeling but don’t quite know how to put into words.
We want the Strategy Group to help to enhance this already thriving community through the recognition and reward of outstanding thinking. Moreover, we want to seek out the next generation of strategists and help to accelerate their ability to influence how we go about solving problems.
The Group are in the process of formulating a plan that will shape what we do and what we achieve over the next two years. There will, of course, be events, debates, articles, thought-pieces that will help amplify the thoughts of strategists across the industry.
However, there are many who do not know about the Group, what we do and how we go about it. If this is the case then I would encourage you to look at the IPA Strategy Group blog at http://ipastrategygroup.blogspot.com/. We would love to, need to, here your thoughts about strategy.
So what does success look like? What do we want to achieve? We’ll know when we have been effective when we have something tangible to show for our efforts. The vision would be to find someway of harnessing the collective force of our community in a way that is visible, vocal and is able to bring about positive change.
This could be a book, an event, a web series, a wiki or an informal gathering. Or it could be all these things. All we know is that an opportunity exists so fulfilling that needs has to be a primary objective of the Group, so please check the blog for details. In the meantime if you would like to be involved do let us know in whatever way you choose.
Image Shepherd Fairey
The timing could not be more perfect. I am not one for complacency. I would much prefer a challenge particularly when, it is exactly as a result of such challenges that we adapt in Darwinian fashion to the circumstance we find ourselves in. The coincidence of a damaged financial ecosystem, an advertising business facing a fall in client expenditure and the rapid adoption of technology means that there could not be a better time for many of us to be practising as strategists.
However, to be successful we must be brave and confident in our approach. It is often the case that when faced with challenges that we revert to the tried and tested methods of the past. This, in part is a normal and sensible response, however we must accept that it is also time to complement decades of learning with a more innovative response.
If I have learnt anything in the last 19 years working within the marketing communications business it is that the people within in it tend to be creatively-driven, positive thinkers who tend to shrug off the issues of the moment and instead look to a vision of the future where the problems have dissipated and the brands and business we help steward are leading the way creating future wealth, prosperity and jobs.
What I have also learnt is that we cannot do it as a collection of individuals. The big advantage of working as Chairman of the IPA Strategy Group is that I am surrounded by people more intelligent than I am. This is a good thing. My success is bundled up into what we can achieve as a cohesive force. I believe strategy is a force for good and if ever there were a time in last 20 years that we should unite in order to bring about positive results it is now.
My hope is that if I can help not only harness the collective brain-power of the Strategy Group but also the wider strategic community then we may all reap the wider benefits of collaboration.
This collaboration should give rise to a more visible strategic community, a more open one and one that is best able to meet the challenges we face. We are not doing this from a standing start. Many strategists now write excellent blogs that help to inspire, agitate and capture something that we are all feeling but don’t quite know how to put into words.
We want the Strategy Group to help to enhance this already thriving community through the recognition and reward of outstanding thinking. Moreover, we want to seek out the next generation of strategists and help to accelerate their ability to influence how we go about solving problems.
The Group are in the process of formulating a plan that will shape what we do and what we achieve over the next two years. There will, of course, be events, debates, articles, thought-pieces that will help amplify the thoughts of strategists across the industry.
However, there are many who do not know about the Group, what we do and how we go about it. If this is the case then I would encourage you to look at the IPA Strategy Group blog at http://ipastrategygroup.blogspot.com/. We would love to, need to, here your thoughts about strategy.
So what does success look like? What do we want to achieve? We’ll know when we have been effective when we have something tangible to show for our efforts. The vision would be to find someway of harnessing the collective force of our community in a way that is visible, vocal and is able to bring about positive change.
This could be a book, an event, a web series, a wiki or an informal gathering. Or it could be all these things. All we know is that an opportunity exists so fulfilling that needs has to be a primary objective of the Group, so please check the blog for details. In the meantime if you would like to be involved do let us know in whatever way you choose.
Friday, 6 February 2009
Sierra Nevada turns beer into bio-fuel
You may or may not have heard of Sierra Nevada, they sell it on draft at the Green Man on Wells Street, but it's a slightly cloudy, pale ale.
Well I could have sat in a lot of brainstorms and failed to think of the brand extension, fuel when starting with a beer, but that's exactly what they've done.
It takes a corporate belief and creates further value from waste (1.6 million litres of it every year). In turn this creates more profit and they're doing their bit for the envioronment.
This idea breaks so many rules: beer and petrol in the same product range, using the same logo - it's genius I love it. And not to mention drinking and driving.
See more loveliness from Sierra Nevada here.
Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Chocolat and other random ideas
We met at Chocolat and I quickly came to a conclusion.
The conclusion, well at least mine, was that good things can come from bad or less good. They are related to each other helping to maintain some form of balance. The snow brought all sorts of problems but on the whole good things came from it: collectively we rose to the challenge, we thought of others first and we played spontaneously, these things may have been absent on a large scale if it hadn't snowed.
So members of the Group who weren't held back by the snow arrived in a positive frame of mind. The snow had gone but the memory lingered. We are better when we're forced to make decisions agaianst a common enemy.
So it was in that context that we dicussed what we're going to do as a Group this year and wondered whether all these potentially disruptive local and global events could give rise to something better. Recession, climate change and poverty demand us to question the imapct we have made in past. This necessary moment of reflection can help us to shape a better future. Better for us personally, professionally and collectively.
We called this Renaissance. A process of re-birth.
That's something for us all to feel positive about. History has shown that in moments of adversity we become more creative, dynamic and spirited. Now is that time.
We would like to help nurture this movement. Shine a light on it and help it grow as an inspiration for those strategists within our industry looking to help shape a new future and more broadly champion Renaissance Britain in what shape or form it takes.
Check back for details of how our movement unfolds and if you can help us on the way then feel free to join in.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Fast Stratgey
Flying in the face of adversity, following boycotting and protests from some leading agencies and not forgetting a good old-fashioned pummellling from Russell Davies, the Fast Strategy Conference went ahead without a hitch.
While the subject of the conference has polarised opinion and lead to cries of heresy it has certainly aroused the interests of planners in a way that has not been witnessed since 'Is blogging Killing Planning' debate. For the record the IPA Startegy Group are not promoting the idea of 'Fast Strategy' or that fast is better than slow. Instead we are trying to recognise the fact that the world of commerce is changing and our clients needs are changing too. This has never been more clearly evidenced than in the events of the last two weeks. We can ignore this evidence but at our peril. The least we can do is raise the debate and in that respect we have achieved taht simple objective.
So what of the conference itself?
There were some outstanding presentations on the subject of Fast Stratgey from leading planners within the industry including Adam 'Eat Big Fish' Morgan, Rita Clfton and Richard Storey. You'll be able to view their presentations here very soon and follow the on-going debate.
The winning team was lead by Amelia Torode answering the challenge set by Ian Armstrong of Honda who asked the three teams to help them lanuch a new eco car in the context of increased financial pressures on consumers. The winning pitch was encapsulated in the thought 'waste nothing'. The runners up were lead by Dave Trott with the thought 'We not Me' and Kate Stanners' team with the thought 'The Power of Frugal'. All provided some compelling thinking in the time they had available and this was recognised by the client and audience alike.
Please keep the debate alive, thank you all for your contributions and look forward to seeing you at our next conference in Spring 2009.
While the subject of the conference has polarised opinion and lead to cries of heresy it has certainly aroused the interests of planners in a way that has not been witnessed since 'Is blogging Killing Planning' debate. For the record the IPA Startegy Group are not promoting the idea of 'Fast Strategy' or that fast is better than slow. Instead we are trying to recognise the fact that the world of commerce is changing and our clients needs are changing too. This has never been more clearly evidenced than in the events of the last two weeks. We can ignore this evidence but at our peril. The least we can do is raise the debate and in that respect we have achieved taht simple objective.
So what of the conference itself?
There were some outstanding presentations on the subject of Fast Stratgey from leading planners within the industry including Adam 'Eat Big Fish' Morgan, Rita Clfton and Richard Storey. You'll be able to view their presentations here very soon and follow the on-going debate.
The winning team was lead by Amelia Torode answering the challenge set by Ian Armstrong of Honda who asked the three teams to help them lanuch a new eco car in the context of increased financial pressures on consumers. The winning pitch was encapsulated in the thought 'waste nothing'. The runners up were lead by Dave Trott with the thought 'We not Me' and Kate Stanners' team with the thought 'The Power of Frugal'. All provided some compelling thinking in the time they had available and this was recognised by the client and audience alike.
Please keep the debate alive, thank you all for your contributions and look forward to seeing you at our next conference in Spring 2009.
Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Fast Strategy
Walker Media’s Phil Georgiadis and Mark Syal, and M&C Saatchi’s Richard Storey and Simon Dicketts were voted the winning team in a live (fictitious) pitch for the COI at this week’s IPA Strategy Conference with Times Media for arriving at a great strategy and fast!
One of the greatest pressures on our industry today is to meet the demands of arriving at good answers fast. During the conference strategy-at-speed was tested with three teams who competed against each other to answer a fictitious brief given by Peter Buchanan, Deputy Chief Executive of the COI, on establishing a dog owners’ register in the UK.
Phil Georgiadis’s team took 37% of the audience vote with their winning strategy which recommended creating a physical symbol of ‘responsible dog ownership’ in the form of a silver rosette which would be attached to the dog’s collar. They suggested that the scheme should be renamed M.A.N (Merit in Authority over, and Nurture of, your dog) allowing the adoption of the line:‘M.A.N. A dog’s best friend'; a clever inverse of the usual ‘dog is man’s best friend’.
Key things to come out of the conference included:“When all three teams were asked would they have pitched better if they’d had more time, aside from fine-tuning and making their solution to the brief more rigorous, the answer was essentially…no.” (Guy Murphy, Chairman IPA Strategy Group, and Worldwide Planning Director, JWT, and Chair of the day’s proceedings)
“If clients could brief a multi-disciplinary agency team all at once, as has been the case today, they might get quicker answers to their brief.” (Phil Georgiadis, Chairman, Walker Media)“In order to do things quickly you have to know what the objectives are at briefing stage. These should be clear and agreed business objectives, and unfortunately the consensus from the audience at this conference today is that agencies rarely get this.”(Guy Murphy, Chairman IPA Strategy Group, and Worldwide Planning Director, JWT,)
All three teams only had three crucial hours to come up with their winning pitch. The voting was close and in second place was communication consultant Mark Earl’s team with 35% of the vote, followed by CHI’s Johnny Hornby with 28%. The winning team was presented by Claire Myerscough, Development Director of Times Media, with holiday vouchers worth £10,000.
Said COI’s Peter Buchanan, “It was a challenging brief in a fast-paced environment and the teams had no knowledge of the brief beforehand. It was fascinating to see what could be achieved in a short space of time. ”
Throughout the morning, whilst the teams prepared for their afternoon pitch, leading strategists from across the industry elaborated on how developing strategy fast is changing the way we do business and presented their top tips for how they think at speed.
So what do you think about strategy-at-speed? Is it possible, will it get the best results? We'd love to here your thoughts and comments.
One of the greatest pressures on our industry today is to meet the demands of arriving at good answers fast. During the conference strategy-at-speed was tested with three teams who competed against each other to answer a fictitious brief given by Peter Buchanan, Deputy Chief Executive of the COI, on establishing a dog owners’ register in the UK.
Phil Georgiadis’s team took 37% of the audience vote with their winning strategy which recommended creating a physical symbol of ‘responsible dog ownership’ in the form of a silver rosette which would be attached to the dog’s collar. They suggested that the scheme should be renamed M.A.N (Merit in Authority over, and Nurture of, your dog) allowing the adoption of the line:‘M.A.N. A dog’s best friend'; a clever inverse of the usual ‘dog is man’s best friend’.
Key things to come out of the conference included:“When all three teams were asked would they have pitched better if they’d had more time, aside from fine-tuning and making their solution to the brief more rigorous, the answer was essentially…no.” (Guy Murphy, Chairman IPA Strategy Group, and Worldwide Planning Director, JWT, and Chair of the day’s proceedings)
“If clients could brief a multi-disciplinary agency team all at once, as has been the case today, they might get quicker answers to their brief.” (Phil Georgiadis, Chairman, Walker Media)“In order to do things quickly you have to know what the objectives are at briefing stage. These should be clear and agreed business objectives, and unfortunately the consensus from the audience at this conference today is that agencies rarely get this.”(Guy Murphy, Chairman IPA Strategy Group, and Worldwide Planning Director, JWT,)
All three teams only had three crucial hours to come up with their winning pitch. The voting was close and in second place was communication consultant Mark Earl’s team with 35% of the vote, followed by CHI’s Johnny Hornby with 28%. The winning team was presented by Claire Myerscough, Development Director of Times Media, with holiday vouchers worth £10,000.
Said COI’s Peter Buchanan, “It was a challenging brief in a fast-paced environment and the teams had no knowledge of the brief beforehand. It was fascinating to see what could be achieved in a short space of time. ”
Throughout the morning, whilst the teams prepared for their afternoon pitch, leading strategists from across the industry elaborated on how developing strategy fast is changing the way we do business and presented their top tips for how they think at speed.
So what do you think about strategy-at-speed? Is it possible, will it get the best results? We'd love to here your thoughts and comments.
Thursday, 2 August 2007
The Debate Result: Is the digital revolution killing TV advertising?
It was a night of battle that promised much in the way of fighting talk and swagger, but ended in hugs agreement rather than fisticuffs.
Les “fucking clever” Binet (a moniker applied by the evening’s chair, Rob Foreshaw), the diminutive genius of the planning industry squared up against Matt Dyke, his sort-of-colleague, to debate the statement “digital advertising is killing TV advertising”.
With over 70 in the audience for the evening, all baying for blood, the contest had all the hallmarks of a classic face-off.
Les kicked-off the debate by setting up and swatting down some of the received wisdoms of our industry, much-quoted by media pundits.
First up, the idea that people don’t watch TV any more: The IPA’s Touchpoints research putting-paid to that one, as viewing has held solid at 3.7 hours a day amongst all adults for the last three decades. Time spent viewing TV amongst teens has likewise barely changed in the past two generations, Les contends. Not only that, but commercial TV viewing has actually risen – as the BBC’s share of audience has fallen. Looking into the crystal ball, while delivery mechanisms might change, viewing will stay flat or rise.
Next up, the idea that audiences are fragmenting and that TV is therefore becoming less efficient went under the statistical microscope. And once again, Les waded into battle with his numbers, and, once again, came up on top. The price of media has fallen faster than the audiences have declined, the charts showed. The cost to reach 1,000 people is cheaper now than it has been in real terms, was the argument.
What we have seen, the argument went, is increased competition leading to lower prices – while that may be bad news for media owners, it is good news for advertisers and brands, Les argued: “TV has never been in ruder health” was the declaration from the stage. Once again looking to the future, he claimed, any ad-avoidance will likely be reflected in the price of media, so efficiency will not be compromised by such technologies.
So, by now somewhat PowerPoint-fatigued, we made it to the critical point of his argument: that there is no better medium than TV for conveying emotion, engaging audiences and getting brands talked about. This in cases where the creative is strong – at least.
Les pulled out the numbers from IPA Effectiveness papers to show that there has been a substantial increase over time in effectiveness where TV has been the lead medium. He argued that TV is the market in which a sales effect can be readily seen – unlike so many other channels of communication.
It is this ability to create a shared, low-involvement entertainment experience that the medium we think of as TV must preserve, Les said. The challenge he left us with was that, as the costs of media space fall, lowering barriers to entry, so the quality of advertising is likely to drop. Only real creativity will cut-through.
To make a reposte to this figures-laden attack, Matt took the podium to with an argument that had two key points. First, that “TV advertising is killing TV advertising” due to a dearth of quality. Second, that in a hyper-connected world, we all have a wealth of information at our fingertips about companies and products and that the power of brand image is diminished as shared knowledge and word-of-mouth take precedence.
In support of his first point, Matt pointed out that TV advertising has never been so despised: while 32% of people in 1991 agreed that “the ads are as good as the programmes”, just 15% did so last year. The dearth of quality is the biggest contributor to our “switching off” and loathing of interruption.
Consumers, he argued, love good brand ads and will actively seek them out, view, discuss and dissect them online. Marshalling an ad-land favourite to his aid in his argument, Matt pointed out that Honda’s “choir” work was viewed 3 million times online and much-debated. TV, he argued, is spending too much on frequency, not enough on quality.
When an ad is viewed online, he went on to claim, it is four-times more effective than an ad viewed on TV.
So, Matt surmised, TV advertising should be used to “seed” creative and emotional ideas, giving consumers the opportunity to turn to other media to engage further and explore on their own terms.
The second element of Matt’s argument was that of the decline in the power of the brand image. Where we once carried information and knowledge about brands, products and services around day-in, day-out, we now access it “on demand,” was his contention. Hence, those who come into a market for cars will turn to the web first in search of information and shared experience, denting the power of brand image and reducing its primacy.
No one new model will rise up to replace TV’s leadership, but rather, many models will take its place. At their heart will need to be an investment in experiences – engaging consumers in content rather than holding them at bay with glossy image. Matt concluded arguing that digital is killing all advertising – gradually stripping the marketing and spin away to leave authenticity, brands stripped bare and left to parade the internet for all to see.
The positions established, the Q&A kicked off. And it was through the probing of the audience that the poles came together.
The classic pieces of work in the digital environment, it was agreed, were spurred by traditional TV work – or by brand image.
From Pampers’ credibility to offer parents advice on childcare to Honda’s work stimulating a rush to the web to Sony’s ability to build a community of fans around its Bravia work, brand TV advertising has been a driver.
Both speakers had to conceded that, ultimately, they ended up in a position of agreement: that quality is where the investment needs to be made, rather than frequency. They may have disagreed about where the ultimate balance of power might lie between TV and digital, but came to the conclusion that one would be unlikely to wipe out the other wholly. As Les said at the end of the evening: “we didn’t really disagree, it’s all merging and complimentary”.
Monday, 23 July 2007
Is the digital revolution killing TV advertising?
DDB's Les Binet, European Director, DDB Matrix and Matt Dyke, Head of Planning, DDB London are to debate whether the digital revolution is killing TV advertising at the next IPA Strategy 'Head-to-head', sponsored by Times Media, which is to be held on 1st August 2007 at the IPA.
Matt Dyke will argue that it is no surprise that the more savvy marketers are turning to the web instead of exclusively TV due to the freedom from time constraints, BACC regulations, lower media outlay and direct interactions or feedback from consumers. Les Binet, on the other hand, will put forward the case that as evidence suggests, so far the shift to a digital world has made TV more effective and efficient.
Says Matt Dyke, "Unless TV radically changes the way it allows consumers to choose content and interact with it, TV companies will struggle to continue generating the revenue they have previously enjoyed."
Says Les Binet, "My guess is that new technology might change the nature of TV advertising a bit, but it won't kill it, and it might even make it work better."
Come along to find out whose argument wins out. Book your tickets early as this IPA debate is likely to be another sell-out. It will take place at the IPA,
Tickets cost £15 + VAT for IPA members and £30 + VAT for non-IPA members.
For further information and to purchase tickets for the debate complete the attached registration form and return to Adah Parris on 020 7245 9904 or at adah@ipa.co.uk
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Dragon's Den
Thanks to everyone who attended yeseteday's event. Over the next few days we'll start to put up highlights of the event. In the meantime if you have any comments on the event please leave them below. The first 20 will receive a copy of the Venice Festival Best in Show CD featuring the world's best media ideas courtesy of Marco Rimini.
Friday, 18 May 2007
Enter the Dragon
The IPA Strategy Group, with Times Media, would like you to join them on Monday 21st May at the Mayfair Hotel to witness whether our industry can really cut the mustard when it comes to developing truly business building ideas.
Six agencies will brave a grilling from a panel of senior clients as well as an all-powerful voting audience, which could include you. The day will be facilitated by Evan Davis, presenter of BBC2's Dragon's Den and BBC Economics Editor.
Competing presentations will come from all sides of the communications industry and will include Richard Storey from M&C Saatchi, David Walsh from Mindshare, Simon Hall from Hall Moore CHI, Matt Dyke from Tribal DDB/DDB London, Craig Mawdsley from AMV BBDO, Richard Lennox from JWT and Michael Moszynski from IS. Each of them believes that their agency has a particularly compelling story to tell, what you think counts but ultimately its what the dragon's think that counts.
If this wasn't enough, we're also going to cast our eye abroad and see what business building ideas have inspired the likes of Jon Steel from WPP, Axel Chaldecott from JWT, Adam Morgan from eatbigfish and George Bryant from AMV BBDO and Marco Rimini from Mindshare.
Tickets for IPA members cost just £150 + VAT (for IPA Members £200 + VAT for non-Members) which includes lunch. There are limited numbers remaining so to be guaranteed a place, call 020 7201 8224.
Friday, 11 May 2007
Blog School
So Richard Huntingdon and I decided that it would be a good idea if we ran a blog school. I think perhaps Richard is better qualified as I am a 'blogger-lite'. However, it was my idea so he's kind of stuck with me. The idea is that the session falls into two areas: 1. How planners can use blogging as a complemnentary tool and 2. How we can help advise our clients on the best way to utilise blog technology as part of a communication strategy.
I think we are going to do this anyway but it would be good to hear from planners to understand whether this is something that has any value?
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