I've been amazed by ad people over the last so many years. Men and women, both. The sharpest tools in the room, yet they let 'PR' win a battle of relevance and importance in the client's mind. We seemed to lose track with what we were about, the power we had and could also impart to business. Somewhere around the late 80's, early 90's, we all became self-conscious about what we did. Were we secretly ashamed of the big salaries? (in some cases that shame was justified). Were we embarrassed that we got to have a long lunch every now and then, shoot TV commercials overseas and get paid for 'doing nothing more than have ideas"? Maybe. Whatever it was, it was a mistake. And advertising has been paying for it every since.
You see I believe that Advertising (read here 'the art and craft of creating persuasive commercials) cannot and should not be compared to PR or media. They are quite different and necessary disciplines. But they are not 'advertising'.
Let me explain. A strong strategy, combined with intuitive, engaging creative professionally crafted by experienced writers and art directors is a powerful asset to any company. PR (and please don't write nasty letters they'll only make me cry) is a dissemination of facts to promote a favourable image. It does not and never will build a brand. Do you think that if in the early 70's an infant sneaker company called Nike would become the behemoth it is today, if they would have only used PR? "Seattle firm launches new range of Sneakers" can only go so far. 'Just do it' went so much further. Memorable, engaging, intriguing, entertaining TV, press, outdoor and cinema…not 2000 column inches... built a spectacular brand. Great advertising transforms businesses. It captures both loyalty and imagination. And although Apple are today's masters at "Whisper PR' we are only interested in the brand thanks to campaigns such as 'Think Different' and '1984'.
We are capable of so much more. Imagine this photograph: we're close on a basketball court in the middle of an obviously exciting game, the fans in the background are on their feet cheering wildly…in the foreground is Michael Jordan - right hand outstretched, his mighty hand enveloping a basketball. His left arm is like a long air rudder behind him. His legs are walking through the air, 6 feet above the ground. It's another 5 feet to the basket, but we know he'll dunk that ball through the middle of the hoop, as sure as night follows day.The headline could have said
"Air Jordan help you jump higher."
But no. That's too easy. That's the lazy thinking an also-ran brand would come up with. Nike, the market leader, has the confidence to say:
Isaac Newton 0. Michael Jordan 1.
That's the undeniable power of advertising. It's a game changer.
Creating talk. Generating commerce.™
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