Why Bush is a bad man in 30 seconds or less
An American online advocacy group has invited members of the public to create their own home-made, 30-second commercials that put the boot into President George W Bush. The MoveOn.org Voter Fund wants to air anti-Bush commercials in swing states during 2004 and has assembled a heavy-weight group of judges to consider entries submitted via the web. The winning spot will actually appear on television in the run-up to the poll.
The idea seems to be that most political advertising is put together by consultants, campaign managers and slick advertising professionals. These commercials, on the other hand, will have an original, gutsy and homespun feel - ideal for reaching out to real Americans.
I'll certainly be interested to see the results. Those of us involved in creating ads or other marketing material on a day-to-day basis are often dismissive when clients or other 'non-professionals' suggest ideas. Our natural snobbery and pride leads us to assume that they'll be naive at best and probably hopelessly embarrassing. Sometimes we're right. But I also believe there is a huge well of untapped creativity out there among people who don't have the word 'creative' in their job title. As a lecturer, I often show ads to students that have provoked much back-slapping at advertising awards ceremonies, but draw a complete blank in the classroom.
My prediction is that we'll see more and more homemade advertising as the years roll on, mainly due to advances in technology and increased accessibility. Perhaps the advertising agencies of 2050 will be one-man or one-woman bands? Much as they were when they first started up in the nineteenth century.
Oh, and another prediction. I think Mr Bush will probably be re-elected. Sorry, guys.
© Phil Woodford, 2003. All rights reserved.
Phil Woodford is a creative director at a London-based advertising agency and a lecturer in advertising theory. www.philwoodford.com
Reference site: www.bushin30seconds.org
In 1968, David Ogilvy wrote a letter that was distributed at New York's Grand Central Station to help raise money for an African-American college fund. The opening line asked readers to look out of the train window when they reached 108th Street. Seeing with their own eyes the homes of the impoverished black students, they donated $26,000 in one evening. A simple idea that proved incredibly powerful. And an inspiration for this blog on advertising creativity around the world.
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Tomfoolery in the Netherlands
Should we feel sorry for Mr Johan de Boer? According to press reports in December 2003, the Dutch jeweller planned a highly innovative direct mail campaign, only to find that it had rather spectacularly backfired.
The story goes something like this. To mark the tenth anniversary of his business, the diamond geezer sent out 4,000 promotional envelopes to his clients. So far, so normal. The twist was in the cost of the mailshots. Mr de Boer clocked up a bill of nearly 50,000 euro, because some of the envelopes contained genuine diamonds. His idea was that clients would visit his shop to discover whether the gem they'd received in the post was genuine or a fake. If it proved to be the real deal, they were entitled to keep it.
Alarm bells sounded when only 35 of the 200 recipients showed up in the shop. A little informal investigation revealed that many of the customers had chucked Mr de Boer's envelope straight in the bin, without discovering its contents. It seemed like a disaster... until the world's media took an interest. Mr de Boer assures me by e-mail that he's been re-energised by the large-scale press coverage, so I don't think we need shed too many tears on his behalf. Indeed, I suspect his goldsmith's business will go from strength to strength.
Might he have avoided the original mishap? The campaign was inspired, as it assumed - rightly - that everyone finding a sparkler would be compelled to seek a valuation. But perhaps a clearer message on the envelope would have been sensible? His letters apparently asked "Are you the lucky one?", but I would have favoured something a little more direct. THIS ENVELOPE MAY CONTAIN A REAL DIAMOND, for example. I can't help thinking that a timely PR blitz on the radio or in the papers might not have gone amiss either.
But maybe I'm just being clever after the event. After all, if that's not one of world's classiest direct marketing concepts, I'm a Dutchman.
© Phil Woodford, 2003. All rights reserved.
Phil Woodford is a creative director at a London-based advertising agency and a lecturer in advertising theory. www.philwoodford.com
Read the original press reports at:
BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3341601.stm
Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/25/1072308630768.html
Should we feel sorry for Mr Johan de Boer? According to press reports in December 2003, the Dutch jeweller planned a highly innovative direct mail campaign, only to find that it had rather spectacularly backfired.
The story goes something like this. To mark the tenth anniversary of his business, the diamond geezer sent out 4,000 promotional envelopes to his clients. So far, so normal. The twist was in the cost of the mailshots. Mr de Boer clocked up a bill of nearly 50,000 euro, because some of the envelopes contained genuine diamonds. His idea was that clients would visit his shop to discover whether the gem they'd received in the post was genuine or a fake. If it proved to be the real deal, they were entitled to keep it.
Alarm bells sounded when only 35 of the 200 recipients showed up in the shop. A little informal investigation revealed that many of the customers had chucked Mr de Boer's envelope straight in the bin, without discovering its contents. It seemed like a disaster... until the world's media took an interest. Mr de Boer assures me by e-mail that he's been re-energised by the large-scale press coverage, so I don't think we need shed too many tears on his behalf. Indeed, I suspect his goldsmith's business will go from strength to strength.
Might he have avoided the original mishap? The campaign was inspired, as it assumed - rightly - that everyone finding a sparkler would be compelled to seek a valuation. But perhaps a clearer message on the envelope would have been sensible? His letters apparently asked "Are you the lucky one?", but I would have favoured something a little more direct. THIS ENVELOPE MAY CONTAIN A REAL DIAMOND, for example. I can't help thinking that a timely PR blitz on the radio or in the papers might not have gone amiss either.
But maybe I'm just being clever after the event. After all, if that's not one of world's classiest direct marketing concepts, I'm a Dutchman.
© Phil Woodford, 2003. All rights reserved.
Phil Woodford is a creative director at a London-based advertising agency and a lecturer in advertising theory. www.philwoodford.com
Read the original press reports at:
BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3341601.stm
Sydney Morning Herald: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/25/1072308630768.html
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