a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e
DDB Lassoo Media Counsel TBWA\ Whybin
thefutureofadvertising
c r e at i v e s h o w c a s e
The future of advertising is frequently discussed, often maligned. Advertising and marketing may be changing—with multiple channels, multiple providers—but the future of the storytellers and idea merchants remains secure. Question is, which one is right for you? We profile four of the best.
Creative Showcase is an advertising supplement created by Idealog. For information on upcoming Creative Showcases call Ben Gibb on 09 966-0997 or email ben@idealog.co.nz
thefutureofadvertising
c r e at i v e s h o w c a s e
c r e at i v e s h o w c a s e
Can the talk match the message?
Today’s consumers can now literally control their own media experiences thanks to an abundance of communications choices, and those choices are only set to grow. In response, advertising agencies are adapting—but is it enough?
The advertising industry is facing a future where it must justify its very existence (or at least, the way things have always been done). It’s changing because media is changing, and since the dawn of the advertising industry, media and advertising have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. Media depended on advertising for funding; advertising depended on media for audiences. And they both depended a whole lot on you, perverse crowd that you are. ‘You’ decided to make your own way as far as media choices were concerned, and the world we live in today has an overabundance of media channels as a result. The Internet in particular has led to this wealth—or flood—of choice, and advertisers have been left scrambling to catch up. Advertising agencies, doubly so. In response, advertisers and their agencies have changed in two important ways: they’ve embraced measurability, and they’ve recognised the importance of a holistic approach. A recent IBM report, The End of Advertising As We Know It, says “gone are the days of ‘hoping’ advertising works. [Marketers] are now in a world where they have full control of the effectiveness of their marketing spend”. One major factor in the rise of measurable advertising has been—again—the Internet. But even before the Internet became mainstream, media fragmentation led marketers to search for more accountability, and direct marketing shifted from the fringes of marketing and took centre stage. Data analytics and one-to-one segmentation are a far cry from the big idea, big budget advertising campaigns that stereotype advertising agencies. Yet marketers are expected to grasp both fields, so why not agencies? And there, in a nutshell, is the central question facing advertising (or marketing, or communications) agencies today. Does an agency specialise in a particular field, doing one thing incredibly well? Or do they provide the integrated offering that clients demand? Like most either/or questions, there are a lot of shades of grey in between. For the agencies that opt for the second option, a full-service, integrated agency, there are many options. Some agencies try to bring everything in-house to provide a genuine full-service agency. In the past, full service meant creative and media. Now it means those plus direct marketing, plus public relations, plus interactive, and maybe other offerings such as branding, design, retail or experiential/ guerilla marketing. But as some agencies quickly find, different disciplines often have very different approaches. Direct marketing, for instance, begins and ends with customer data, while brand advertising begins and ends with ‘the big idea’. Can they live together? Some agencies answer this question cautiously, by forming internal alliances within a parent company. Data experts work as an autonomous unit, working on projects with the larger business when required, but not otherwise. Creative brains get a look in when the job calls for it, but otherwise they’re not in the picture. It’s a model with certain strengths—clients get the most relevant range of talent for the job—but it also has weaknesses: for instance the need to make sure each division has enough work, and the risk of a lack of focus. That’s why some agencies, usually smaller and usually centred around a highly experienced leader or core team, choose to concentrate on a specific area, be it creative, direct marketing, data analysis or media planning/buying. This model has the advantage of focus and proven expertise, but risks the myopia that is the flipside of the focus coin. For this reason, many of these boutique agencies build alliances with other outfits, in order to provide the same kind of integrated offering as the full-service agencies. Whatever model agencies adopt, one thing’s for sure—nothing will stay the way it is now. The IBM report identifies four areas where advertisers and agencies are inevitably losing control (attention, creativity, measurement and inventory) and warns both incumbents and new players to “plan for multiple consumer futures, plan agile strategies and build new capabilities before advertising as we know it disappears”.
thefutureofadvertising
tbwa\whybin
c r e at i v e s h o w c a s e
Timeless sentiments, ultra-modern advertising
Using innovative technology to make emotional connections
Rewind to 2007. The All Blacks crash out to Rugby World Cup nemesis France, again. Cue thousands of broken hearts, angry tirades, national depression. Faith in the team had never been tested so thoroughly—and cracks were beginning to appear. Cut to early 2008. Adidas sits down with agency TBWA\Whybin and says: “We need to make fans feel closer to the team, and make them believe in the All Blacks again.” Deep breath. After numerous meetings, planning sessions and honest chinwags with the NZRU, it was decided that the emotional core of the campaign should come from the All Blacks jersey itself: iconic, filled with emotion, immediately recognisable. Players come and go, games are won and lost, but the jersey remains the constant. “It was a real challenge to find an angle that couldn’t be met by cynicism or simple fan burnout,” says TBWA\ senior writer Corey Chalmers. “But we knew we had to get back to fundamental truths and proudly remind people about the power of the jersey.” TBWA\ knew they had the campaign idea when it became clear there were a million different emotions in that fabric. The This is Not a Jersey campaign was born. billboards were used to stir the emotions and drive people to the central hub of the campaign, www.thisisnotajersey.com. Developed by TBWA\ interactive arm Shift, the website is a beautifully designed, multifaceted chance for fans to experience the All Blacks brand. One notable section calls for fans to upload photos of newborn Kiwis wearing the jersey, for all to see. As part of this ‘Birthright’ section, every baby born in New Zealand on the day of a 2008 test match would also be awarded a special All Blacks jersey. Demand has been popular, with over 450 babies eligible so far, along with the odd proud dad begging for inclusion even if their child missed the midnight deadline by five minutes! Activity was complemented with media rich web banners and in-stadium film of players stating their personal mantras to camera—with a captive audience of 45,000 at Eden Park alone for the first England test match. So far, so traditional. But the involvement was only just beginning. It wasn’t just the creative team that would write the campaign. Every 2008 All Blacks player also got the chance to write a personal statement about what the jersey meant to them, written onto a real jersey. The players needed little prompting, and heartfelt messages were written and featured as downloadable posters, while the actual jerseys themselves were placed in reinforced adshels in the major centres. Two were stolen. And it didn’t stop there. Fans themselves could write their own This is Not a Jersey mantra onto the website’s virtual ‘adiThread’, share it with friends and be in to win a jersey. Thousands
Multiple emotions, multiple channels
“We wanted to create a campaign that meant something and gave people the opportunity for an emotional response,” says TBWA\ creative director Guy Roberts. “And luckily the idea was big enough to allow multiple expressions from all angles—from us, from the players and most importantly, the fans.” The campaign launched with an emotive mantra highlighting what the jersey stood for. With this tone set, dramatic print, press inserts, POS, transit advertising and supersite
All fans’ names added to this virtual online thread (top) will be printed onto a tiny thread in an All Blacks jersey using nanotechnology (above) of fans (and counting) have already proudly written their expressions of support. nanotechnology to literally write them onto a single tiny thread. The thread will then be stitched into the silver fern of a player jersey, which will be presented to team captain Richie McCaw. McCaw himself is excited about the idea. “It’s quite a cool concept I think. It’s very special to see everyone’s name lined up there. Hopefully the fans will appreciate what it’s all about too.” As for wearing the jersey on the field, he “hopes that will happen one day”. “This is what we mean by media arts,” says TBWA\ head of media arts Robert Harvey. “It’s about creating talkability and interesting content by making something entirely new to generate attention. It’s about drawing consumers willingly to your idea because it’s interesting, not because it’s shouted at you on a TV ad. This campaign has many traditional elements, certainly, but it’s the thread idea that pushes it across the line and makes it unique.” The campaign is a strong example of the traditional meeting the innovative, held together by an emotional core that connects with consumers. Jerseys for babies, nanotechnology, content generated by the public and the team, an evolving website and a chance for fans to literally add meaning and value to the famous jersey … most campaigns are designed to influence fans. This time, the fans made the calls. For more, contact Andy Blood 09 366-6266, www.tbwawhybin.co.nz
The fabric of a nation
This show of support would then be taken one step further, not only bringing the fans closer to the team, but literally connecting them to it. “We needed to create a way of uniting fan and player that was unique and would be talked about,” says TBWA\ executive creative director Andy Blood, “and I love the idea of using cutting-edge technology to create old-fashioned emotion.” Thus, Adidas will take every fan name and, in partnership with the MacDiarmid Institute at Canterbury University, use the latest in
thefutureofadvertising
lassoo
c r e at i v e s h o w c a s e
The evolution of ideas
If media is evolving, media companies should evolve too
Very few media and PR companies offer in-house design and digital services but independent player Lassoo does. “It’s a natural extension of the ideas that we generate,” say founders and directors Anna St George and Bridgette Franklin. The agency’s unorthodox approach stems from the realisation that media has moved on dramatically from the old, tired model. Whether for large or small, local or international clients, St George and Franklin say agencies must be able to offer innovation and responsiveness that is still underpinned by solid media strategy, planning and buying. “It’s a given that we provide high-level media recommendations for our clients, provide consumer insights with research and have the ability to negotiate strongly on media,” says Franklin. “But what is important about our offering is the way it moves beyond the numbers. This is where media is going: it’s about the ability to engage and interact.” When beverage company Fosters needed an emotive strategy for its Captain Morgan Rum brand to increase share against its competitors, Lassoo developed the first ever Captain Morgan’s Hook a Huge One National Fishing Competition, which is now in its third year. A fishing competition? “We needed to engage rum drinkers and with rum having a strong heritage in fishing and boating, this seemed like a well-grounded strategy. On researching the opportunities, it became apparent there was not a national fishing competition at a local level,” says St George. And one was obviously needed: in the competition’s first year, the expected number of entries was exceeded within the first two weeks. “This allowed us to tap into many communication points from driving a database, sampling at each event and fishing club, magazine advertising in related titles, interaction with the website for further brand messages, ability to leverage editorial and ability to secure pourage rights at the fishing clubs.” Clients benefit from this more hands-on approach. “Our philosophy means we create it, manage it, actually make it happen,” says St George. launch of Primal Earth Shaving Gel—in a highly competitive market dominated by huge international companies at grocery level. Extensive audience analysis pointed to traditional channels but based on a strong gut feel, Lassoo pushed hard for radio to be used as the key medium, while other layers of communication delivered on additional aspects of the brief. The ultimate mix delivered an exceptional database collection, as well as numerous requests for samples. But most importantly, it laid a strong and flexible foundation for future campaigns, as well as immediately establishing much-needed awareness and familiarity, so that people could find it in the supermarkets! Lassoo continually assesses itself against its international counterparts to ensure that its media buying is highly competitive and that they continue to develop edgy, irreverent brands such as Red Bull and Puma. Last year, the agency developed an outrageous Pimp my Phone campaign to launch a new communications system for networking equipment supplier Cisco. The campaign was developed to support the less-than-glamorous category of trade shows, and given the conservative nature of the international and corporate IT field, it was quite out there. An edgy exhibition stand, which attracted more people
Above: Lassoo’s Pimp My Phone campaign built on Cisco’s strategy—and livened up the trade shows. Below: Lassoo relied on its years of experience and gut instinct with the launch of Primal Earth Shaving Gel into a highly competitive market. than Cisco had experienced in years, had a ‘street/gangsta’ theme, as did the uniforms the Cisco team wore on the day. The direct mail invites included a bling necklace, and a ride in a stretch Hummer to the event provided Cisco an opportunity for personal conversations with its key customers. This pre-event theming created excitement and overall understanding of the Cisco offering. The exercise created sales leads, helped build relationships, built on Cisco’s strategy to change perceptions and leveraged into PR, plus won best stand at the event.
The agency of tomorrow
Franklin says the agency of the future will have to be nimble, entrepreneurial and media neutral. “As an independent, we are not under pressure to deliver back a return or provide a structure based on international requirements and policy.” Recently Lassoo worked with haircare and grooming product company Mix Limited on its
Media has moved on
Captain Morgan’s Hook a Huge One fishing competition: rum has a strong heritage with fishing and boating.
CREATIVE BY CREATIVEBANK
When St George and Franklin set up Lassoo Media and PR in 2001, they had both worked in international full-service agencies and internetbased media businesses. However, Lassoo acts more like a communication strategist, getting to know a client’s business thoroughly, offering insights into consumer behaviour and developing innovative and successful ways to engage with stakeholders and customers while staying centred around commercial reality. The company’s mix of media and PR
was about being able to leverage and layer communications as strongly as possible. “There are unlimited advantages for our clients when our PR team understands exactly what our media team is doing and vice versa,” says St George. “We set out to address the needs of
companies who were well aware of the rapid changes consumers were facing and wanted a communications partner who could successfully meet that challenge.” For more, contact Anna St George Phone 09 376-5931, www.lassoo.co.nz
thefutureofadvertising
ddb
c r e at i v e s h o w c a s e
What’s the big idea behind influence?
DDB cuts through the clutter with a simple idea: influence
Everywhere we look, someone tells us the world has changed. The communications industry is under the gun, forced to find new ways of responding to a more empowered and dynamic consumer in an increasingly complex and fragmented media environment. All too often, integration has become a kneejerk solution that works across all media, rather than a search for the best solution. Integration lures communicators into superficial answers. Because it is inward-focused and processdriven, integration can lull agencies into losing sight of the big brand idea. Many agree that it is time for a new language and a new approach. The question now is what? Influence, rather than engagement or integration, is a better way of describing what is needed today, says DDB New Zealand’s executive creative director Toby Talbot, because influence provides a shared language for all of the disciplines. “Influence forces us to focus on the universal challenge and desired outcome rather than starting with the inputs such as channel or content. Influence is the ultimate form of integration because it begins from a channelneutral position,” he says. Fortunately, according to Talbot, there remains one constant amid the chaos of the communication landscape. “Behind every great brand is a great idea. More than ever brands need to believe in something and let their beliefs guide everything they do. Which means brands need to do something remarkable. They need to be extraordinary. They need to be worthy of creating talk value and inspiring consumers to flock towards you.” Increasingly communications are charged with delivering big ideas that don’t just wow but are capable of engaging and influencing consumers and inspiring brand advocates. Talbot says that the work DDB is doing to make its clients’ brands famous and get people talking is borne of this belief. Pink Batts is one example of how DDB created an ‘influence cascade’ by debunking the one-way form of communication in favour of a two-way conversation that was designed to inspire and invite people to participate and become involved in the dialogue.
Our unsung hero
There’s no doubt that Pink Batts is the biggest and most popular insulation in New Zealand by far. But by the end of last year, with the competition biting at its heels, this sleeping giant needed to up the ante and reassert its position as the definitive insulation for New Zealand homes. The communication challenge, says DDB’s planning director Lucinda Sherborne, was to put the fight back into Pink Batts and breathe new life into an old but much-loved Kiwi icon. DDB and the client, Tasman Insulation,
Pinks Batts is already the industry leader—but could it also be the most loved? DDB looked to emotional influence to do the job latched on to the simple insight that Pink Batts were taken for granted. “Pink Batts spend their life hidden inside your walls, working away day after day with little recognition for their efforts,” says Sherborne. “What’s more, for the decision maker—who was increasingly the woman of the house—the choice of insulation was often made on a whim. With far more interesting things to worry about, like paint colours and kitchen cabinets, little thought was given to what was being stuffed into their walls and ceilings and what would happen if you got it wrong. “We needed to find the truth that would get people believing in Pink Batts again. The truth was that Pink Batts is our unsung hero. We decided it was time to bring him out.” And that’s exactly what the agency did in what has quickly become a much-loved and well-recognised campaign, bringing to life Pink Batts’ rational benefits in an emotional way. Testament to the power of the idea was its ability to live anywhere. DDB’s Pink Batts was brought to life on television, in magazines, travelling on buses, looking through windows, hanging out with the trade in-store and getting his five minutes of fame on YouTube. Importantly, this gave Tasman Insulation the renewed belief in their business and brand that they needed to defend their turf. What’s more, it’s raised the bar on how the industry and New Zealand at large see building products. “You know you’re onto a good thing when the client’s staff is willing to put on large, pink, fluffy suits in the staunch and serious building world,” says Talbot. “This gives us hope. In an industry that can change overnight, it’s good to know that some things—like good ideas—will always have their place.” Although the media may have evolved and people’s behaviour has changed and taken on new forms that are radically different from Dave a generation ago, the power of an idea to Cooper of Scottish Pacific Business Finance: influence remains the same. “Let us handle the debts and For more, contact Toby Talbot you get the cash” 09 303-4299, www.ddb.co.nz
Power of an idea
Huggable Pink Batts were brought to life through TV, magazines, in-store, YouTube and even travelling on buses and peering through windows
Like all good big ideas, it took on a life of its own. According to Talbot, it was hardly surprising that the nation opened its arms to Pink Batts. “The comfy, cosy character touched many consumers and in turn consumers wanted to touch him, and in some cases even be him”. Within days of DDB sending the message out, spoof commercials sprouted, people were calling their loved ones ‘my Pink Batt’, and he had a fan base that was growing fast.
thefutureofadvertising
media counsel
c r e at i v e s h o w c a s e
Finding what works
Online retailer Ferrit.co.nz made a big impact while most other retailers were hunkering down for a glum winter. And it did it with well over 40 percent less media spend than the previous year
Sometimes it makes sense to zig when everyone else is zagging. In June 2008, with a recession looming and retail sales dropping significantly, Ferrit.co.nz, together with its communication partners Just One and Consortium and media agency The Media Counsel, decided to launch New Zealand’s biggest online sale. Why? Ferrit faced two key challenges: a desire to grow repeat purchasers, and growth in competition from a variety of sources, including online. Ferrit also faced the challenge of being a channel, not an end retailer, which meant it couldn’t control discounts or margins. So with a reduced marketing budget and tough times looming, Ferrit persuaded an impressive 66 of its retailers (compared with just 16 in 2007) to take part in one of the New Zealand web’s largest online sales. The sale itself was not a new concept: Ferrit had had previous online sales. While those sales have traditionally been successful, Ferrit’s research showed that many shoppers required further encouragement to shop online as an alternative to at the mall, and while many people knew about Ferrit, they didn’t know the full product range available on the site. Some consumer education was needed. awareness, and the other on sales,” says The Media Counsel’s Glenda Wynyard. Both these models showed the importance of effective frequency distribution, rather than reach, using television advertising to increase both awareness and sales. Further modelling helped the media team to discount the use of non-performing media and establish a television buying pattern based on effective frequency points at 4+ to 6+ to drive transactions on the site. Since then, the model has proven extremely effective at driving sales online. Ferrit kept the message simple, focusing on the uniqueness of the sale: New Zealand’s biggest sale is at your place. Television led the charge (with creative developed by Consortium), supported by email marketing to existing customers and people who’d signed up for an email list (handled by Just One), paid search advertising (Surefire), banner advertising, and advertising on the site. Ferrit also added an unusual twist: a printed catalogue. A printed catalogue is a classic retail tool but for an online store it sounds a bit odd. But among Ferrit’s key audience of females aged 18–40, colourful catalogues made a big impact. The first catalogue aimed to bring the website alive on paper, showing readers just how much was available on Ferrit and to educate in respect to Ferrit’s offering. The catalogues were unaddressed, but Ferrit used a combination of geodemographic targeting to deliver to areas with higher-income households and areas with people more likely to be online, along with a traditional insert into newspapers. Timing was crucial, with the sale promotion beginning a week before most retailers launch into sale mode.
Strategy for results
Driving sales online
With the goal of achieving more sales with less media expenditure, The Media Counsel analysed the impact of different media on actual transactions. It used a linear modelling tool that evaluated how effectively each individual medium drives sales. Over time, The Media Counsel developed two models to look at the effectiveness of previous advertising. “One was based on
New Zealand’s biggest online sale was an outstanding success, with a 43 percent increase in sales and a 12 percent increase in unique visitors to the site. The media strategy also delivered sustainable results and helped manage any sudden spikes, driven by the promotional offering, that could crash the site or deliver a poor customer experience. The high success rate was no accident. The Media Counsel invested in research into the correct approach to drive people to the site who would turn a visit into a purchase. It identified particular timeslots on television that, while not reaching the maximum amount of people, brought a steady flow of visitors to the site over time. The TV advertising combined with email marketing and search marketing to create a clear, simple path for potential online buyers to travel. This is evidenced by the lower number of unique browsers to the Ferrit site with a greater transaction conversion rate. “I believe the agency of the future will be focused on results, and discovering models that really show understanding of consumer behaviour,” says Wynyard. For more, contact Glenda Wynyard 09 360-1077, www.mediacounsel.co.nz
Ferrit kept the message simple: New Zealand’s biggest sale is at your place
While research showed a lot of people knew about Ferrit, they didn’t know the full product range available on the site. Some consumer education was needed