by Colwyn Elder (@colwynelder) The school of Behavioural Economics, or Nudge theory as it has popularly become known, has enjoyed increasing attention from our industry over recent years. It was pushed through the IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) by advocate Rory Sutherland, during his year as chairman and has been growing in popularity ever since.
Category archives: Marketing
Ad Contrarian: Mobile Everything Everywhere
by Bob Hoffman (@adcontrarian), San Francisco Bay There is nothing dumber than a magazine with a vision. And there’s no kind of magazine with a vision dumber than a trade magazine with a vision. And there’s no kind of trade magazine dumber than an advertising trade magazine.
So today we are going to discuss an article that wins the triple crown of dumbness — an article with a vision of the future, from a trade magazine, in the advertising field.
The article is called: “MasterCard’s Vision for a Cashless, Cardless, World” and it appeared in Ad Age a while ago.
Like all these pieces it takes the flavor of the week, in this case “mobile,” applies no perspective, and elevates it to the status of earth-shaker. The guy who is peddling this nonsense escapes from the article unchallenged, and we are left with the impression that sometime in the near future we will be living in a “cashless, cardless world.”
Who rates the Creative Circle agency rankings?
by Herman Manson. The Creative Circle, a trade body representing senior creatives in the advertising industry, has released its awards based ranking of South African ad agencies.
Shelf Life: SA mayo campaign wins international award & an app for Elephants
Louise Marsland’s (@Louise_Marsland) pick of new product, packaging and design launches.
How to look like Brad Pitt with V05, Tequila wins something, sponsorship goes large with Sunfoil and Amarula does something really cool with elephants.
Ad Contrarian: Success is never final
by Bob Hoffman (@adcontrarian), San Francisco Bay We like to think that history has an inevitability to it. We like to believe that there is an arc that goes from the bad old days to the good new days; that things move toward virtue; that freedom and prosperity will inevitably triumph and evil and depredation will ultimately be vanquished.
There is absolutely no reason to believe this. And yet we do.
It’s the same type of silly belief we have about evolution. We believe that the purpose of evolution was to lead to a grand conclusion — us. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are just the result of thousands of little contingencies. The world existed for 4 billion years very nicely without us, thank you.
Winston Churchill came as close as any one individual ever came to saving the world. Without him, the Nazis and their pals might very well have won WW II.
He was hailed as a hero. But was promptly evicted from office when his party lost the elections in 1945.
But Churchill was a realist. He said, “Success is never final.”
Agile, collaborative agency backed by Quirk Group
by Herman Manson (@marklives) Clients are becoming more frustrated with agencies, especially as agencies grow to become corporates with all the inflexibility and structural issues that entails. As client problems require quicker turn-around, greater flexibility and innovation, their agencies are becoming less likely to fulfil these requirements.
Designed to counter these issues are Kathryn Sharfman’s new agency, Fast and Remarkable. Quirk Group backs the agency in which Sharfman is a shareholder.
Fast and Remarkable officially launched October 1st. The agency brings together teams of experienced freelancers under the project management skills of Sharfman. Sharfman’s husband, Las Madurasinghe, with a background in investment banking, is also involved in the business.
The agency is focussing on digital projects and offerings include strategy, production and media. Focus will be on quick turn-around times, essential in the digital environment, as well as top quality (i.e. remarkable) work and pulling together a network of well vetted and deeply skilled individuals.
Digital has a fairly low barrier to entry, Sharfman notes, and Fast & Remarkable is set up so clients can easily access high-level digital skills and experience. It’s that experience which offers agile solutions to client problems, says Sharfman.
Sharfman says the new agency taps into the collaborative work model with its strong focus on people and maximising their individual contributions for the benefit of clients.
Shelf Life: A tall order for the Heineken brand
Louise Marsland’s (@Louise_Marsland) pick of new product, packaging and design launches.
Alcohol brands dominate this week with Glenfiddich whiskey celebrating 125 years this year; Avondale wines launching sustainable new packaging; a tall order for the Heineken brand; and Danone extends its school programmes.
The Sell: Giant Footsteps, Local Shoes.
by Mimi Nicklin (@miminicklin) I recently presented on this topic at the Shopper Indaba and enjoyed it so much I can’t help but write further on it. The premise here is that while the globe looks onto the emerging markets with interest, and deep pockets, it is questionable as to what we are really doing to ensure that our retail environment is learning from the giants out there (Tesco, Walmart) whilst effectively tailoring our stores and brands to local demands.
The Dissident Spin Doctor: Preparing for the booze marketing clamp down
by Emma King (@EmmainSA) Proposed amendments to liquor laws and restrictions on the sales and marketing of alcohol have once again become hot topics of conversation. Boardrooms, newsrooms and braais are seething with debates about what should or shouldn’t be changed, and who has the right to make decisions about how other people behave.
My personal opinion? Well, I get pretty pissed when people dictate when or how I can do something, and that extends to being able to sip a glass of chilled Chardonnay on a Sunday afternoon.
I don’t deny that we have a serious issue with alcohol abuse in this country. But, having worked in the alcohol industry in some form or other for all of my career, and having worked with mountains of research and closely with experts on the matter, I’m not convinced that prohibition (i.e. the restrictions of sales in various manners) or the outright banning of alcohol advertising is necessarily the answer.
What cannot be denied is the need for real intervention at grassroots level to change behaviour: robust enforcement of current laws, working with outlets to trade responsibly, and a concerted effort to tackle issues that go hand in hand with alcohol abuse – education, unemployment, and crime.
Masingita Mazibuko: A story tells many tales
by Masingita Mazibuko. Storytelling is a core characteristic of African culture, used to expound wisdom. A story captures one’s imagination, inviting one into another world. It is within this world an understanding of the truth comes to life and one takes ownership. Here lies the value of stories for brands. Inherent in the brand story is character. Character helps reveal the bigger story that is worth telling.