authenticity and myths

This is the Campaign doo-dah from July 16th.

Every week I sit down to write this and I wonder if this'll be the last time Campaign will tolerate me slagging off the industry they exist to support. Because most weeks I find myself pointing out the failings or complacency or slack-jawed venal stupidity of the industry we're all in, and that's not going to make for a popular column is it?

I think this happens because things that are going wrong are more interesting than things that are going well. (It's the old problem solution problem, whenever you do a problem/solution ad the problem ends up being more interesting than the solution.) It's also because nothing fundamental really changes in advertising. Have you read Murder Must Advertise? It's set in a advertising agency in the 1930s and it's pretty recognisable to anyone who works in an agency now.

But working with new sorts of people in the past few years has helped me rediscover some of what can make advertising great. It was crystalised for me when a software guy and an experience designer were rhapsodising about advertising people's ability to be completely disconnected from the real world. (They meant this in a good way). Their example was simple - if Energizer or Duracell had a shop and advertising people were in charge of it then you'd be served by a bunny. A real life pink bunny. Your experience would be surprising, exciting, delightful. Whereas if Energizer really had a shop they'd probably just go for brisk and efficient (and they'd maybe have a little model bunny on the counter). Advertising's genius is that it sells stuff by reframing reality not by telling us about it.

Bruce Nussbaum of BusinessWeek came at it differently in a speech to the RCA:

“Design is so popular today mostly because business sees design as connecting it to the consumer populace in a deep, fundamental and honest way...If you are in the myth-making business, you don’t need design. You need a great ad agency. But if you are in the authenticity and integrity business then you have to think design.”

Now obviously he's not trying to sell you any advertising here, and I think he's got a point about the value of design and the need for authenticity, but he acknowledges what advertising does well; it makes myths, it tells big stories, it adds magic. A great piece of advertising can change pop culture in the same way a great piece of music or a great movie does and that's a powerful commercial tool. If only more brands tried to do that more often, tried to do the big, extraordinary thing, because even in a world of transparency and integrity we'd still all love to hear some crazy, imaginative myths.

Comments

[Will]

Didn't see Campaign this week - so thanks for this.

For what it's worth, I really agree. I like the notion of being served by a pink bunny.

Perhaps Duracell's GIC could become a high street store? I can only hope.

[Dino]

Awesome, loved this article Russell.

In an age of openess/transparency/co-creation it can be a little unfashionable to admit that magical ideas can be powerful tools to persuade and influence people.
Myth trumps knowledge every time, information is no match for creativity.

[[ paul ]]

Found the full speech from mr. nussbaum just now. here it is for those interested: http://rurl.org/9mh