art of conversation

In Praise of Everyday People

On Monday this week, Antony Gormley's fourth plinth exhibit opened, titled 'One and Other'.

The purpose of the project is for the general public to occupy the fourth plinth space 'normally reserved for statues of Kings and Generals' and to 'become an image of themselves, and a representation of the whole of humanity.' The plinth will be filled for 24 hours a day over the next 100 days.

We took to the exhibit because of its promotion of the everyday person from realtive obscurity to publicity and celebration. It tells us that we are (to some extent at least) fascinating and worth paying attention to - something core to our belief when it comes to interviewing and observation.

We captured a few vox pops of people's impressions of the event in which they praise the exhibition of everyday people:

4th Plinth, One and Another, Antony Gormley from Wardle Mclean on Vimeo.

PICTURES, BRANDS AND MEANINGS (CONT'D)

So it seems we were right, they are models, not tennis players. But there are many more games going on here as well as tennis.

Wimbledon is in full swing and Andy Murray is in the semis (2 July), having survived a tricky post-match interview with Gary Richardson (surely the model for fake sports interviewer, Alan Partridge?)

But what is really going on in this new poster for Evian? Clearly it is all about sex and the usurping of male values and institutions. 'Order, order', the old order is changing. John Bercow must be a woman in drag. 

The picture shows a fragile phallic structure with male legs disappearing out the top of the picture and two women underneath, able to topple the unseen male blazer at any moment. The woman on the left represents women seeking equality in sport, demurely checking her racket and trying to be taken seriously. Her partner on the right is brazenly flaunting conventions and showing off her body, provocatively holding a bottle of Evian to her legs with an expression of pleasure on her upturned face, as if to say, is this what you want? 

The onlookers who are nearly all male, are impassive and self-centred, like viewers of porn, not a sporting spectacle. Everyone is waiting, time is suspended, while the woman on the right reflects back our inauthentic gaze with her fake performance and her partner waits to do the real thing.

Sisters are doing it, for themselves.

And of course the scene links back to The Great Gatsby, in which a bunch of privileged and morally bankrupt characters swan around, drinking heavily and bitching about each other, in the oppressive heat, under the symbolic gaze of the spectacles (here replaced by a pair of legs). Representing the end of the male-dominated era, the absent hero, the arrival of women at last in society.

Of course, Evian's sponsorship of Wimbledon is a clever recognition of the sexualisation of women tennis players and is a celebration of the inauthentic nature of our interest in the tournament. Possibly. They are clearly complicit in undermining the old, male order with surreal, distracting imagery, in order to allow women to infiltrate into the scene. And to support Roger Federer with these mind games ...

Cloud Control

I had my first cloud computing dream last week. A vast cloud hovered over London and the Thames was filled with disused desktops. Londoners were frantically tapping on their keyboards uploading / downloading Tweets, Google Doc presentations, 12Second clips feeding the omnipotent cloud above. Imprinted into the nebula was 'Collective Conscious 2.0'. Then, the people stopped typing and the heavy cloud juddered and collapsed malnourished, crushing the city below.

Of course, just a bad dream; but the development of cloud computing, looks to be on the road towards high levels of adoption. Despite dreams of anxiety, the growth of clouds holds positive and potentially significant changes for our future online behaviour: having our data, software, hardware and processing power in a location far away from our home and offices does not seem an unlikely vision.

Just as millions of us are happily relinquishing ourselves to social networking clouds, so are the likes of General Electric and P&G to the business computing clouds - good evidence that big businesses are not such reluctant adopters. The Economist wrote recently about how different open-source, cloud developers are looking to migrate their clouds into a larger one to allow online software, tools and applications to be more compatible (imagine being able to migrate your Bebo account over to Facebook, for example).

'Body and Soul' in last Saturday's Times highlighted how the growth of our dependency in spending more time online via iPhones or Blackberrys is already changing our behaviours with our face to face personal relationships; being physically present yet mentally absent. Even our identities may well shift further away into a cloud.

It would seem then the dream was about being ready to relinquish control on a more profound scale in the future - something we (individuals, organisations, brands) may be hesitant to do (at least initially) to such large degrees. The prospect of centralisation of control indeed has its Orwellian overtones. 

Or, as Expedia would say, 'let yourself go' (symbolised by a cloud of course).

Bemoan it or embrace it, the forecast looks to be a cloudy one.

Simon

PICTURES AND MEANINGS

It's all Greg Rowland's fault. He uses cultural theory to analyse and develop brands. 

So when I saw this picture today, having met up with Greg at a conference recently, I was suddenly struck by something very odd about it. So I had to look into it. So, in this picture, do you see:

a) a tennis player modelling

b) a model playing tennis (and/or, a model who may actually play tennis)

c) a model modelling

Wimbledon is coming up of course and women tennis players are increasingly celebrated for their glamour and style. Her stance and grip are sort of about right (speaking as a tennis player). And yet...

... the overriding impression I got was not about tennis but about, um, modelling, coming from the overall treatment and 'look' (glossy/plastic, and the pose), the lack of muscle definition... and there is something very odd about the relative size of her and that racket. Is she just very petite, or is that racket an over-sized prop? Is it even a real tennis racket? And that's not really a tennis outfit. Is it? 

But it was those shades that ultimately gave the game away.

So it has to be (c), surely. But is it intentional?

Pull back and of course it's an ad for Evian, the official bottled water of Wimbledon. The writing bottom right is not Livia Young, rising tennis star, but 'Live Young' the brand slogan.

Do Evian want us to think that their brand is cool and stylish and has added status given its Wimbledon connection? (Argues in support of a model merely modelling, against Wimbledon backdrop).

Or do they want us to think that Evian has authentic sportiness and refreshment values, in amongst its stylishness? 

And is the model in fact a dab hand at tennis? Maybe even an up-and-coming Russian tennis star, who they have wittily dressed in very un-sporty shades? How post-ironic!

And Evian spelled backwards is?

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH REVEALED

Ethnographic research and qualitative research, what do they have in common, apart from too many syllables?

More than you might think, to judge from AQR's excellent conference, 'Ethnographic Research - lessons from the edge', held at the Russell Hotel on Thursday last week.

Caroline Hayter Whitehill introduced the conference with an expertly summarised view that many in our industry viewed ethnographic research as anything which is neither a focus group nor a survey. So, a video recorded retail exit interview is called 'ethnographic', which is surely stretching the term beyond recognition.

Ethnographic research is 'the naturalistic observation of people in their environment'. There are a range of methods, from complete observation, through combined observation and participation, to complete participation.

Many years ago I read Nigel Barley’s The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud Hut (highly recommended). Some of the same issues arise when you observe and participate in a culture, even if the culture is the Smith household in Buckhurst Hill, rather than the Dowayo people in northern Cameroon.

Nobody knows this better than Siamack Salari of EverdayLives International (pictured), the conference’s main speaker and arguably the world's leading authority on commercial video ethnographic research. His website and his blog are well worth a look, to get a full understanding of how his ethnographic research methods have evolved.

Ethnographic research of the type Siamack practices is a fascinating branch of qualitative research, quite different to the interview-based methods that most of us are accustomed to. As different as growing fruit in a greenhouse is to picking wild fruit from the hedgerows, perhaps. But there are skills in common to both activities (eg patience, care, attention to detail) even if the activities look quite different.

Siamack was a product designer by training and one of his first forays into ethnographic research had him perched on a step ladder in an Esso forecourt shop filming people coming and going. He found that, rather than imitating a security camera, he did a much better job when he came down from the ladder, observed and filmed on the shop floor, on the same level as shoppers.

In Praise Of ... Qualitative Research Recruiters

Mildred Adams Fenton, b 1888, Iowa, geologist and writer, (Records of Evolution, 1924; Land We Live On, 1944): when her husband began to write, Mildred acted as critic, photographer, typist and research assistant.

Mildred could have been a market research recruiter, her job being to make things happen and to support someone else, but operating almost unrecognised behind the scenes.

Qualitative research recruiters (interviewers) find the right people to take part in research projects, which is a fundamental role within the market research process. However, their role and their skills are barely appreciated even within the MR industry, never mind outside it.

Recruiter numbers are dwindling - they are a dying breed - many are nearing retirement with few following in the ranks. Tricia, one of our younger recruiters said, "I can't think of anyone new who's coming in... it's becoming a sideline job." 

Although some efforts have been undertaken, there is no formal recruitment, retention or development programme for recruiters within the industry. It's a problem.

Carnivorous man is pants man

 

In the advertising episode of the Apprentice how we all laughed at ‘PANTS MAN’,  the disastrous creation of one team of hapless apprentices. Its creator Phil was still being lampooned about it even as he got fired last night. The team presented their idea to the luminaries of the advertising industry (well, McCann's) and were duly pasted.

It was a horrifying pitch. Personally I felt that both teams failed (as they were bound to given their lack of team spirit, experience and time) but that Pants Man failed better than the other lot whose idea was so dull I can’t even bring it to mind.

However the ad industry should be careful not to laugh too hard. What about CARNIVOROUS MAN from Fridge Raiders? Proof I think that in the real world (well the advertising world) Pants Man would have not only made it to TV but would have been among friends . . .ugh!

Dominic

T-Mobile Mob, Part 2: Trafalgar Square

Between 6pm and 7pm last night, T-Mobile launched their second Flash Mob event - this time in Trafalgar Square.

It was suprising to see how many people turned up (some started queuing from 3pm); and how many of those who had turned up were of T-Mobile's core 16-24 demographic . It would appear the T-Mobile/Saatchi bandwagon had done more than enough to spread the word to pull in such a crowd.

The numbers were significant and the high anticipation palapable. It felt that T-Mobile had advanced from their previous Liverpool station success, by focusing more on a youth audience.

Hats off to T-Mobile and Saatchi & Saatchi. We look forward to seeing the end result.

(And here is a brief taster we managed to catch on camera:)

Ryanair pull in the pounds

Is Ryanair's controversial move to increase revenue streams by charging overweight passengers extra, a good use of research or a poor PR/marketing decision?

Following a recent competition and survey involving 100,000 Ryanair customers, one in three Ryanair customers voted for a 'fat tax' on passengers who overspill their largesse onto neighbouring passengers. As a result, 'fat' passengers may now be charged extra for using the airline. (But what 'fat' person will want to suffer the humiliation of rows of fellow passengers wondering whether they've been 'fat' taxed?)

It seems Ryanair have justified this extra tax by using research to cover their own corporate behinds. Should it all go big belly up, they can always blame the research. It wasn't our idea!

But if the idea takes off, what will the next extra tax be? If Ryanair customers vote to pay by the mile for fuel tax, will those who choose to pay only part of the distance simply be thrown out middair (hopefully having bought a €200 for a Ryanair branded parachute)?

On top of charging for the use of toilets, scrapping check-in desks, adding a £30 charge for duty free that won't fit into hand luggage, and now a 'fat tax', Ryanair may be going beyond a 'no-frills' positioning to a 'hidden-extras' one, to the extent that they become unappealing to travel with. Why travel Ryanair when you can fly British Airways or Easyjet (perhaps a more easy-going buget airline option) for the same money but with more respect?

It will be interesting to see what happens to Ryanair's profit wasteline. Let's hope they don't start charging for in-flight oxygen.

Simon

QI: Neologisms

Following our Quite Interesting post on Toponomy, a post on newly coined words and phrases, known as neologisms.

Courtesy of Paul at Fonda, we know of two competitions on neologism run by the Washington Post.

The 'Mensa Invitational Contest' asks readers to add, change or delete one letter from a word in the dictionary and then it provide with a new meaning. A few of our favourites are:

 - Cashtration: The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.
 - Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realise it was your money to start with.
 - Bozone: The  substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating.
 - Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.
- Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.
 - Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.
- Beelzebug: Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

Beginning of the end, or end of the beginning?

If innocent drinks got a pound every time someone proclaimed the 'end of (the age of) innocence', maybe they wouldn’t have had to sell a “10–20%” stake to Coca Cola, as announced last week.

You could almost smell the singed wool of little woolen hats being ceremonially burned in back gardens the length and breadth of Crouch End and Stoke Newington, in protest at the news.

A quick study of more than 300 comments on innocent's blog to date reveals that:

• about 80% of the comments are negative
• only about 10% are positive and about the same % neutral
• the main sentiment is disappointment, tinged with anger and indignation 

Some excerpts from the comments:  

• you have killed your brand forever
• so long, and thanks for all the fruit
• you have blood on your hands
• never trust a hippy
• I'm hopeful that … some of your ideals will rub off on (Coca Cola) .
• right now, I just feel a little bit heartbroken.
• love your products. Used to admire your ethics. I'd have sent you a tenner if you'd asked!
• as my old granny (never actually) said: "If you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas."

Innocent seem to have been quite open about their motivations and transparent in how they have reported the comments quoted above. They have previously courted controversy among fans by trialling innocent Smoothies for Kids in some McDonald's outlets. 

And now they are getting a right kicking from the same previously loyal innocent fans. Did they see this coming? Did they know what Coca Cola meant to this (presumably) vocal but influential minority of their customer base? Did their initial press release strike the right note?

QI (Toponymy-cally speaking)

Spending a deal of time ‘on the road’ this week, I was reminded how my Toponymy knowledge from a by-gone university era had eluded me. Attempting to re-educate myself and to add more pazazz to fieldwork-related travelling, I have dusted off my old notes and looked again into meanings behind names of places where us reseachers (and the like) spend time on our travels. Hopefully, yours will become more illuminated as a result.

Three good major 'toponyms' to start with are:

Manchester from ‘Mamm’ meaning ‘breast-like hill’ and ‘ceaster’ meaning ‘Roman town’
Birmingham: Split into three parts: 'Beormund' as a name, 'ingas' as 'people,' and 'ham' as 'farm/homestead’ i.e. Beormund's people’s farm
London: "place belonging to a man named Londinos," a supposed Celtic personal name meaning "the wild one,"

And here is a light sprinkling of suffixes that should help decode other place-name meanings:

Borough/Bury (a fort of fortified place); By (village); Caster, Chester, Cester (Roman fort or town); Den (pasture for pigs); Don (hill); Ea/ey (island or promontory); Ham (village or estate); Holt  (wood); Hurst  (Meant a wooded hill); Ing (the people of somewhere); Mere (meant a pond); Stoke (hamlet or little settlement dependent on a nearby, larger settlement); Ton (farm or hamlet); Wick (vicinity, trading place, specialised farm e.g. Gatwick was a goat farm, Chiswick a cheese farm); Worth (enclosure or an enclosed settlement enclosed by a wall of wooden stakes).

Although, scratching the toponymical surface, may your travels now be more curious and less cryptic.

Simon

KISS

Pepsi have recently undergone a redesign that makes their packaging look more sleek and airbrushed, with the logo slightly altered. It would appear a great deal of 'over-thinking' has accompanied this re-design.

The Guardian featured Pepsi's 27 page document about the redesign, and describing it as 'an elaborate 27-page long spoof'. The Guardian also featured an article on the failure of much management theory over recent years, which has suffered from over-intellectualisation (how 2012) and little applicability .

On the other hand, there are enough examples of 'under-thinking' that made us wonder 'is strategy dead?' - two notable advertising examples being Cadbury's Gorilla and Sony's large plasticine rabbits.

This made us wonder if we (researchers, planners, brand consultants etc) may be suffering from a case of ivory-tower-itis. Perhaps it serves to mark territories and thought leadership within this industry, but it may be having an adverse affect on brands as a result.

It's difficult for brands to strike the right balance between seeking innovation and staying relevant and meaningful to consumers. But with people being increasingly 'brand savvy' is Pepsi jeopardising the connection between its brands/products and their consumers?

Helping people 'get it' is surely more important than losing them by being too clever by half. And when government bodies now prefer us to use baffling terminology of 'thought shower' (instead of brainstorm) or 'centre of learning' (instead of school), we could take some heed and K.I.S.S. some more.

A great K.I.S.S example is this latest ad from Dyson:

Post-identity politics

That’s funny. The day we send in our report to a prominent think tank on ‘post-identity politics in contemporary Britain’ (Discuss) is Red Nose Day.

The research we did looked into questions such as:

• How do people now express their identity?
• How are people affected by any sense of group identity?

While organisations typically classify people into various ‘boxes’ (marketing services does it all the time, eg male, 35-45, C2D, north), most people reject the idea that who they are as a person is truly reflected in these or any similar categories.

There is a lot of discussion about Britain being a highly diverse, multicultural country and yet there are tensions between the different ‘strands’ of identity, such as religion and belief, race and ethnicity. Some feel there is more segregation in British society nowadays, not less. The BNP is actively campaigning to gain European seats.

So on the day we have been pondering divisions and schisms in society, we can now join in with Red Nose Day in celebrating our common humanity.

Comic Relief has so far raised £600m since its inception in 1985. The idea of using a red nose as a visual symbol was a last-minute idea from marketing executive Peter Crossing, which Richard Curtis and Co initially thought would never work.

But the red nose and Red Nose Day are strokes of genius and give us all a chance to augment our identities and share in a common cause.

Tasting the Digital Rainbow

As part of Skittles' latest 'Taste the Rainbow campaign’, a web application has been developed that has been described by its enthusiasts as a ‘social media maker-over’. It is a straightforward, online tool design that links to Skittles themed pages, existing on the social media sites YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Wiki and Facebook. 

A few comments on BrandRepulic and a few blog posts view this as damaging to a brand in releasing control and abandoning it to abuse in the swirling Twittersphere; but for the world of the digital consumer at least, it appears to be starting quite a buzz (at least if the responses to the Twitter feed and the 590, 638 Facebook Fans are to go by).

In my view, Skittles has to be applauded for their bravery in taking brands further in the social media world – it’s certainly more interesting than a typical microsite. It allows Skittles to appear informative about their product, relevant to the wider online masses, (a copied but) innovative application, community- building, and conversation provoking.

Skittles is also brave leaving itself open to spamming without the ability to moderate comments on the real time Twitter feed (as can be done on the YouTube, Flickr and Facebook pages). Having observed the Twitter feed intermittently, there are occasional negative comments; but there appears to be more upbeat Twitterers who are participating in the Skittles conversation: posting up links to their blog posts on the Skittles topic or simply self-promoting on the main Twitter feed (by crowbaring the word ‘Skittles’ into  their Tweets).

Although buzz does not guarantee increased sales, it seems that it will do a lot to raise the profile and consideration of a brand that has kept relatively silent in recent times. Supported by a kooky but memorable TV ad, this work from Agency.com is a brave piece of communication whose success (or failure) will be worth learning from for companies concerned about relinquishing their brands to online social media.

Exploring Y-space

We set up an experimental Generation-Y online community, made up of 16-18 year olds. It's been running for six weeks of its intended 3 months, so it's half time and time to take stock, have some oranges and a bit of team talk. Incidentally, it's called Y-space (Do you see what we've done there?)

We've had some successes and some, um, learnings. We've had successful live online discussions, detailed responses to who they are, what they're into and what their hopes are for the future.

On the learnings side, some Y-Spacers are far more dedicated than others. We've been experimenting with how to increase response rates by making changes to the content and trying to make it feel more of a community than a panel.

We also realise that cash incentives don't necessarily lead to participation. So maybe more important than a financial incentive is to feel involved in something, to feel part of a community, to feel that they are influencing or contributing to the worlds of marketing, brands and media.

We've had surprises too. We thought this generation would be more 2.0 and techno-savvy than they are, like little Matrix-style-Neos leading the digital revolution from their touch screens and web cams. Instead, we're re-evaluating their abilities as both online and offline socialites, phatic communicators, active in the digital world as long as it is accessible and simple.

One thing is clear, however. When it came to a live chat recently the one subject which got them going was to debate the relative merits of MySpace and Facebook. These are people who have grown up with the internet as an interactive, socially-enabling medium. So if politicians and legislators want to influence the Y-generation, they should match this mentality and use their websites and blogs as two-way communication tools rather than as transmitters of information.

We're halfway through our trial and keen to build on our emerging community of Generation-Y-ers. A working hypothesis is that we are looking at a generation of "glue kids": maybe light on techno-savviness yet highly capable of pulling different kinds of people together.

Interested in any feedback, any experiences people have had setting up or participating in online communities?

Simon

Twitter for all or just for the Twitterati?

Twitter has been described both as 'the online equivalent of popping bubble wrap' and a 'megaphone for the planet' as it grows at an explosive rate. Following recent celebrity endorsement from Stephen Fry and Jonathon Ross, a sea of articles have done much to promote it. Like the glory days of MySpace and FriendsReunited, it would seem that lots of people are venturing into 'Twitterland'.

Whilst Twitter is growing popularity is indisputable, we've been wondering whether it will be for the 'Twitterati', digital lovers alone or will the wider masses take to tweeting with equal frequency?

Current membership numbers are estimated at 6 million globally - far less than Facebook's 175 million users - so it is popular enough to get people tweeting and talking about tweeting and going to  Twestivals. For the social media enthusiasts it offers opportunities to get real-time contact, insight into the lives of the rich and the famous; the opportunity to make contacts that may otherwise be difficult face-to-face; airing of opinions; ideas; up-to-date news and so on.

But, having tried Twitter on and off over recent months, I am usually left with a feeling of overkill given the time required to participate and the high frequency of tweets. It is useful for the odd message where conventional means fail; otherwise, I'm happy enough knowing about it, observing from the outside.

And Twitter has its limitations. Tweets are limited to 140 characters; there are no pictures or videos to upload into memorable albums; no groups to set up; no games to play; and it requires regular participation to get meaning from it. So will the 'non-twitterati' have time or desire to regularly participate beyond the current buzz? It's reasonable to suggest that Twitter may have to develop more  applications if it wants to broaden its appeal and encourage regular participation.

Of course, now that some $35m investment has been secured, maybe Twitter will develop as FB did, which itself started out as fairly single-minded and non graphic. Or maybe it will stay true to its origins and continue to evolve as a complementary platform to FB.

My hunch is that 'Twitter' will continue to be the rage for social media enthusiasts. For the 'non-twitterati', regular participation on one social network may be enough, so don't expect a mass migration to Twitterland, unless there are more applications waiting in the wings...

Simon

A reason to smile (in the short run)

T-Mobile must be smiling. It seems their latest ad has caught a wave ... or helped create one.

Last Friday, a Facebooker named 'Crazzy Eve' organised a flash mob to replicate T-Mobile's latest advert which overran Liverpool street station. Apparently, the station had to be shut for 90 minutes with a few arrests made for minor offences (and nobody expected this Spanish Inquisition from Radio 5LIVE).

If you are looking for evidence for the short-term effectiveness of advertising, this is a good start. That is, if you believe it has NOT been sneakily supported by T-Mobile, Saatchi & Saatchi or used by Crazzy Eve and his Facebook group 'The Crazy Rave Group' for an easy PR stunt. Call us cynical or old fashioned (thank you), but if it WAS started by someone with connections with T-Mobile or any of their agencies, they’d be sure to cover up their tracks. So maybe we will only learn the truth when Richard pens his memoirs.

So if it was a spontaneous event, it shows T-Mobile are communicating the proposition of ‘sharing’ effectively; building brand relationships and understanding their target market, whilst allowing them to participate - rather than simply engage - with the brand.

But what about the long term? What happens if/when more advertisers continue to jump on the stunt/entertainment bandwagon? Isn’t ‘sharing’ more a by-product of live entertainment rather than an ownable T-Mobile brand property?

To distinguish between competitors in the long run, surely distinctive, long-term strategy is needed (as Dominic argues) – difficult if everyone gets swept up in similar advertising styles.

Where this looks to be a hit in the short term (and is T-Mobile about the short-term?) and is an intriguing example of art-imitating-life-imitating-art, doesn't it also underline the importance of thinking and planning for the long-term?

Simon

Strategy is dead. Or is it?

 

Look at the most admired recent advertising: bouncing balls, drumming gorillas and now dancing eyebrows. What they have in common (apart from being from Fallon) is no discernible strategy, as Mark mentioned. It’s not saying anything about the product, it’s not identifying a consumer need, it’s not based on any consumer insight. It’s all about entertainment and any strategy is to ‘justify the strapline’. 

Is the new idea to have no idea? What’s going on?

But it’s also a new intellectual environment where people rely less on carefully laid plans to meet consumers’ rational and emotional needs and more on ‘simple’ publicity and word of mouth. If the marketing game is all about being famous then maybe entertainment is the only thing that matters.

Thinking back, there were always ads with new products or in growing categories where the strategy/ brand positioning/ USP were clear (like the introduction of the Dyson for example) and ads where strategy was ditched for legal or other reasons in favour of pure entertainment (a great read on this is Sam Delaney's Get Smashed.)

Would be great to know whether pure entertainment is effective in the long run. Successful advertising  builds strong brand associations over time. But that isn’t going to be achieved with ‘pure’ entertainment and a strapline. Or is it?

Dominic

Ideas, insights and delusions

We researchers used to work a lot with advertising planners. We used to have a common purpose, looking for ideas and insights which help to explain a market or a brand. To adapt the line used by Dave Trott to describe planners and creatives, we used to drink from the same well of inspiration – although planners got to piss in it first. (Pic by lulidesigns)

 

But what has happened to planners that they now feel they have to sneer at qualitative research? It’s a bit like your outgoing and stylish younger sibling, who you got on so well with, now saying that you are so-o boring and predictable. You spoil the fun. You don’t have any imagination.

 

When account planning started, planners did not feel the need to put down research, or act as if research and ideas were somehow opposed. They used research to help to generate insights (cf JWT's 'planning begins at 40' event). Planning co-founder Stephen King said "you cannot know the facts until you've had an idea". He was a keen supporter of research, advocating 'occasionally beautiful' research and calling for more imaginative solutions and processes.

 

Is research any less beautiful now, or are planners getting more and more desperate? You might think the latter, to judge from two recent posts from Adliterate.

 

In praise of... justgiving.com

 
Particularly for those who feel that the internet make us all a little bit more selfish, we wanted to laud the merits of justgiving.com.

Justgiving.com is an online tool allowing people to raise money for the charity or cause of their choice and to contact other people to get donations or sponsorship.

For example, one of our colleagues, Neil, is currently raising money on behalf of One World Action by running in the next London marathon (you can donate here).

Along with sites such as charity choice and charities trust, justgiving allows you to donate to a cause of your choice or setup your own fundraising page. With many charities struggling to break even, it is good to know that justgiving takes only 5% commission from donations.

It's a good reminder of the positive power of a website to act as a force for good in the web 2.0 world, connecting the more wealthy with more impoverished people.

Convergence Confusion

I've been investing in a great deal of 'convergence technology' recently (ie Sky Plus, Playsation 3) but it seems with innovation comes confusion.

One of the points of convergence technology is to have everything in one place. I can watch the lastest episode of Top Gear on BBC's iPlayer via my Playsation 3's wireless facility or playback Harry Hill's TV Burb 2008 Review using Sky Plus at a time convenient to me.

However, the path to this Nirvana is full of barriers. It's not only the setup that's confusing; but the pile of indistinguishable multi-buttoned remotes you need to operate the various boxes. I have five controllers - analogue TV, Sky Plus/Digital TV, Playstaion 3/Blu Ray player, VHS, the stereo.

TV advertising may be under threat from 'new media' and convergence technology, but I get the impression this evolution is a slow burn. With over half the population appearing to be relatively slow-adopters of technology, it's likely they'll prefer to set their free time around Corrie rather than investing in the benefits that convergence technology will surely, eventually deliver with more simplicity.

Simon

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wardle McLean's offices are now closed until 5 Jan 09. We all wish you a calm, peaceful and recession-free festive period. 

This year with the money saved from cards and stamps we are donating to SOS Children’s Villages who provide a family for life for children who have lost their parents. Over 70,000 orphaned or abandoned children are cared for by SOS in 473 children’s villages in 123 countries around the world.

 

SOS Children is building a new Children’s Village in Chipata, eastern Zambia, an area where 70% of households are caring for orphans. Our donation goes towards this new village, which you can read about here.

In praise of ... good interviewers

As it’s the time of year to reflect on things, we have been reflecting on the art of interviewing, an important part of our job, naturally. Who did we think is a really good interviewer, in the media?

We came up with several examples of those who were NOT so hot, naming no names, Messrs Paxman, Humphrys, Ross and Aspel. Then we thought, they are doing something other than interviewing. Like coining it while on gardening leave, in the case of Mr Ross.

 Special mention goes to:
- Michael Portillo
- Evan Davis
- Sue McGregor

In equal second place came: Ed Stourton (bring him back?) and (surprisingly) Robert Kilroy-Silk. Judges were impressed by Kilroy-Silk’s amazing memory and capacity to engage with people. Those were the days.

But in joint first place, winners of Wardle McLean’s very first IPO award (In Praise Of ...) came Ruby Wax and Louis Theroux. Louis has a crafty, unassuming style that gets both passionate and meaningful responses and (like Sacha Baron Cohen) he is a very brave interviewer. Ruby Wax uses humour and is charmingly direct to get to the heart of an issue. And she walks so fast that interviewees are distracted and all the more honest for that.

Who would you vote for?

We shall be back with more praise for people and organisations in this blog next year. We feel a "praise phase" coming on. Don’t miss it.

PC or not PC?

Microsoft is spending some $300m to persuade us that using a PC (and therefore Microsoft’s Windows software) makes you just as cool and interesting as using any other leading brand of computer.

 

Using the tagline ‘I’m a PC’, the ads feature people and some celebrities who 'are' a PC, in a very large-scale testimonial-style campaign.

 

It's a stark change for Windows advertising, which has been distinctly uninspiring and corporate in the past.

As Belinda Parmar (aka Lady Geek) says on her Brand Republic blog, the campaign has managed to move away from the technology and focus on how users use their computers, what it means to them.

But the ads have been criticised as apeing Apple, which recently ran a high profile campaign comparing Macs and PCs, obviously to the detriment of the latter.

‘I’m a PC’ is certainly a brave campaign, which has spawned a gazillion user-generated responses on YouTube, such as this Scottish bloke who says I’m a PC and I cannae do two things at once without freezi ...

 

Despite the spend and despite the brave approach, I can’t help thinking of the one thing that Microsoft want me to stop thinking about – Apple. And not just me - photo (R) by ivorjava was taken on his iPhone.

 

Is it because I'M A PC subliminally spells iMAC?

 

Or is that just because I want an iMac for Christmas?

 

At Wardle McLean Towers, we use PCs and a Mac as well. I suppose you could say we are Wardle MacPC.

 

The trouble is, I use a PC … but I love our Mac. 

 

Sorry Bill.

 

Not that he probably cares. After all, he's a PC.

Nault Confidence

As times get tougher, it would appear it’s not only consumer confidence that’s getting knocked.

When we spotted this latest television ad from Renault, "Remember When", it seems Client's self-confidence is being affected (perhaps understandable given declining car sales).
 
The strategy behind the commerical appears to ask 40+ male Renault rejectors to reconsider investing in a brand that perceives itself historically as unfashionable ... until now. We wonder if is this is how Renault would have regarded themselves before the economic downturn?

The upbeat music (France's last entry to the Eurovision song contest) attempts to mask a message that is undeniably low in self-belief. Even the line "it's time to change" delivers itself more as a plea than a positive call to action.

Perhaps the thinking was to own up to an elephant in the Renault room; but, as the saying goes, "if you dont believe in yourself, who will?"
 
Simon

AS SEEN ON TV

We were on telly last night!  Well, our studio was.

The studio (Propeller) was featured in Neil Morrissey's “Risky Business”. The episode last night showed Neil watching a group of drinkers discuss his proposed new beer, Morrissey Fox.

I must say our place was looking particularly smart, although we are a teeny bit biased.

So is Neil, as it turned out. On a previous programme he'd personally offered samples of the beer to some people, who not surprisingly said they liked it. This had been 'good research'.

So when people this time said they weren’t sure about the beer, Neil harrumphed quite a lot, as he watched from the viewing room. Then they were critical of the picture of Neil and his mate on the bottle's label, with foam around their mouths. Cuhh!  Don’t they recognise creativity and, um, an owner when they see one?

This was clearly not such 'good research', and Neil was dismissive and determined to go right ahead, regardless.

One of the hardest things to do is to deliver 'bad news' in a constructive way, especially when clients have a vested interest in the outcome of the research. But it is so important to be true to the research, even if it does not make you Mr or Mrs Popular.

We missed the analysis or interpretation of the drinkers' comments (maybe there was none), but it did not seem to us to be as bad as he made out.

So while you are waiting for bottles of  Morrisey Fox to appear at  your local Tesco’s (or possibly not), be sure to check out Propeller Studio, as seen on TV.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

I've been going past this poster for ages but I only just got it. The copy says, It's back, so I heard.

I used to really like a Wispa, as it happens. Maybe that chocolate-y memory made me think ... or maybe we do in fact think with our stomachs, as Mark has challenged the neurophiles ...

... I heard a whisper. Duhr. Does that make me smart or stupid?

Always look on the bright side

We have been doing research into people’s attitudes to the economy. On the day it is announced that credit-crunch losses will cost $1.8 trillion, it is easy to be a despondent respondent, but as we mentioned before, the situation in the ‘real economy’ (which makes the stock market unreal – or surreal, perhaps?) seems to be uneven and to depend on where you live and what you do.

 

There are always upsides, so we thought we should focus on these. Among those having a ‘good recession’ are obviously Robert Peston and Gordon Brown. Others looking on the bright side will include:

- discount food-retailers (eg Aldi, Lidl)

- places like McDonald’s and Domino's Pizza

- “fashion forward brands” (eg Arcadia’s Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge)

- cinema and DVD sales;student accommodation;

- chocolatiers

-  pawn-brokers and debt collectors

- pockets of technology (eg iPhone sales, budget laptops, video games).

 

A weightier theory comes in the shape of next month’s Prospect magazine,  which includes a piece by David Goodhart inquiring into whether this may be a 'good recession', which “blows away debt culture and financial excess without bringing back … joblessness” and one which has “the public sector becoming a little less cowed and the private sector … a little less proud”. Politically, it may “make people realise that political institutions matter”.

 

In a donnish, very Prospect-y summary, “miserabilism might mutate into a more attractive stoicism”. Although possibly not such a good recession, Prospect concludes, for Gordy, who may not be the one to lead us out of it.

 

And Cameron and Osbornovitch would be?  Some might say, they can go whistle ...

Recession-proof rays

It now seems inevitable that we’re going into a recession but how bad will it be? The conversational fight back has begun.

Sir Philip Green says he is not in the "doom-mongering camp" for which the media is to blame. On the ‘Today' programme yesterday, he commented that Burtons has been around for about 100 years, has survived many recessions and will survive this one.

The government is likely to bring forward budgets to fund more immediate projects. They are also making it more difficult to repossess homes and small businesses are likely to receive a greater increase in funding to help them through torrid times. Petrol has become cheaper and energy bills look set to drop.

The FT Weekend has hailed technology as the new growth sector (currently worth £52 billion) that will pull us out of the economic downturn. Lord Carter, the new communications minister, sees that “technology, media, telecoms is a critical growth sector… something we are extremely good at, quite well positioned in and could be even better positioned.” (Part of his remit is also to equip Britain with superfast broadband, incidentally).

Mark Berrisford-Smith, HSBC’s senior economist, believes that "we have experienced worse in the past and it's not all doom and gloom" and apparently “we are much better equipped to get through it than we were in the downturns of the mid ’70s, the late ’70s to early ’80s, and the early ’90s”. 

It's reassuring there are a few rays of light breaking through the 'R-word' gloom. Could this begin to re-instil consumer confidence? Of course, you can’t make a recession omelette without breaking any eggs; but perhaps there will be fewer eggs this time.

Simon

THE R-WORD

I was watching Newsnight on Monday 29 September when the penny dropped.

 

There was "only one story in town" and the dramatic graphic showed how the stock market had tanked. The American $700bn bailout plan had been rejected. Republicans had taken offence at what the Democratic speaker had said, apparently, and voted against the bill. Take that!  So the markets did, and plummeted. 

It was then that I thought, this is serious and it is real, not just a stock market thing. What started out as the (American) Sub-Prime crisis became the Credit Crunch (good name, that), then more gloomily the Downturn. Now most people are invoking the R-word despite the fact that it is not (technically) a Recession. Yet.

 

Is this the best branded and most talked about downturn (or whatever) since the Great Depression? (pic by axb500)

 

Are we talking ourselves into the biggest recession since the last biggest recession? The little that we know about markets is that they depend on confidence. Confidence is a conversation. Does that mean that if we ignore it and talk about something else it will go away?

Or is this a necessary and inevitable correction? Greed can only be sustained for so long before it gives in to its alter ego, fear.

While on a moralising theme, it strikes me that ignorance has also played its part. The money men constructed products (‘instruments’) SO complicated that even they did not understand them. Bad debts were bundled up and sold on several times over. Not so much passing the buck as passing the WTF.

The IMF have estimated that the US sub-prime meltdown will cost $945bn. That’s nearly one trillion dollars. And that’s just an estimate. The fact is, NOBODY KNOWS. The American politicians who voted against surely did not understand the markets. Now Governments do not know how to stop it.

 

Who do you blame for this mess? The media? Banks? Americans? Financial regulators? Maybe we are all complicit. We are certainly all involved, now. It feels as if we have passed the tipping point, the point where it was only a stock market/financial problem. Now it is starting to affect the real economy. Or is it?

We reckon that the situation is patchy and changeable; some regions and some sectors in the UK are affected much more than others. And our colleagues abroad are giving us very different accounts of the collective mood in, for example, Germany and Russia. So the downturn is NOT affecting everyone equally.

 

So, there will be winners and losers. The only certainty in all this uncertainty, now that the genie is out of the bottle, is that a great many more clichés are on their way.  

 

How to respond? Take your pick, batten down the hatches and tighten your belts, or, face the music and dance.

Pecha Kucha: the future of debriefs?

 

Ever heard of Pecha Kucha? 

It's a new presentation style from Japan that is an onomatopoeic expression denoting the 'pitter-patter' or chatter of conversations. It's pronounced peh-tcha koo-tcha.

It developed in Tokyo in 2003, it requires the presenter(s) to speak on 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide (that's 6 mins 40 seconds) as a way of keeping the audience's interest and to keep content concise. It has proven popular in the business world and although is demanding on the presenter to keep it all on time.

That means it's quite an art. I have been advised that it is best to have only a small amount of words on each slide, and keep it largely image based. It also looks best unscripted using each slide as stimulus material.

I tried it recently at a conference and would recommend it's best to start off with notes unless you're feeling particularly confident /adventurous to say what you want with out waffling.

Here is a video of a Pecha Kucha presentation.

It would be good to know of any experiences you've had. You never know, it could be the future of research debriefs.

Simon

Research 2.0

Tuesday saw the latest Research 2.0 conference at the Novotel in Euston. 

Agencies and Clients gave their own views about how both quant and qual online is progressing at an fast and exciting rate. It was clear about its speed and cost-effectiveness but questions were raised about the validity of respondents and the data or conversations gathered.

Even one member of the audience went so far as to say online is dangerous to the industry and we need to think hard before we all jump on the online bandwagon.

I gave a 20 slide presentation on 'what will the research industry be like in 2010' and made a controversial prediction that face-to-face techniques will provide more valuable, richer insights than online qualitative tecnhiques.

After leaving, it was impressive to see how a number of  Clients have bought into online but also there were a number who wanted proof that online is better for their businesses than offline methodologies.

So, there are many conversations to be had between value of online versus off-line methodologies. Will one win over the other? What will Clients want spend their budgets on?

Just asLondon 2012 begins, I imagine the research landscape will have gone through a significant debate and change.

Simon

  

Blog in brand strategy change possibility

Who says blogs have no influence? Our third ever blog post spotlighted Nila, the food distributors, whose van advertising we questioned ('sexist or effective?'). 

This is how Nila used to present themselves: 

Note the name of the blend, ‘Santa Londra caffe’. Note also the '!'  Subtle it wasn’t. Note the lack of any product relevance or integration. 

Now it seems the company has completely re-thought their creative communications strategy. Out go bikinis and innuendo, in comes … product-as-hero. Less Nuts or Zoo, more Pukka Pies. Maybe without the irony.

We may never know whether or not WE are responsible for this change of strategy, but stranger things have happened. Here is Nila's new look...

Look at the focus on the product – the couple about to share a beans experience. Note his stylish forelock and the very white teeth. Note the way the tins are turned sideways-on. There’s your intrigue, a touch of mystery. 

Imagine the meeting at Nila’s Park Royal HQ. ‘Let’s celebrate product benefits. Our food brings people together. On toast. Beans on toast. Or even tomatoes’. 

You have to admire the slogan, 'Nila, the final name (TM) in food service'. Is someone at Nila a crossword fan, just not so good at the anagrams?

It may be a brilliant new strategy, or it may be designed to be so bad the public clamour for the return of gratuitous bikinis?

As we say, we may never know.

Brains in media neutral

 

A year on since leaving advertising, I still remember being told at agency meetings that TV is out as Clients go 'media neutral', investing more money into other, more effective media.

Now I read that people are now 'seeing more televsion ads than ever' according to latest research by Thinkbox, and this is a cause for celebration:

"This is a shaft of very bright light that cuts through any economic gloom...whatever the economic climate holds for the advertising market, I hope these figures will underline the great strength and resilience of commercial TV."

Is this really a demonstration of "the great strength and resilience of commercial TV", or does it just reinforce that there's a lot of TV and TV ads about these days?

TV is obviously still a powerful advertising medium but it is surely not as central and as it once was. And people are switiching off from TV advertising more and more.

Because seeing lots of TV ads doesn't mean watching them, let alone necessarily paying any attention at all. It merely means that the TV is on, with people in the room. 

But we also know now that while the TV/ads are on, more and more people are surfing the Web, in addition to all the other things we've traditionally done while the TV is on, like doing the ironing, dozing, making the tea and making out on the sofa (an observation which cost media strategists Michaelides and Bednash a lucrative account, back in the day).

So while some sharp thinkers are going media neutral and trying to tailor and target ad messages, TV continues to dominate our uncritical faculties.

Simon

THE TROUBLE WITH STARBUCKS

What's going on? I read a brilliant expose in The Spectator of the Starbucks brand. This is amazing because (a) The Spectator used to be a Tory rag scorned by all rightminded folk, but now 'Tory' is no longer a term of abuse, it's the next government; and (b) I should not be finding brand insights there instead of the blogoworld.

Anyway, Starbucks was the archetypal success story of the 90s but is now losing it bigtime. In retrospect the danger signs were all there: over-expansion, competition, very expensive coffee-flavoured foam. It would seem that we are now finding it an expensive indulgence in these frugal times.

But what is killing them is not only the credit crunch, apparently, but also that the brand has lost its personality and become just another American corporation. What goes up, fashion-wise, must come down. They are now on a drive to reclaim their authenticity apparently.

Easier to lose than to gain, I say.

Dominic

NATURALLY JUICY

If you are over 18, not too prudish and it is after 9pm, watch this French ad for Orangina.

What can the strategy possibly have been...? They used to shake the bottle to wake the drink. Now they have taken it a little bit further ...

 Lavinia

Success dilemma

We don’t like to blow our own trumpet. It’s not in our nature and not very blog-like behaviour. (Pic LadyAnnDerground)

And us qualitative researchers seem to like to keep ourselves (and any success) hidden away.

But when our (almost) top two clients BOTH win top prizes for marketing, we naturally want to,  um, ‘share’ in their success.

So we are wondering, what is the best way to do that? Should we even try? We have worked with both companies for many years and we have worked directly on the things they have been commended on.

Talk about riding on the shoulders of giants, we are right there, whispering the odd word of wisdom, so small and quiet they probably don’t even notice.

Link to the story, to reveal all, is here.

Geek is the new cool

2008 has now seen the launch of the first Geeknbury festival. In a lonely Surrey field, campers connect with each other face-to-face or via a 2 meg wifi where you are encouraged to let "imaginations to run riot and get creative".

We are off to meet them in Soho, to share ideas and educate each other on the latest social media.

It seems now it is good to be a geek. In fact, it is hard to get by without at least knowing what the latest gadgets and technology are and how they work.

It's not just an educational thing either, it's social: brands like Apple, Bang & Olufsen and Nintendo's Wii make 'geekiness' a must when keeping up with the Jones.

A good example is shown by the populalrity of the latest iphone that saw huge queues outside Regents Street's Apple store and that saw one inividual buy first place in the queue by bidding via eBay. The Playstation 3 is another example of a platform that offers multi-media functions via a console that was previously intended for gamers only.

Not only does this confirm the growing popularity of geekiness, but also that the more convergent the technology, the greater its acceptablility and role in our everyday lives.

To avoid missing out on social media and technology has to offer, check out Geeknbury and add a 'geeky' strand to your DNA.

Simon

The truth about truth and falsity

 

I must admit that I was rather shocked when I first saw this poster. ‘Surely not!’ If COKE has no artificial additives or preservatives, the cynic in me thought, what does? And, what IS in Coke, then? 

 

The truth is, I have always liked the taste and the ‘hit’ of an ice cold Coke. Probably because we never had it at home, but every once in a while I got to have a Coke in the club house as a reward for trailing after my dad around the golf course. A real treat, 'the real thing' indeed.

 

But we are all now told that Coke and other carbonated soft drinks are Not Good For You, unlike water which is Good For You. Hence I try (and probably fail) to drink enough water every day. (And I am still unclear how much water is ‘enough’ to drink per day. Especially now that someone on 'The Amazing Hydration Diet' just won £800,000 compensation after suffering irreperable brain damage.)

 

Hence, Coke and other manufacturers trying to get into water and still drinks. Sorry, beverages. Coca-Cola paid $4.1 billion for Vitaminwater maker Glaceau last June. Although Coke’s water brand, Dansani, failed in Dell-Boy style in the UK, it is the number two brand of bottled water in the USA (after PepsiCo’s Aquafina).

Small talk makes a big difference

In the BBC magazine today a feature on ‘the art of conversation’ reports that Polish visitors are being taught the art of small talk in Britain. (Picture by ThirteenEyes)

The weather is a good ice-breaker, it says, because in the UK it's so unpredictable and it's common to all of us. If you're stuck, look around you. If you're in a bus queue, then talk about queues!

The problem is, we Britons love nothing better than a queue, but we are distinctly cagey towards strangers who strike up a conversation.

The following rules of casual conversation (Source: Don Gabor) were listed as:

• Don't open with a complaint
• Avoid politics and religion
• Keep strong opinions to yourself

We once trained a group of senior business executives the basics of ethnographic research and briefed them to carry out a small field study, looking at how people get to work. Their task was to strike up conversations with people – anyone – to find out about their journey to work.

When they came back we found that most of them had not completed their task. Turned out it was so outside their comfort zone. Why?

Because we find other people frightening.

At the opening party of the AQR/QRCA Dublin conference I was introduced to someone’s friend.

What’s your line of work? (original opener, eh?)

I’m a professional assassin

Wow. You don’t look like one … not that I’ve met many, I suppose

That’s the secret of my success

Sartre said, ‘hell is other people’. I don’t imagine he struck up too many conversations with strangers at a bus stop.

Conversations don’t have to be profound. But conversation - not money - makes the world go round. Because, the article concludes, all we want to do is bond and have a chat and make the time pass more quickly.

On liberty, rules and cycling in London

Last week the Times ran the front page headline, ‘Should we put the brakes on cyclists?’ Rather than a pitch to Daily Mail readers, it was a good article by Richard Morrison about cycling, after cyclist Jason Howard was fined £2,200 for killing a pedestrian. The author’s conclusion: it's tough on the roads, but cyclists need to grow up.

 

And a more grown up Boris Johnson, ex-editor of the Spectator, is now mayor of London. And a cyclisssst.

Mayor Johnson felt the heat recently after being seen cycling without a helmet. According to the Evening Standard, his spontaneous cycle helmet policy was that:

"we should be allowed, in our muddled way, to make up our own minds … on some days the security of a helmet, on others hatless, sun-blessed, windswept liberty”.

This is the kind of nimble logic that has frustrates everyone about cyclists. Helmet? Depends how I feel. Red lights? So what. One way street, Mr Cameron? A mere detail.

 

Mayor Johnson then changed his mind and now sports a silver Bell Ukon helmet. "It's time for a change," he explained. "I need to wear a helmet and I'm going to start setting an example."

If Mayor Johnson is a Libertarian at heart, he may like the idea of relaxing the rules and giving everyone the freedom to go where and when they like. Cyclists are defenders of the last freedom to roam - along with Ramblers. Not that Ramblers often bear down on you on the back of a two grand machine at 40mph.

 

(Mayor Johnson himself ran into a spot of bother, incidentally, in the form of a large, French tourist, wonderfully described by him here.)

 

The irony is that, in order to give everyone more freedom, we need more rules to be followed, as we have suggested before. In the case of cycling, better cycle lanes and better cycling. More example-setting.

 

"TV Advert seeks good-looking programmes for better times"

A thought struck me last night while not watching TV. People talk about ‘the death of TV advertising’ as everyone channel hops while surfing the Web, while playing computer games and IM-ing.

But, could it be simpler than that?  Could people be turning their attention away from the telly because there is NOTHING MUCH ON? 

I certainly hear this from a lot from friends - I'd watch more TV if there were more things I wanted to watch. Of course, it may be a summer thing. And it may be a perennial British complaint.

 

But there is good news just in from Australia, where according to Brand Republic today the next series of Big Brother has been cancelled by Channel 10.

 

There is hope for us all.

 

Simon

Ethnographic research

This is Siamack Salari, at a recent AQR/QRCA conference in Barcelona.

He came in to see us the other day. His company, EverydayLives, does ethnographic research, which involves as a first stage, spending 3 days filming in households, watching and learning, no questions asked. 

Siamack talked to us about what makes ethnography ethnography and some differences between ethnography and qualitative research.

After the seminar, we went out for lunch in Quite Interesting Borough market.

But Siamack never stops. So over lunch, he interviewed me about qualitative research, ethnography, editing, clients and participants.

He uploaded the video to YouTube, as part of  something he has launched called ETHNOSNACKER, which is fascinating.

Siamack asked me if I was OK with the content before he released it. ‘Sure, no problem’ I said. But there was a problem. I look TERRIBLE, much older and more tired than I really am. And the orange wall does nothing for me.

But far be it from me to let vanity impinge on the expanding of the market for ethnographic research.

So Here is Ethnosnacker. It is a new forum for greater understanding and use of ethnographic research. It is all explained very well by Siamack and there is more content going up.

See how effortlessly Siamack talks to camera. An ehnographic master at work.

User Generated Chips

Doritos’ latest TV ad ‘Tribe’ aired last night and is the latest example of the growing success of user-generated content. The ad is the result of a promotion called ‘you make it, we play it’ where the consumer is asked to make their home made Doritos ad that communicates a sense about life on Earth to Aliens.

This is the ad that won and it cost £6.50 to make.

Like Big Brother and Pop Idol, Doritos realise that UGC allows everyone their minute’s worth of fame. It also allows talk for us 'mass-public-critics' to give our 5 cents worth -a very positive way of participating and interacting with a brand.

 

With modern-day TV advertising, where people are more prone to switch off, brands are having to sweat a bit harder to get our attention. Like the latest Honda 'jump' campaign, getting our attention means making the pre and post campaign part of the 30" spot - not just relying on the 30" spot itself.

 

Perhaps, a new generation of TV ads are making traditional advertising styles seem fairly passé.

FOCUS GROUPIE ? I DON'T THINK SO

Final of the Apprentice last night, but while others bit their nails wondering whether it would be Lee or Claire, condemned to work for Siralan for a whole year, I was wondering about the use of 'focus groups'. (I expect professional interior designers were studying the wall paper.) As part of the final, 3 day project to develop brand, pack and advertising for a male fragrance, 'focus groups' were referred to, twice. Helene was seen 'on her way to focus groups' at one point, and Alex said she had done nothing 'except watch a couple of focus groups' (dismissive tone).

So, in this showcase for modern business we saw the role of 'focus groups' in the process: essential to do some, but then either misinterpreted or totally ignored. 

Instead, sweeping statements were made about the new brands such as 'roulette equals gambling equals debt (very unappealing)' - something which research would have explored much more usefully. 

So, full marks to Siralan (and the producers) for trying to take consumer opinion into account but 'nul points' for how it was done and referred to doing so.

Difficult is worth watching

So did you catch the first live TV advert since the 1950’s screened on Channel 4 at the end of last week?  Created by Honda, it was a dramatic demonstration that ‘difficult is worth doing’. 

 

 

The advert not only strengthened brand values, but also helped to ensure that the ad break became a water cooler moment - no mean feat in an age where advertisers are battling against audience fragmentation and PVRs and the like.

 

Channel 4 reported that the ad break drew an average of 2.2 million viewers, with the audience growing by 8% during its live transmission.

 

The follow-up advert entitled ‘Jump’ is now being shown, and although not live, is an equally as inventive advert continuing the theme of synchronised skydiving to help launch the new Honda Accord. 

Both these ads show a new level of invention and really do bring to life Honda’s strategy.  However, in a cruel twist of fate, one of the planes used in the live advert crashed the following day, both a pilot and sky diver were killed.  Such terrible accidents sometimes occur in this extreme activity. 

Let's hope that Honda continues with their innovative and exciting adverts.

Katie

The Art of the Disclaimer

Si bought a new clock (manufactured by Acctim) for our studio recently, fitted the batteries, but it didn’t work properly. The leaflet inside   listed a great many conditions under which the clock would NOT work - so maybe we shouldn't have been surprised - for example:

 

“Due to atmospheric conditions the signal is often strongest between midnight and 4am”

 

“If nothing else works, take the clock outside on a clear night and remove the battery”

 

“If you plan to use this clock in a concrete or metal building, reception will be improved if the clock is placed     near to a window”

 

“Do not place the item too near to any electrical appliances ... Many natural and man-made materials and also bad weather can block or interfere with radio signal reception”

 

As we didn’t plan to use the clock in a straw hut on a deserted tropical island, we felt it may not be the product for us, after all.

 

If the clock manufacturers had researched their product, surely this leaflet would not have gone out. Or even, if they had READ it...?

 

Simon

Battle of the giants

The big contest last night was obviously which ad would be the ‘best in break’.

 

Interesting question, as reported on BrandRepublic. And a chance to show some pictures from the game.

 

ITV netted £9m from advertisers like Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Samsung, Blackberry, L'Oreal, Audi, Nike, Bullmers, Apple, First Direct, BT and XBox.

 

But our vote goes to the Ford Kuga debut ad, a much more impressive effort than the ‘cars on balloons’ Mondeo ad. 

 

The ad was intriguing and engaging – and looked very much like a Honda ad.

 

But maybe the real star brands of the show were AIG and Heineken. AIG because of all the coverage of victorious Man Utd players. Heineken because Man Utd's goalie cleverly blended in with the Heineken ad behind him, enabling him to save Anelka’s pen (merde alors, where did he spring from? wondered Nic).

 

 

This after he put JT off by diving the wrong way.

 

Not that this is just about the football, or that some of us are so chuffed with doing so well this season.

 

And we do commiserate with Chelski who helped to make it such a thriller.

 

After all, some of our best friends (and clients) are Chelsea fans.

 

But even they would have to agree that the best team won.

 

How refreshing that would be!

TEAMWORK WINS IN BARCELONA

       

(picture by No Pip No!)

Reports of the death of qualitative research have been greatly exaggerated.

I returned from the 4th annual AQR/QRCA conference in Barcelona with the feeling that there is life both within and beyond the focus group. What started as an idea over crab cakes lunch in Grand Central Station nine years ago has become a regular collaboration between AQR and QRCA - qualitative research trade associations based in UK and US respectively.

That restaurant has now gone, Pat Sabena tells me. I hope the conference continues to thrive – it really has something to offer. It was quite possibly the best thing to happen in Barcelona since April 23, at the nearby Nou Camp.

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