MALCOLM POYNTON
Global chief creative officer, Cheil Worldwide
Remember the film that went around adland showing a little village where all the award entry ads ran, but only in the month of June: Cannes Lions month? Funny stuff.
Actually, it’s not so funny when you think about it. It paints a sad picture of our industry. An industry bursting with creativity and originality, with client businesses under more pressure than ever to deliver results. So why is it, when there’s so much evidence for creativity selling more, that we see so little great creative getting made week in, week out? Let’s see if this week paints a brighter picture than usual. HELLMANN’S and Ogilvy & Mather have dared to go against the digital grain with a print campaign. I like the thought they’re exploring around who on earth first picked up the squid, the prawn or the mushroom and thought: “Mmm, looks tasty.” Feels fresh. And what a great way to prepare Brits for even greater oddities, like insects from Asia dunked in mayo! (That’ll be our post-brexit cuisine.) Alas, after taking in the copy and campaign line, it’s not tasting as fresh as it first promised. SKODA and Fallon put each other on the map back in the first decade of this century. Both have since had a much quieter existence. In a world of ads pushing “connected” cars with every digital gizmo imaginable, it’s refreshing to see a car brand propose we “reconnect” with things that really matter.
Only, I can’t help but feel there are greater creative muscles to flex with the “reconnect” thought than Sir Bradley allows.
ALZHEIMER’S SOCIETY and Mccann have a tough nut to crack: charitable donations are falling like a stone (in the UK down by 5% in 2015). The “united” idea feels big. I just find the familiar, sombre charity tone pulls it down. To energise Brits to put their hands in their pockets would take the type of creative Mccann showed in its award-winning
Xbox poster – something we can engage with.
STUBHUB and Goodby Silverstein & Partners are both famous brands. GS&P has, like Fallon, had a few quiet years so it’s great to see the agency upping the ante. I love the originality of “Machines”, suggesting artificial intelligence has networked all electrical appliances and cars, programming them to turn against humanity. These are unapologetically big and entertaining productions that stand out from the everyday. A bit of a bright spot from all concerned.
Finally, SPOTIFY: client and agency in one. A hot topic in recent weeks since Pepsi demonstrated how wrong it can go, while Channel 4’s D&AD success with “We’re the superhumans” showed how it can be the right way to go. And this amusing campaign makes a pretty good case for it too. Most agencies would be damn happy to have made these spots.
Not so happy, the teenage son when he discovers his connection to the table he’s eating off. Funny stuff.
Actually, it’s not so funny when you think about it. It paints a sad picture of our industry. An industry bursting with creativity and originality that is, week in, week out, battling to defend the right to do more of what it does best.