There are certain laws that have been regarded as sacrosanct in the advertising business, and particularly within the creative side of the ad world. They include the following:
1) A great campaign revolves around “the big idea.” 2) Said big idea usually takes the form of a memorable line or perhaps a metaphorical story that somehow captures the essence of a brand 3) These big ideas are best generated by placing a copywriter and art director in a room together forcing them to engage in a series of exchanges that typically begin with the words: “OK, what about this” 4) Upon coming up with the big idea, said creative people shall hand that idea off to various types of specialists (film producers, media buyers, digital techies) whose jobs are to make sure it gets distributed in three or four media formats, with special emphasis on (ca-hing!) high-budget TV commercials 5) Handing off the ideas in this way is important because it enables the “creatives” to get back to the really important stuff- dreaming up the next big idea.
It was a good model while it lasted (for six decades, thus far) but a lot of those old laws are making less sense in today’s marketing landscape, which is increasingly dominated by digital communications. In this new world, marketers can’t necessarily rely on a clever line or 30-second story to do the heavy work of building brands; they need lots of multifaceted ideas, including ones that go beyond slogans and metaphorical narratives to offer something more useful to the public. These ideas must work in multiple formats, and o various devices, with everything seamlessly integrated. In that kind of complex environment, the old Bill Bernbach-inspired, two-guys-in-a-room create model can be too limiting. What’s needed is a more wide-open, technologically sophisticated, collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach to creating brand communications. Or so believes Bob Greenberg from RGA. I agree with Bob.