A recent conversation with a planner (who shall remain anonymous.)
"We'll run TV when we've got something to say and fill in the gaps with outdoor."
Don't you dare complain when an analyst tells you that your outdoor campaign didn't have any effect on sales...
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Harangued by the government
Well not actually by the government, more like by public bodies. There's a creeping adoption of systems that weren't designed for advertising being used to continuously broadcast messages.
You can't catch a train without being told the platform might be slippery because it's raining - so don't run, not to leave cases unattended (or the security services might blow them up,) not to leave children unattended (presumably the security services won't blow them up) and that "closed circuit television cameras are in operation at this station."
The tannoy system was put in to let people know that the 6.30 from Waterloo is late again and they might as well walk home, but it's being used to broadcast constant messages aimed at behaviour modification.
The same is true of Motorway dot matrix screens, that are supposed to be there to warn you of problems ahead. They're not needed most of the time though, so why not harangue drivers about drinking, drugs and the dangers of towing a trailer?
Outdoor owners can't advertise next to motorways because the ads would be a distraction - although that doesn't stop enterprising farmers parking branded trailers in their fields - so how are these messages from the Highways Agency acceptable?
We need guidance right across public service bodies that broadcast systems put in place to communicate essential information are for just that. Not a free, unregulated, advertising channel with which to shout at the UK population.
You can't catch a train without being told the platform might be slippery because it's raining - so don't run, not to leave cases unattended (or the security services might blow them up,) not to leave children unattended (presumably the security services won't blow them up) and that "closed circuit television cameras are in operation at this station."
The tannoy system was put in to let people know that the 6.30 from Waterloo is late again and they might as well walk home, but it's being used to broadcast constant messages aimed at behaviour modification.
The same is true of Motorway dot matrix screens, that are supposed to be there to warn you of problems ahead. They're not needed most of the time though, so why not harangue drivers about drinking, drugs and the dangers of towing a trailer?
Outdoor owners can't advertise next to motorways because the ads would be a distraction - although that doesn't stop enterprising farmers parking branded trailers in their fields - so how are these messages from the Highways Agency acceptable?
We need guidance right across public service bodies that broadcast systems put in place to communicate essential information are for just that. Not a free, unregulated, advertising channel with which to shout at the UK population.
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Designing ads by committee
I saw the new Santander TV spot last night and to be frank, it's a bit of a mess. It's definitely got the scent of an advert that will spark a row in a few months when somebody asks what it was designed to achieve. Raise awareness? Of what - Abbey or Santander? Shift current accounts? For who - Abbey or Alliance and Leicester? If it's supposed to do all of that then it's going to have to work really hard in fifty seconds.
There are so many things going on, it's hard to know what you're being shown.
There's Lewis Hamilton. Never mind that he's just been hauled over the coals in F1 for trying to cheat, he's looking suave, clean shaven and covered in Vodafone logos in his race overalls. In fact the Vodafone logo appears in the ad almost as much as Santander's does.
A voiceover tells us about Santander while he's racing round a Scalextric track, which supports the 'together we're stronger' theme, presumably because several people help him assemble it. Then the voiceover says there are great interest rates available at Abbey. Oh and also at Alliance and Leicester. Anybody else confused?
At best, this one's going to be remembered as "that Vodafone ad where Lewis Hamilton races a Scalextric car."
I normally try to stay away from commenting on creative, in the same way that I'd expect a creative not to question the validity of our analytics, but I really can't see how this concoction of different messages is supposed to work.
There are so many things going on, it's hard to know what you're being shown.
There's Lewis Hamilton. Never mind that he's just been hauled over the coals in F1 for trying to cheat, he's looking suave, clean shaven and covered in Vodafone logos in his race overalls. In fact the Vodafone logo appears in the ad almost as much as Santander's does.
A voiceover tells us about Santander while he's racing round a Scalextric track, which supports the 'together we're stronger' theme, presumably because several people help him assemble it. Then the voiceover says there are great interest rates available at Abbey. Oh and also at Alliance and Leicester. Anybody else confused?
At best, this one's going to be remembered as "that Vodafone ad where Lewis Hamilton races a Scalextric car."
I normally try to stay away from commenting on creative, in the same way that I'd expect a creative not to question the validity of our analytics, but I really can't see how this concoction of different messages is supposed to work.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Football is a loss leader
Setanta are in trouble. The Times had them yesterday morning 'on the verge of collapse'.
There's a very simple reason why. Setanta's business model is founded on sports attracting lots of viewers who want to watch those sports at £10.99 a month.
Adding the Sky Sports Pack to your Sky subscription is £18.00 a month and Sky don't just sell you a Sports pack. They sell you movies and entertainment shows and telephone and broadband too.
Spot what Setanta did wrong? They're cheaper than Sky for sport and not cross selling you anything, but are playing in a market where Sky sets the starting price of football rights. Even with EU regulation to stop Sky bidding for everything, it's a horribly flawed business model.
Remember how we used to have milkmen before supermarkets took over and priced them out? Premiership football is a loss leader for Sky - always has been - and anybody who tries to compete with Sky on the basis of selling football for its own sake, doesnt stand a chance.
There's a very simple reason why. Setanta's business model is founded on sports attracting lots of viewers who want to watch those sports at £10.99 a month.
Adding the Sky Sports Pack to your Sky subscription is £18.00 a month and Sky don't just sell you a Sports pack. They sell you movies and entertainment shows and telephone and broadband too.
Spot what Setanta did wrong? They're cheaper than Sky for sport and not cross selling you anything, but are playing in a market where Sky sets the starting price of football rights. Even with EU regulation to stop Sky bidding for everything, it's a horribly flawed business model.
Remember how we used to have milkmen before supermarkets took over and priced them out? Premiership football is a loss leader for Sky - always has been - and anybody who tries to compete with Sky on the basis of selling football for its own sake, doesnt stand a chance.
Friday, 5 June 2009
Turn it upside down
It's amazing how much difference it can make to a statistic to turn it backwards.
90% of trains in the UK are now running on time. This is a Good Thing and record breaking.
Turn it backwards though and Network Rail are delighted with a siuation where 1 in 10 trains is late. Still impressed?
I've been thinking the same about the Telegraph's circulation as they turn the screw on MPs and reveal the bathplugs, moat cleanings and tennis court repairs that have been claimed on expenses. The Telegraph is up almost 19,000 copies per day.
That's 2.3%. Considering this is a huge exclusive, my immediate reaction is: Really? Is that it? I'm almost certain that if I told the Telegraph that several million pounds' worth of TV advertising 'only' increased their circulation by 2% during the burst, they'd be pretty disappointed. And this exclusive's given them a lot more exposure than a few Coronation Street TV spots.
90% of trains in the UK are now running on time. This is a Good Thing and record breaking.
Turn it backwards though and Network Rail are delighted with a siuation where 1 in 10 trains is late. Still impressed?
I've been thinking the same about the Telegraph's circulation as they turn the screw on MPs and reveal the bathplugs, moat cleanings and tennis court repairs that have been claimed on expenses. The Telegraph is up almost 19,000 copies per day.
That's 2.3%. Considering this is a huge exclusive, my immediate reaction is: Really? Is that it? I'm almost certain that if I told the Telegraph that several million pounds' worth of TV advertising 'only' increased their circulation by 2% during the burst, they'd be pretty disappointed. And this exclusive's given them a lot more exposure than a few Coronation Street TV spots.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
It's good...
The web's verdict on Microsoft's new search engine beta is in.
Bing, it's good, But It's Not Google.
Bing, it's good, But It's Not Google.
Seriously, did they not see that coming?
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
We're not crap and you're wrong
This one comes under the heading 'people who should learn a little from marketing'.
If you did some research and discovered that people were saying your product was unreliable and broke down all the time, what would you do?
A. Find out what's wrong with the product, start fixing it and then maybe run a campaign to say you've fixed it
B. Tell the consumers that they're wrong and there's nothing wrong with the product
If you answered B, there might be a job for you in the Conservative Party*
A YouGov survey reporting that 46% of voters think politicians are personally corrupt has been reported on conservativehome under the title '46% of voters are wrong'. The arrogance is astounding.
* or maybe at Microsoft.
If you did some research and discovered that people were saying your product was unreliable and broke down all the time, what would you do?
A. Find out what's wrong with the product, start fixing it and then maybe run a campaign to say you've fixed it
B. Tell the consumers that they're wrong and there's nothing wrong with the product
If you answered B, there might be a job for you in the Conservative Party*
A YouGov survey reporting that 46% of voters think politicians are personally corrupt has been reported on conservativehome under the title '46% of voters are wrong'. The arrogance is astounding.
* or maybe at Microsoft.
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