Power to the People

The post-modern consumer is a different species to the one that reacted to the post World War 2 marketing paradigm. The four P’s is an archaic and ineffective way to do business in this day and age.

Our consumer now wants more than the consumption of a product or service, they want dialogue, they want democratic marketing, they want tribes but a sense of individuality, they want a platform for advocating brands and creativity. They want it all! The marketers job therefore is a tough one; trying to understand all these parts of the average consumer.

Crowdsourcing is another string to the post modern consumers bow. And advertisers need to stand up and take note. It could be the future of advertising.

Crowdsourcing is the act of taking a job traditionally performed by a designated agent (usually an employee) and outsourcing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.

Victors and Spoils, the first crowdsourced advertising agency has been established in the U.S., they will strategically do the planning and executive aspect to the job but outsource the creative via the internet in an open call and it’s just the start.

While DVR’s and SKY+ boxes have made the advertisers of today search for alternative means of persuasion, is it possible people won’t skip through the adverts when they are amateur/D.I.Y/not direct from Madison Avenue?

Pepsi-co’s Dorito brand now challenge their consumers to make their Superbowl adverts every year, in fact it’s becoming very popular. Peperami, Pringles, they are all seeing the potential.

Two Doritos commercials were among the most-watched among all the spots in households with TiVo digital video recorders.

Here’s one of them;

Obviously, it is a unique brand engagement tool as well as a source of fresh ideas from somewhere other than the ad agency. Instead of having the agency do the job, why not get the consumers to; the people the brand means something to, who understand it and who personify the brand?

It is definitely something we should all be cognisant of, especially the practitioner.

While it may never become the principal way of producing adverts, the power of the people is scary and something that can help brands.

See crowdsourcing guru Jeff Howe’s site crowdsourcing.typepad.com for the details.

Can’t we do something different?

The average consumers sees 5,000 advertising messages a day. Marketing Clutter has hit an all time high. The average consumer, however, only perceives 1-2% of these messages. So, clients are putting more and more pressure on agencies to stand out from the crowd, to make the brand known, to get people talking about them.

So, Viral Ad’s have become the antidote to the marketing quandary.

Something quirky, something unique, that will capture the imaginations of the public and reinforce the brand.

Flash mobs were the answer. But have been done to death. So sick of seeing them. Some marketers think - OK let’s do a viral – let’s get a flashmob on the case.

Big Mistake. That won’t catch on anymore, people are too used to them by now. The nature of a viral is something that will spread like wildfire, a flashmob that has been done every couple of weeks for another struggling brand won’t work.

Do something new. Please.

Saatchi and Saatchi get it;

New Agency Model – the future?

Afternoon,

We were speaking with an old friend today about the new agency model that is beginning to make a few noises in the fair old isle of Ireland.

It’s simple. It works and it’s an Opportunity for Flagship!

Here’s the site; http://boysandgirlsagency.wordpress.com/

Here’s what they say:

“Boys and Girls is Ireland’s newest creative agency. Founded by four boys and two girls with over 80 years experience working across every major sector, we have worked on practically every one of Ireland’s Top 50 brands. We offer a full range of creative and strategic services from advertising concepts through to market research and consumer insight planning.”

Boys and Girls  includes five former McConnells directors amongst its six founders and Rory Hamilton, who is responsible for the creative output of the agency, and has worked at Euro RSCG, Ogilvy & Mather, Irish International and McCann Erickson.

It’s headed up by managing partner Pat Stephenson, who was deputy managing director at McConnells until September 2009. We were lucky enough to hear Pat explain the Boys and Girls “way”.

The Model. What is it?

Well, currently, they have all in all 7 people in the office; planners, account executives, researcher, M.D, secretary and a creative director.

So, no art and copy type creatives?

Stephenson explained that rather than incurring huge expenses by maintaining one creative department in the agency they opted for spending an arduous couple of months compiling a bible of names, number and details of every possible creative job that could be referenced to outsource to talented and well regarded free-lancers.

Sounds F’n genius to us; minimal overheads matched with 6 hugely experienced people and access to senior people leads to greater efficiencies and better work. Especially in a recession.

It also gives all the rookie creatives a shot at the big time instead of keeping the one trusty (Dusty) Art and Copy team on the payroll.

It’s a new concept in Ireland anyway, and we love it. A creative agency with just one creative heading up the creative department; the creative director.

Wonder if the model will catch on? Apparently these big corporation types are all about saving the pennies. So we reckon it could.

Interesting change in the industry though.

Keep an eye out for these guys (and girls)

Flagship