Thought For The Day...

Website Of The Year, Possibly All Eternity

The best website of this year by far. Possibly in all eternity.

Motherfucking website: find it here.

Going Nuclear In The Sound Booth

This is a brilliant bit from Toast Of London, with Steven Toast (Matt Berry) in the sound booth. You can tell Berry has done loads of voiceover sessions as this is uncannily true to life. "Have fun with it" is such a lame/brilliant bit of absurd direction, I've heard it used in real VO recordings more than once. And I think we've worked with that Clem Fandango chap...

John Webster: The Human Adman

I agree with Steve Harrison's assertion that advertising people would be well served to be more educated about the work of successful people who have preceded them. He makes the argument that no budding director would set out without studying the work of the great directors, no writer would be devoid of knowledge of the great writers and their works. But every day, hundreds of advertising people go about their business knowing next to nothing about the greats of advertising.

I've heard the argument that your influences should come from outside of advertising - this is a favorite assertion of young creatives and so-called 'cool people'. I agree, you should have a wide sphere of influences - the whole of life, art, film, writing, design, technology, clouds, oranges. But that's no excuse to not study the work of people who have already done what you're doing, and done it better than you. Times have changed, but the essence of what makes things great is still the same.

Anyway, here to help in this regard is this film about John Webster. He needs no introduction from me other than to say that if you work in advertising and you don't know who he is, this can be your first step to enlightenment. The film was made by Nick Werber, Tom Baker, David Carr and Martins Millers, creative students at the School of Communication Arts in London in conjunction with Patrick Collister. It does contain a few people saying the odd daft thing to camera, but that's inevitable in any documentary about advertising – it is well, well worth a watch. So thanks to them for making and sharing it.


There's a site supporting the film, with full credits and background here.

The Inaction Of The Call To Action

Call to action.
It's one of those phrases that have become such a part of the business of advertising, that they're said and heard often without realising how weird they are.
Apart from when people are arguing about whether an ad should include one or not, that is.
It's a silly argument really, when you think about it.
If someone desperately thinks an ad is lacking a call to action, it's because the ad itself is wrong, or not doing the job properly – or there is a tacit difference of opinion about what the ad is meant to be doing.
Or they don't know what they're doing.
If your intention is for someone to do something specific as a result of seeing a piece of communication, then that should be the actual job of the ad – it shouldn't be relegated to a line of copy or VO thrown in at the end.
I am utterly convinced that your typical one-line call to acton makes absolutely no fucking difference to whether someone does that thing or not.
Say I'm watching an ad for, say, a burger.
If the ad doesn't make me want to try that burger when I'm next in the market for a burger, then adding "Try our burger" at the end, is not going to make any difference.
And the even greater stupidity of adding "Try our burger - Now!" will not convince me to try it Now! either.
It's as if nothing has been learned over the last hundred years of marketing.
People aren't stupid.
If you compellingly show them how something will be good for them, if you explain why something would be in their interests, or convincingly make them desire something, the chances are, you will have successful advertising.
Just adding "Do it, do now! Now! NOW I tell thee!" won't.
It is marketing stupidity of the highest order.
People do things – download an app, buy a burger, test drive a car – if they feel it is in their interests do so.
They do not do it because you tell them to.
Stop it.
Stop it NOW!

When You're Not Invited To The Party, Turn Up Anyway...

One of our latest cheeky little ads for Fentimans. Morning Advertiser, an on-trade magazine, publishes a brand report every year. It turns out that you can buy an ad space in the report. So obviously...

Close-up...

The moral of the story being, when you're not invited to the party, turn up anyway, with a twin-ended dildo.

The Good And The Bad Of Web Design

This is no great opus on web design, but it just happened that we came across two sites within the space of a day that seemed to represent the best and worst of the current state of web design.

First, the good: http://work4rich.com a site to advertise the position of Rich Silverstein's assistant. It's simple, it has an idea behind it, it's well written, and uses clever web coding sparingly and appropriately to make the experience better.

Now, the bad: http://greatbritishbutcher.com a site that, well I'm not really sure - it's clearly something about butchers or a meat-based product but you're a better man than me if you can be arsed to find out. A clear case of technique and execution drowning the point of the site. I'm actually interested in finding out what this product is, but the way the site is put together makes it really difficult. This dynamic vertical scrolling technique is being hammered to death, and if there isn't really a reason for it, as in this case, it just ends up looking like a digital agency's vanity project. Over wrought and annoying. To whoever put this together, I'd just say remember this old chestnut - because it's as true in web design as anything else - "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should".

Predatory Thinking by Dave Trott

There is a small list of books that I think any advertising creative, or those aspiring to be, should read. In fact, that anyone in advertising and marketing should read.

They include What's The Big Idea, by George Lois, Ogilvy on Advertising, The Book of Gossage – about the great Howard Gossage, and Ally & Gargano.

Not because they're textbooks or guide books on how to do advertising (is such a thing really viable anyway?). And yes, times have changed since then... etc.

But because they offer an insight into a way of thinking, acting and being that is essential to really do great things.

And that is more vital than any how-to guide, I think. Especially in Britain, where we’re all taught to be polite, toe-the-line, to not cause a fuss, to do what you're told.

People who want to become great ad creatives need to understand that they aren't just creative people – they need to be active, energetic, trouble-causing, status-quo-challenging, unrelenting, awkward and ballsy – and smart and streetwise as hell.

I always try to keep in mind the great George Bernard Shaw quote “All change depends on the unreasonable man”.

These books capture that spirit brilliantly. In reading them, you can see through the exploits and anecdotes of these greats, that none of their successes were ever handed to them on a plate – they fought, bit and scratched, as well as thought, their way to success.

Now I think there is another book that needs to be added to that list.

Predatory Thinking by Dave Trott is subtitled A Masterclass In Out-Thinking The Competition.

What it offers most of all, I think, is an approach to problems – and life – that is necessary to making things happen.

Entrepreneurialism crossed with creativity Dave calls it. I think he's right. It's about not accepting the obstacle placed in your way – not even accepting that the problem you're presented with is the real problem. Then finding the real issues, and addressing them, through creativity and street smarts.

For some people, this kind of thinking comes naturally. I've met and worked with a few. For others, me included, you have to work at it – constantly remind yourself not to accept what's put in front of you.

I re-read these books all the time. And I never fail to be inspired – and kicked up the arse – by them. And I think Dave's book will fall into that category of books that I will re-read many times.

I recommend you do too.

You can buy it here.

Read Dave Trott's My Favourite Writing Post on the Sell! Sell! Blog Here.