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October 2009 - Posts

Marketing Agencies - Scientists or Artists? By Scott Knox, Managing Director of the MCCA (part 2)

by Scott Knox, Oct 30 2009, 12:52 PM

Why marketing departments need the artists as well as the scientists 

 

The rigour and red tape of the client’s marketing department are suffocating creativity. 

 

Creative teams become more and more frustrated and brands are missing the opportunity to really engage their customers. You only have to look at the rapid rise of social media to see that people are looking to be engaged in an interesting and personal way.  

 

Brands should be looking at the unique channels of communication, whether this comes in the form of a competition to be a caretaker on a tropical island (Tourism Queensland) or releasing a record to promote your fair trade credentials (Cadbury’s).   

 

Consumers have been subjected to months of depressing headlines and those heavily affected by the economic climate are looking to escape the doom and gloom. Coming out of the recession in the early eighties we had shows like Dynasty, brands and seized this aspirational mood and delivered grand, worldwide campaigns. 

 

Coming out of this recession we have the ever popular reality TV phenomenon. Year after year I’m amazed at the popularity of Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor - surely brands can make more of this reality TV trend?  Of course there is some great work out there, what I’m trying to say is that there isn’t enough. While the scientists with their systems and processes will always be vital for running any successful business, the artists need to come back fighting too.

 

Agencies need to keep pushing back on their clients and doing everything they can to get their clients to buy that work… the work that was showcased at last month’s event. Clients should seize this recession and use it as a springboard to inspire their consumers with some mould-breaking creative. 

 

 

Marketing Agencies - Scientists or Artists? By Scott Knox, Managing Director of the MCCA (part 1)

by Scott Knox, Oct 28 2009, 12:42 PM

We recently ran an event entitled “Marketing Agencies - Scientists or Artists?” which looked at a selection of case studies of brilliant marketing ideas created for top UK brands that were never commissioned, and discussed why these and other projects didn’t see the light of day.    

 

It can be frustrating for an agency that’s confident they’ve nailed the brief to be knocked back. So the event looked at why this happens. Is it because clients are playing it too safe? Or is it in fact, that marketing agencies are not doing a good enough job of selling their ideas?    I’ve talked in the past about the fact that a recession is the ideal time for creativity to prosper. We’ve got some brilliant creative in the UK so it is frankly infuriating that some brands are turning out some of the most, what I like to call ‘magnolia and westlife’ marketing I’ve seen in years.  By this I mean bland. Very, very bland.  

 

Take a brand like Gillette. A brand that has money to spend on marketing. Why oh why do they decide to churn out the same old clichéd ads year after year.  Surely the image of David Beckham sweeping his hand over his freshly shaved face is going to be more effective for women than it will for men? Why can’t Gillette make the leap and do some creative marketing? Rewind 10 years – did we think Lynx could ever produce brilliant ads? Probably not. But they did and I’d bet my right arm that blokes like to see gorgeous women on the screen rather than millionaire sports men smiling back smugly at them.

 

 

About this blog

The MCCA Blog

The MCCA was established to defend and support marketing communications agencies. Headed up by MD Scott Knox and driven by a board of industry experts, the MCCA assists members in becoming better businesses. Here, Knox and the board blog on the biggest business issues for agencies and clients alike.
 

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Scott Knox

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Member since: 03 Jun 2008

Last login: 23 Nov 2009

Total Posts: 10

 
 
 
 

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