Is art better than advertising?

322703 — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:05:00 GMT

Rape, HIV and abuse of women are serious subjects. But ActionAid rather than try and shock us (unlike the Banardo’s approach) has found a very engaging way to raise awareness. Not through advertising but art. 2876 women around the world contract HIV every day.

A girl in South Africa has a higher chance of being raped than of learning to read. Violence and rape against girls are a major factor in these women getting AIDS. 15 million women are already infected with the virus. The PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN campaign has been designed to put a stop to this alarming fact.

So was the solution a shocking press ad? A distressing viral? Or a shock horror TV commercial? No, they turned to YCN and discovered Finish artist Ritta Ikonen. Ritta is an amazing artist and mind. I’ve known her for a number of years since she worked with us in one ad agency. Everyday she’d come in with a different name badge on. She carried a small box with micro models of figures in. Her work – a figure on an eyelash – was one featured on a series of Beck’s art themed bottles.

I think she found the way we work rather odd. What is interesting working with people who don’t have the same background as most of us in advertising is they think different and think we all think the same. They probably have a point. I have an interesting mix of creatives in my department at the moment, a fashion designer, architect, product designer, illustrator and a film maker.

Give them an ad brief and the outcome is challenging in the sense they challenge us. Personally I think all agency creative departments (we have over 20 people) should employ 20% non ad people. Just over a year ago I went to an exhibition at the RCA based around environmentalism. Ritta’s piece, The Last Snowflake, was a very thought provoking piece.

Born out of the thought that one day, thanks to global warming, there’ll be no more snow. Many other pieces by other artists stimulated debate and discussion. What really made us think was the power of the art to communicate, far better than the formulaic ad method (picture and pun) we often adopt. We discussed the concept of ‘ideas’, a term used in the ad industry. “What’s the idea in any great art?” was one comment. “Art emotionally engages people, that’s why it works. Surely good ads emotionally engage people. The ‘idea’ is just an attempt to rationalise it.”

You have to agree. This should lead us to question if now is the time to review our communications methods? Have we become too formulaic? The oddest brief I’ve recently been set was to redesign/decorate a piano for Boris Johnson’s London summer festival (for Sing London). After many hours of work our creatives produced the Soho themed piano – covered in black PVC and with a silver zipper made from piano hammers.

It’s sexy and looks amazing and already it’s getting publicity. People love art. They like things that are different, imaginative and engaging. How many ads do that these days? ActionAid embracing art and Rtitta is a brave move but then they are one of the few charities that take risks and aren’t afraid to explore new ideas. Good on them. Thousands of people, besides signing the petition, sent Action Aid a real shoe.

Ritta then used the shoes to capture the essence of the campaign and create a talking point. Each one displayed as part of a big installation told an individual’s story. Given that social networking is such a buzz word at the moment this campaign delivers against it big time. To see a charity use art to convey a serious message is different. Sure we’ve seen art projects before but not for serious messages that result in serious change.

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Is art better than advertising?