Phew, some PR people over at shell at are going to be working over time trying to contain the onslaught from this prank that’s drawing attention to arctic drilling. This source (aka my lazy Google search result) says “an international organization of corporate pranksters”, called the Yes Men, created this fake site that looks and feels like it could be an actual Shell campaign…
Except that no advertising person, or client for that matter, in their right mind would actually approve a social media campaign for an oil company that asks users to generate their own headlines. Although, admittedly, the results are hilarious.
Aaaah! I love this campaign, and Ragu definitely needed a facelift after last year’s Dad fail. Most of the executions are genuinely funny. I think it’s risky without being too out there. It’s one of the best social media campaigns I’ve seen in a while. You can read more of the details and technical mumbo jumbo that I’m too lazy to paraphrase here.
ShaiMohamed Din and YeohOonHoong tell Kat the Intern the good, bad and the ugly of the Advertising industry.
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As my stint at DraftFCB KL comes to a close, I put my Newhouse journalism training to good use and sit down with the guy I’d shared an office with for the last month to eat spaghetti and ask questions about Advertising. I got a twofer when his ex-partner showed up to our pasta party and let me interrogate him too.
Shaiis currently up to his ears in TVCs to write as a Senior Copywriter at Publicis KL, and his ex-partner and art director Oon is working in the same building as a Creative Group Head at McCann-Erickson. Both have sold their souls to advertising, and in my short time knowing ShaiI’ve learned he has a weakness for women and classic guitars.
Oh, and P.S. “-la” is a Malaysianism that runs rampant throughout the dialogue in this country. I’m told you’re not a true Malaysian until you can say it flawlessly and without pause. I thought I’d keep this interview authentic-la.
Shai, Senior Copywriter at Publicis KL
How long have you worked in advertising, and what agencies does your CV include?
Shai: 10 years. Local agencies, home-grown agencies, TBWA/ISC-Malaysia, Bates Advertising, Arc Worldwide, XM Malaysia, DraftFCB and now Publicis.
Oon: 14 years. BBDO, Bates, Bozell, FCB, Ogilvy & Mather, and McCann-Erickson.
What’s the worst part about working in advertising?
S: The work. [It has] a tendency to make you a single man even when you’re married.
O: The hours, the temptations…
S: People expect you to cheat even when you don’t cheat, but I’m a two-timing bastard.
What’s the best part about working in advertising?
S: The work. The ability to explore, to transform art and make it into something you can use to sell something else.
O: [The opportunity to] brainwash people, play with their minds, and to create things that will stick with them. Hopefully something they can use either for the better or for the worse. S: I would say, it’s a penance you pay for the pleasure that you get.
What would be your advice to students?
S: Be patient.
O: Be prepared to take a lot of hits. And don’t fall in love with the first idea. Your ideas don’t belong to you, so don’t get personal, don’t get emotional, don’t be a diva.
What mistakes do you think a lot of agency interns make?
O: They have to be patient. They have to ask around.
S: They are way too shy. They’re just too afraid.
What should you try to avoid doing as an intern?
S: Avoid pissing people off. Avoid rubbing people the wrong way as an intern. O: Never say no.
The biggest mistake you’ve made?
S: Not working hard enough.
O: It’s so subjective. You can only feel that you could do better next time.
Your favorite campaign? It doesn’t have to be one you’ve worked on personally, just in general.
O: [Wieden+Kennedy’s] Old Spice campaign.
S: Bernbach’s VW.
What do you do for inspiration when you’re stuck?
S: I listen to music, classic rock and the Beatles. And, of course, checking out women. Sex can be a driver.
What do you think about ad schools—worth it?
O: It’s not a necessity because now it’s all about interaction, engagement, and social media. If you want to be an art person, just go for art. [It’s not useful] unless the syllabus is relevant to the current trends.
What do you think of the way that advertising is going towards more social media engagement, etc.?
O: I think it’s a bit more diverse and touch [more] points with consumers. It’s no longer just about telling them and, us talking back. Now it’s about building the relationship. The art is just the visual— writing is really very crucial.
S: You cannot say no to it if you want to stay in the industry. It’s expanding widely, and unfortunately it’s limited in Malaysia. We’re still being judged on creativity by three posters and not much else. Either you go with it or you’re extinct. It puts everyone back into a new learning curve, and everyone is trying to cope, including the clients.
Have any horror stories you can share about clients?
S: You grow to like them.
O: You have to like your clients because you overcome challenges.
S: You have to look past client as a person. Look towards the brand as the client.
What’s the salary like in Advertising? Does it make the drawbacks worth it?
O: If you really want to nitpick, it’s not worth it-la.
S: The pay pays the bills.
What do you think of the ethics of advertising? Is it all about manipulating people?
O: [If that’s what it’s all about] then we shouldn’t be doing advertising. Advertising shouldn’t exist at all [but] it affects other jobs. It’s a vicious cycle-la, you can’t do without the other.
S: It’s bending the truth a bit. We are just making it out for whatever the consumers like enough to buy it. We create desire. At the end of the day it’s their choice whether to buy it or not. Not all ads work for everybody anyway. If it tucks your heart, it gets to you. To each, his own.
What are the benefits of big versus small agencies?
S: There isn’t much of a difference other than the size of the agency and the size of the accounts. O:Big agencies have a different culture in terms of how you are rewarded. Key performance indexes. Small agencies, the pie is bigger so rewards are bigger financially-la. Your working hours are different, so it’s a different thing–la.
And your closing advice?
S: Don’t get into advertising.
O: If you ever get in explore, and don’t give up.
Oon Hong, Creative Group Head at McCann-Erickson KL
Matt VanDyke, Director of Marketing and Communications for Ford & Lexus, spoke at Syracuse University today about the challenges facing modern marketers. Matt has been part of one of the world’s most successful social media campaigns, to generate buzz for the re-launch of their brand, and Ford’s methods are a great model for the industry to follow.
After the recession hit the auto industry, Ford had to remortgage the company for $25 billion dollars to try and keep the brand alive. They decided to go with a “product-led recovery” to vastly change consumer opinion of the brand. Matt says, “The challenge as a marketer is that the sentiment about the brand really lags what truly happens in the marketplace.”
They identified the four areas that consumers considered most when buying a car: Quality, Safety, Eco-Friendly, Technology. As a result they revamped their in-vehicle communications to get people thinking about Ford as an innovative brand.
Matt VanDyke, and the Ford brand, have been most successful in leading the way in using social media to advertise and engage in a conversation about the brand, specifically in the re-vitalizing perception of the Ford Fiesta. Here are some of Ford’s impressive social media stats:
- 40 million twitter impressions. - 29 thousand original photos - 56% vehicle familiarity - More than 1.5 real world miles
According to Matt, it would generally would take a $100 mil advertisement campaign to turn out that kind of recognition. They also had about half a million media impressions for their Explorer Digital Reveal, and over 200,000 promotional applications were installed on Facebook— which is 10x more than the average.
So what’s the advice that I took away from his talk? “It’s about reaching the person, not the website.” Ford continually kept up a conversation with individual Facebook users during its Explorer Digital Reveal, and by engaging the consumer on a personal level, you can ultimately reach a wider audience.
And best of all: “If you do videos with zombies in them, millions of people will watch them” In reference to a promotional YouTube video for the Fiesta that featured the walking dead.
Ha. Must find that video on YouTube to post later!
