It’s early September, it’s getting colder and getting darker earlier, the US Open is entering its second week, and the CNE is winding down. As I write this, school is due to start up in three days’ time, as much as we do NOT want it to. Thankfully, the TIFF Festival is around the corner to brighten our spirits and bring some great films and stars. To tide all you movie buffs until the festival starts, I thought it would be fitting to share a wonderful documentary that helped to expand my perspective and knowledge of the advertising industry.
Let me be the first to say: for those of you who have neither the desire to work in advertising nor interest in the industry, but are interested in studying and pursuing a career in marketing – you need to watch this film, and I’ll get to “why” later on.
The documentary is Art & Copy and it “reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creative…people who've profoundly impacted [the ad culture and landscape], yet are virtually unknown outside their industry.” (source: http://www.artandcopyfilm.com/synopsis/) The film discusses the challenges creative people face in the industry and how they were able to overcome these multitudes of problems that still persist today. One I found interesting was the structure of an ad agency. Today, it is not uncommon for creatives to be “paired” off in agencies – one copy writer, one art director. Believe it or not, before the 1960’s, the art director and the copy writer never collaborated when designing an ad. Copy (the text and information) was priority – not the design, hence the prevalence of information-driven, boring ads.
My favourite story? George Lois and the launch of Tommy Hilfiger. Lois speaks his mind and has quite the foul mouth, but listen to him speak and review his portfolio and you’ll see how poignant and interesting his work is. I thought this story in particular was worthy of a shout-out.
WHY do I think that all marketers should watch this film and not just those looking into advertising? Because you work as a brand manager at P&G or as a marketing associate at Pepsi, you will likely have some sort of interaction with your company’s AOR (agency of record) and a hands-on role in the advertising of your product or service. Having spent a summer working in an agency doesn’t make me entirely unbiased, but more often than not, “bad” advertising is the result of a poor client-agency relationship. Plain and simple. A lack of trust, a lack of creative freedom, and poor brand and product strategy will translate into mediocre, craptastic work. (If you disagree, I look forward to your comments below.)
Now, I’m not saying that agencies are completely innocent, there are always a few stinkers – however hilariously terrible they may be. I believe it truly is the client that makes the difference. Something to think about: an agency can create an award-winning campaign, but at the same time produce a terrible failure. It is the client that has the last say as to which idea is chosen, and it is not always the one the agency deems the best.
With that said, all I want you marketers to take away from this is how to approach working with agencies in the future. They may not be the easiest people to deal with, but their job is to be creative, to come up with different ideas and to challenge mental constructions and customer perceptions. Give them the freedom to challenge what has been done, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
A note about the film: A DVD is available to buy, but if you’re an avid torrenter like myself, it is incredibly easy to find.
About the author: Deven Dionisi
Deven is a 3rd year student, looking to specialize in marketing and strategic management and hopes to run his own agency in the future (or assume leadership of an existing agency – he isn’t too picky). Going on exchange this coming winter in Milan, Deven is looking forward to traveling around Europe and attending the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
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