What they can do, I do it better
Being the person that I am and the the things that I do, it's not suprising to me anymore when most of them, people who knew me during one time or another will tell me this. Why on earth do they do such crappy ad? I can do better than that. While with some ads I won't disagree but there is more than an ad that meets the fashionable eye.
I guess in today's world, everyone is a critic and rightfuly so. I know people have been complaining about the standards of advertising here. There's plenty of room for improvement but we have gone leaps and bounds in terms of creativity (as seen in the last Cannes win). We are no less than Singapore or Bangkok (mind you, for the information of non ad people, these two country is considered the creativity hub in Asia).
Honestly, I used to be one of those people as well. Many years back I used to think what makes a good design/ad is the usage of the coolest (and smallest) typeface and tracing lines. I am glad that I moved on from such thinking (after all, I was a sucky web "designer"). It took me awhile to realised that just because I like something or think something is beautiful, doesn't mean it's for everyone. It doesn't mean its good for the client as well. At the risk of sounding like a cliche ad person/snob, I am writing this for my own enjoyment and as a self reminder to why I love doing what I do so much. I can get deviated sometimes with so many problems here and there that I forget the fundamental reason why I am in the industry.
Case in point is when I was handling a mall account. The client at one point was deluded enough to think the mall should be "sold" to the public as being on par with other main malls when its functions and offerings is nothing more than a community mall. Of course being the young man that I was (and gay as well) I couldn't be happier than to go all out with ideas of doing this and that - all fashionable and flashy. So it's goodbye press ad and hello Vogue ad. At that point, I couldn't really understand the frustration from my senior copywriter and art director. It is true that there is abit of lying involved when it comes to advertising. I would call it a creative license to be dramatic but selling a mouse as an elephant is way crossing the line. Besides, you can dupe the audience once and they will never come back to the mall. Hence, honesty is the best policy when it comes to advertising. Consumers are smart. They will find out.
When it comes to ad, we have to look at who we are speaking to. Granted that if it's Nike or Nokia, it shouldn't be difficult as the target audience would be the young and fashionable so the ad will project that look and feel. It's easy to get carried away and say why can't Mydin ads be more classy and perhaps lets compare it with Nike. Why can't Mydin go Nike? Well, they can. But they will be in deep shit if they do that. You and I don't go Mydin. People who wants value in their ringgits and couldn't be bothered with two young caucasian walking around town looking fine in the tvc go to Mydin. Same goes with Cookie's ex workplace. We both agree that the image projected via its communication materials and interior design is "bengish" but can you imagine what the customer would have thought and felt when you charged them an X amount for services and you have a Hilton reception area? They would probably think that they are paying for the interior design fees as well even when they are not. But with a sensible countertop (fake maplewood, yes how tacky), they get the sense of stability and they know they are engaging a no frills and no nonsense service. That's the power of communicating things the right way. It shouldn't be right for you and me because we are not the one who will be buying. It has to be right for the people that your product is talking to.
Another example of my past and also other so called graphic designer ignorance is that a good artwork itself doesn't sell a product and doesn't make a good ad. Most of us think that a good layout, beautiful people in beautiful pictures will just about sell everything. That is why most of them are not in advertising. That is also what makes an a graphic designer different from an art director. When it comes to advertising, it's about communicating a message. A message (and the same one, disregard if it's in the paper, radio or even during events) from the product which you want to be carried to the people you intend to see/know. Having beautiful layout is easy but what is not easy is the one core message and idea. That message or idea will be the guide as to what kind of words and tone we use to what kind of color to choose and the type of medium we choose. If you look carefuly at some succesful brand over the years (forget Superbrand cause it's rubbish) - you will notice they all say the same message in whatever they do and consistenly so over the years. Don't believe me? Take Milo for example. Milo is sold as the health drink/for the champions. To communicate that, they sponsors national sportsman. They sponsor sports events for the youth. They show sports and vitality in their ads. They don't talk about sportsman today and then singers tomorrow or whoever is the lastest trend the next day.
But having said all that, we as the advertiser still make blunders once in awhile when comes to ads. We don't always get it right. Coupled with these days anyone with a Mac and computer graphic degree can come out and team with a couple of friends and they can call themselves an agency, it's no wonder that some people lose faith with the local advertising industry. I am not saying that advertising is for the select few (in fact everyone can join the industry) but it has to be done right. Proper agency with proper training and processes. When done right, the product can be so great that it becomes a superproduct (I mean you have models and supermodels right?). In the states, no one uses the word tissue paper. They will use the word Kleenex instead. Even though the brand of paper is actually X, Y or Z but they will still call it Kleenex. Thats when your product become the generic name.
So you see, it takes more than beautiful things to make an ad and sell products. Please show some appreciation to your fellow ad men and women and the next time you see an ad and think you can do better, well think again.
P.s. I am posting the Tak Nak! campaign - not because I think it's good or that I endorsed it. Just that it's the most expensive, popular and controversial anti smoking campaign in the country.
I guess in today's world, everyone is a critic and rightfuly so. I know people have been complaining about the standards of advertising here. There's plenty of room for improvement but we have gone leaps and bounds in terms of creativity (as seen in the last Cannes win). We are no less than Singapore or Bangkok (mind you, for the information of non ad people, these two country is considered the creativity hub in Asia).
Honestly, I used to be one of those people as well. Many years back I used to think what makes a good design/ad is the usage of the coolest (and smallest) typeface and tracing lines. I am glad that I moved on from such thinking (after all, I was a sucky web "designer"). It took me awhile to realised that just because I like something or think something is beautiful, doesn't mean it's for everyone. It doesn't mean its good for the client as well. At the risk of sounding like a cliche ad person/snob, I am writing this for my own enjoyment and as a self reminder to why I love doing what I do so much. I can get deviated sometimes with so many problems here and there that I forget the fundamental reason why I am in the industry.
Case in point is when I was handling a mall account. The client at one point was deluded enough to think the mall should be "sold" to the public as being on par with other main malls when its functions and offerings is nothing more than a community mall. Of course being the young man that I was (and gay as well) I couldn't be happier than to go all out with ideas of doing this and that - all fashionable and flashy. So it's goodbye press ad and hello Vogue ad. At that point, I couldn't really understand the frustration from my senior copywriter and art director. It is true that there is abit of lying involved when it comes to advertising. I would call it a creative license to be dramatic but selling a mouse as an elephant is way crossing the line. Besides, you can dupe the audience once and they will never come back to the mall. Hence, honesty is the best policy when it comes to advertising. Consumers are smart. They will find out.
When it comes to ad, we have to look at who we are speaking to. Granted that if it's Nike or Nokia, it shouldn't be difficult as the target audience would be the young and fashionable so the ad will project that look and feel. It's easy to get carried away and say why can't Mydin ads be more classy and perhaps lets compare it with Nike. Why can't Mydin go Nike? Well, they can. But they will be in deep shit if they do that. You and I don't go Mydin. People who wants value in their ringgits and couldn't be bothered with two young caucasian walking around town looking fine in the tvc go to Mydin. Same goes with Cookie's ex workplace. We both agree that the image projected via its communication materials and interior design is "bengish" but can you imagine what the customer would have thought and felt when you charged them an X amount for services and you have a Hilton reception area? They would probably think that they are paying for the interior design fees as well even when they are not. But with a sensible countertop (fake maplewood, yes how tacky), they get the sense of stability and they know they are engaging a no frills and no nonsense service. That's the power of communicating things the right way. It shouldn't be right for you and me because we are not the one who will be buying. It has to be right for the people that your product is talking to.
Another example of my past and also other so called graphic designer ignorance is that a good artwork itself doesn't sell a product and doesn't make a good ad. Most of us think that a good layout, beautiful people in beautiful pictures will just about sell everything. That is why most of them are not in advertising. That is also what makes an a graphic designer different from an art director. When it comes to advertising, it's about communicating a message. A message (and the same one, disregard if it's in the paper, radio or even during events) from the product which you want to be carried to the people you intend to see/know. Having beautiful layout is easy but what is not easy is the one core message and idea. That message or idea will be the guide as to what kind of words and tone we use to what kind of color to choose and the type of medium we choose. If you look carefuly at some succesful brand over the years (forget Superbrand cause it's rubbish) - you will notice they all say the same message in whatever they do and consistenly so over the years. Don't believe me? Take Milo for example. Milo is sold as the health drink/for the champions. To communicate that, they sponsors national sportsman. They sponsor sports events for the youth. They show sports and vitality in their ads. They don't talk about sportsman today and then singers tomorrow or whoever is the lastest trend the next day.
But having said all that, we as the advertiser still make blunders once in awhile when comes to ads. We don't always get it right. Coupled with these days anyone with a Mac and computer graphic degree can come out and team with a couple of friends and they can call themselves an agency, it's no wonder that some people lose faith with the local advertising industry. I am not saying that advertising is for the select few (in fact everyone can join the industry) but it has to be done right. Proper agency with proper training and processes. When done right, the product can be so great that it becomes a superproduct (I mean you have models and supermodels right?). In the states, no one uses the word tissue paper. They will use the word Kleenex instead. Even though the brand of paper is actually X, Y or Z but they will still call it Kleenex. Thats when your product become the generic name.
So you see, it takes more than beautiful things to make an ad and sell products. Please show some appreciation to your fellow ad men and women and the next time you see an ad and think you can do better, well think again.
P.s. I am posting the Tak Nak! campaign - not because I think it's good or that I endorsed it. Just that it's the most expensive, popular and controversial anti smoking campaign in the country.
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