I want to expand on the theme of yobbery in adland. It seems to me that
the debate is about several different things quite separate from the
issue of taste. Many of the voices that have been raised recently appear
to have been lamenting the passing of old-time craft skills as much as
anything.
Gone are the days when all copywriters harboured ambitions of The Novel.
True, only one ended up with a fatwah on his head, though personally I
believe the people responsible for the ‘ambassador’s party’ should be
very, very afraid. The fact is, the youngsters coming into the business
today are neither better nor worse than those of old. But they are
different.
They aren’t necessarily either writers or art directors any longer.
Their role models aren’t Brignull and Godfrey, but Trev and Al, concept
creators who like to take an idea all the way from layout to playout.
The Pot Noodle campaign, for example. Shot on a camcorder with a total
lack of respect for the art of the lighting cameraman, it’s brash,
vigorous and enviable. These films weren’t created by aesthetes planning
to show their reel on the steps of the Tate. They sabotage the notion of
art in advertising. The only cultural reference points you’ll find in
them are those of advertising itself. Nevertheless, they are very
artful. Gorgeous, even.
The Holsten Pils campaign isn’t exactly heaving with middle-class values
either. If anyone cries ‘yobbery’, don’t be fooled. This is good old-
fashioned advertising with a strong idea made appropriate for the here
and now with its stridency and its language. Full marks to the Dean
Street team for giving Holsten Pils a distinct personality.
For advertising that’s actually trying to be yobby, there’s something
rather public school about the Quartet commercial. While I’m full of
admiration for the energy of the independent duo who persuaded a
production company to shoot this film, I can’t help wishing it had been
with a different script. Open on a yuppie running his business from the
kazi. Cut to toilet roll and super: Quartet. Recommended by arseholes. A
crappy pun, and absolutely no chance of a job at Lowe Howard-Spink with
that on your reel, lads.
That fine agency has always stood for good taste in advertising and the
Stella Dry campaign doesn’t buck the trend. Perhaps that’s the problem.
I’m reminded of a graffito: ‘If you think you’re at the edge, you
haven’t gone far enough.’ I’m sure these ads could have gone further.
But that’s the conundrum, isn’t it? When advertising does successfully
mirror the chippy attitude of modern youth, the pundits interpret its
youthful vitality as brutalism.
There’s nothing brutal about the Courage Best posters and again I can’t
help feeling a little disappointed. There’s a brilliant strategy in
there, taking the mick out of all those Northern bitters, but maybe it
needs TV to really sparkle. What we see here are the foundations of a
great campaign. Let’s hope someone gets to make it.
Last up, a campaign for London Buses which is neat in both senses.
However, what Londoners could really do with is a couple of billion
being spent on a viable public transport system rather than a few bob on
a handful of posters. There are some things advertising can’t hope to do
even though everyone in Greater London House is trying their damnedest.
What’s clear from the work today is there’s plenty of talent in our
industry. Maybe the days of hot metal and long copy are behind us;
nevertheless in every campaign there’s an idea. In a couple of instances
it’s the very rawness of the executions that make them successful. Let’s
not mistake freshness for yobbishness - as I suspect we sometimes have.
Reeves and Wright
Project: Quartet toilet paper
Client: D. W. Curry, managing director
Brief: Raise awareness of Quartet as an alternative to the big brands
and own brands
Agency: Ads ‘R’ Us
Writer: Tad Safran
Art director: Sigi Phyland
Director: Sean Hinds
Production company: Will van der Vlugt
Exposure: Regional cinemas
Holsten UK
Project: Holsten Pils
Client: Phil Plowman, marketing director
Brief: Reinforce Holsten Pils’s purity and integrity
Agency: GGT
Writer: Robert Saville
Art director: Jay Pond-Jones
Director: Frank Budgen
Production company: Paul Weiland Films
Exposure: National TV and cinema
Scottish Courage
Project: Courage Best
Client: John Roberts, group marketing controller, ales and stouts
Brief: Position Courage Best as brand leader in the South
Agency: M&C Saatchi
Writers: Simon Dicketts, Richard Dean
Art director: Martha Riley
Photographer: Richard Mummery
Typographer: Andy Dymock
Exposure: Press and posters, Southern regions
Whitbread Beer
Project: Stella Dry
Client: Susan Purcell, marketing manager
Brief: Refreshingly easy to drink and deceptively strong
Agency: Lowe Howard-Spink
Writer: Shay Reading
Art director: Simon Butler
Photographer: Tim O’ Sullivan
Typographer: Simon Warden
Exposure: National tabloids and men’s magazines
CPC UK
Project: Pot Noodle
Client: Jeremy Woods, marketing manager
Brief: Demonstrate that Pot Noodle is the hot, tasty snack that’s better
for you than you thought
Agency: Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury
Writer: John Parkin
Art director: Dominic Beardsworth
Director: Armando Iannucci
Production company: Tomboy Films
Exposure: National TV
London Transport Buses
Project: London Buses
Client: Mike King, advertising and publicity manager
Brief: Encourage occasional bus users to use London’s buses more
frequently
Agency: Young and Rubicam
Writer: Jonathan Budds
Art director: Christine Jones
Photographer: Nick Waplington
Exposure: London posters
