tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14726393393889507212024-03-13T09:59:36.700-07:00I feel therefore I am"All great discoveries are made by men whose feelings run ahead of their thinking" -
C. H. ParkhurstDavid Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-4805745457702830042010-04-11T18:21:00.001-07:002010-04-11T18:30:06.581-07:00Opportunistic Tiger Sad-vertising<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Love this. It was inevitable at least one sponsor would try to capitalise on the cheating, but nice decision to play the pschotherapist, to NOT deny the complexity of the man and the situation he finds himself in, and to resist summing it all up in a single line or thought. It's an open wound, we don't know how it will heal and Nike don't deny that. Sporting relevance galore, especially in such a mental game as golf.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/nikegolf">http://www.youtube.com/nikegolf </a></div><div><br /></div><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 138px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/S8J22_NVVaI/AAAAAAAAAZs/4Ez8HL7gnLs/s400/Screen+shot+2010-04-12+at+03.25.31.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459056385378833826" /></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-351334180296595482009-05-28T12:00:00.001-07:002010-07-17T10:39:41.925-07:00Swedish Advertising Effectiveness Debate<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">god</span><a href="http://bloggenomeffekt.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/my-thoughts-on-effectiveness/"><br /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340951921572971586" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; height: 110px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Sh7feZ_MBEI/AAAAAAAAAYU/V1qKRFLv66w/s400/Bloggen+om+effekt.png" border="0" /><br /><div></div>The finest planners in Sweden, including the wonderful Johan Ostlund of DDB Stockholm, have sensibly decided to have a debate about effectiveness, in order to inject some life and longing and good sense into the country's "100 Watt" effectiveness awards.<br /><br /><div></div><div>I've contibuted my own thoughts to the debate, and there are lots more worthwhile opinions to read, including those of the peerless Les Binet. You will need Google Translator at the ready though...</div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>The debate's blog is here: <a href="http://bloggenomeffekt.se/">http://bloggenomeffekt.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/my-thoughts-on-effectiveness</a><br /><br /></div><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-56316711681464921192009-05-02T07:37:00.000-07:002009-05-02T07:43:34.503-07:00A cheer led for Andy Whitlock<div>I love this, serves me right for that mournful mug :)</div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331237035840705170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Sfxb1oaxEpI/AAAAAAAAAYM/mVBu28pLj4o/s400/Sarah+and+I+in+sports+gear.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><div>Superb work by Andy Whitlock, you can see the full set here....</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/902518/Campaigns-sombre-photos-sent-Flickr-page">http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/902518/Campaigns-sombre-photos-sent-Flickr-page</a></div><br /><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-30600332341668356462009-04-09T02:50:00.000-07:002009-04-09T11:35:29.697-07:00Essay in Campaign - "We believe the people should control the means of branding"<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322635282526998322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 249px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Sd3MlsP7jzI/AAAAAAAAAX0/HsQHePaFMWI/s400/Bonney+Campaign+Essay+1.jpg" border="0" /><br />I'm lucky enough to have my IPA Diploma essay published in Campaign this week. If you get a chance, have a read... it's a fictional guesstimate at what the future looks like for brands... given trends for collectivisation, ethics and "We-actualisation" as I put it.<br /><br />It was written in July 2008, so you'll see that not <em>everything</em> has come true so far. Enjoy it & I'd be interested to hear any thoughts.<br /><br />There's a scan of the published article here (thanks Franjse)...<br /><br /><a href="http://a.nnotate.com/php/pdfnotate.php?d=2009-04-09&c=cUvggjKQ&upl=1#page1">http://a.nnotate.com/php/pdfnotate.php?d=2009-04-09&c=cUvggjKQ&upl=1#page1</a><br /><br />And this link should take you to a good quality pdf, though not final version... has mistakes in the charts, etc.<br /><br /><a href="http://a.nnotate.com/php/pdfnotate.php?d=2009-04-09&c=jDGCHDOd&upl=1#page1">http://a.nnotate.com/php/pdfnotate.php?d=2009-04-09&c=jDGCHDOd&upl=1#page1</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322636121658375298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 251px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Sd3NWiQcPII/AAAAAAAAAX8/s1ZYq1JseJ0/s400/Bonney+Campaign+Essay+2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322636305970317122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 249px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Sd3NhQ31R0I/AAAAAAAAAYE/u5r1jxVxN8s/s400/Bonney+Campaign+Essay+3.jpg" border="0" />David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-30238281594884474082008-06-16T13:01:00.000-07:002008-11-14T10:49:32.143-08:00Emotion - a familiar friend we hardly know<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/SFbM7KxHkcI/AAAAAAAAARM/ILobUtyZR6w/s1600-h/plutchik2.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212578935602647490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/SFbM7KxHkcI/AAAAAAAAARM/ILobUtyZR6w/s400/plutchik2.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Greetings from Berlin.<br /><br />I don't know why, but I've decided to spend the summer here. About this time last year I visited Berlin for three days and such was the impression made on me by the city and its unique inhabitants that I very nearly never made it home.<br /><br />Well I wasn't ballsy enough to be THAT spontaneous, but I am rather chuffed to have made it here eventually. Much as I love the city I've called home for the last four years, the bohemian principled sloth and affordable everything of Berlin makes it a charming antidote to the hectic, runaway relentlessness of London.<br /><br />Anyway, the only reason I'm checking in is to let you know that this month's Admap carries another little article by myself about Emotion. This time it's not just about 'negative' emotions, but the full gamut of affective experience (as superficially indicated by Pollack's grid of facial emotions below) and the question of whether we really know what we're saying or doing when it comes to 'emotion' in advertising.<br /><br />On both counts, I think we haven't a clue.<br /><br />If you get to read it, I hope you find it enjoyable or worthwhile - much of it may be self-consciously provocative nonsense, but I'd love to hear any thoughts anyway.<br /><br />I'll post the article here if I can figure out how to do so.<br /><br />UPDATE - here's the link: <a href="http://www.admapmagazine.com/pdfs/0608_article.pdf">http://www.admapmagazine.com/pdfs/0608_article.pdf</a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/SFbN6nwuBVI/AAAAAAAAARU/-jinqCHGdKA/s1600-h/Pollak_faces_emotion_grid02.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212580025717359954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/SFbN6nwuBVI/AAAAAAAAARU/-jinqCHGdKA/s400/Pollak_faces_emotion_grid02.jpg" border="0" /></a>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-71314384389011601482008-03-30T15:15:00.001-07:002008-03-30T16:01:49.341-07:008 months later...<div>...and I'm thinking about posting again. </div><br /><div>Maybe it's the sun poking her wares through the trees and making me feel all creative, or the semi-illusory prospect of life maybe going in a new direction and my feeling benevolent with the excitement of it all... or more probably it's the fact I've got another Admap article coming out soon (and it's not about sad-vertising you'll be glad to hear) and I might just have something worthwhile and substantial to share with you (I'm not one for 'interesting things I saw today' blogging, maybe I just don't see enough interesting things). </div><br /><div>A romantic explanation for my hiatus might be that I finally got a job playing piano in a cabaret or my book idea "Toilets of London" is finally to get published. But truth is I've been putting most of my energy into the 9-5 (really the 10 to 9).... and into this...</div><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183666945064770002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="374" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/R_AVn06FGdI/AAAAAAAAAOA/gGKcs9gD7-o/s400/IPA+Excellence+Diploma.png" width="315" border="0" /><br /><p>In June 2007, along with 15 other bright-eyed advertising peeps about 5-8 years into the industry, I committed the next 15 months of my weekends to reading all the best thinking our industry has ever felt important enough to put into print (and that's a lot...more than a Masters-worth of reading)... spitting some out along the way, trying in vain to digest other morsels, and greedily allowing the great majority of it to nourish me and turn me into an altogether better-rounded and more convincing advertising practitioner. </p><p>The best bit (and the real reason I've not been here) is that I've had to use up all my words writing essays with original and compelling points of view on everything I've read... Comms Planning, Metrics, Consumers, Brands and Creativity... I've now got an opinion on everything, my brain hurts and I'm terrible company in the pub. </p><p>It's been magic, the true academic in me has had a field day. I just wish I could do the IPA Excellence Diploma as a full-time job...and I wish everyone else in the industry got to do it too, because frankly it's scary what we don't know. And it's scary how many of us get by without reading the important treasures some great minds have left for us. We've been driving advertising without a licence...and how we're not in a heap at the bottom of some dusty ravine, I do not know. </p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183672945134082530" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/R_AbFE6FGeI/AAAAAAAAAOI/DIzPi6NUmGU/s400/GoodHitch.jpg" border="0" />David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-12575448570153216052007-08-02T09:04:00.000-07:002007-08-02T09:22:55.268-07:00Mr. Bergman, even your ads were dark<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RrIEGzl2zoI/AAAAAAAAAN4/H7H2sm1xogA/s1600-h/Bergman.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094138643484167810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="370" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RrIEGzl2zoI/AAAAAAAAAN4/H7H2sm1xogA/s400/Bergman.jpg" width="346" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>If sad-vertising is about putting a focus on darker material, then it would be wrong not to mark the passing of Ingmar Bergman this week. I've spent summers on Bergman's home island of Gotland and I have many Swedish friends who feel this week they have lost their national grandad. I cannot think of a more influential Swedish artist than Bergman and today Gotland, and Sweden, must be in quite a strange mood.<br /></div><div>Speaking of mood, it's what Bergman was great at. All his films have a mesmerising darkness about them, an honesty about the futility and mortality of human existence. They can be tough going at times, but a Bergman film won't leave you feeling empty.<br /></div><div>And when I found out this week that Bergman had directed 9 soap ads in 1951 (9 of them! and some over a minute long! those were the days) I just had to see if bergman was into his sad-vertising. Well, I'm not fluent in Swedish and can't translate, but there does seem to be a little darkness to these ads... for example, check out the one below. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-be6yry1h4"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5094137758720904818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RrIDTTl2znI/AAAAAAAAANw/BFqR9DBVYf8/s400/Bergman+ad.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div>It's really quite impressive for 1951, lots of startlingly affecting archetypal images. You can see all the "Bris Soap" ads <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bris+bergman">here</a>.<br /><br />RIP Ingmar Bergman (1918 - 2007)<br /><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-25492440894848282322007-07-24T04:37:00.000-07:002007-07-24T12:37:50.814-07:00The First Sad-vertising War: Nike vs Adidas<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6efsOijFsPU"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090727756551343698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RqXl7Dl2zlI/AAAAAAAAANg/2Iskvod6q0k/s400/Hurt.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My chum Fransje found this beauty. <blockquote></blockquote><br /></div><div>Was a tad disappointed with "a little less hurt" as the resolution... but have come round to it. So I won't quibble. <blockquote></blockquote></div><div></div><div>It's brilliant... right up there with the David Beckham sob story by Adidas which the excellent <a href="http://scampblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/emotion-in-advertising.html">Scamp </a>covered a while back. <blockquote></blockquote></div><div></div><div>Hang on... do we have a sad-vertising war on our hands, between the two biggest sportswear brands on the planet?!? Not to mention Beckham vs. Ronaldo...from world-renowned smiles to grimaces... a real test for emerging acting talents. <blockquote></blockquote></div><div></div><div></div><div>Click on image below for the film. <blockquote></blockquote></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div></div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xCj3dPrkyY&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fscampblog%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F2007%2F03%2Femotion%2Din%2Dadvertising%2Ehtml"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5090847139462303330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RqZSgDl2zmI/AAAAAAAAANo/RHn10CotfBk/s400/Beckham.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-65869950805020603022007-07-11T18:06:00.000-07:002007-07-11T18:20:19.137-07:00Sadly blows the wind...On PSFK yesterday I came across a great little film/viral. And Henry Lambert felt it was another powerful example of sad-vertising. Well he could be right, it is a little heart-rending in places, this great deformed oaf not realising how irritating he is to humanity. But it's also really quite funny, a nice blend of emotions. But if the emotion doesn't get you, the cleverness of the idea well. Congrats to whoever deserves it on a beautiful, subtle, sensitively-observed piece.<br /><br />If only PSFK had got the link to my blog right and not sent countless miserables to the more slapstick unhyphenated version of sadvertising. Sorry, my namesake, I hope you can cheer them up.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mTLO2F_ERY"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086113144269480962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RpWA9ROgpAI/AAAAAAAAANQ/aIEpTgE6rSM/s400/The+Wind.png" border="0" /></a>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-38680935944866837722007-04-13T05:55:00.000-07:002007-04-13T09:18:32.215-07:00Planning announces itself in Sweden<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rh-MKX5T2dI/AAAAAAAAANA/IT7DlR0EYvI/s1600-h/Nationaldagen_flagga.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052911416773958098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="215" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rh-MKX5T2dI/AAAAAAAAANA/IT7DlR0EYvI/s400/Nationaldagen_flagga.jpg" width="295" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I absolutely love Sweden. I'm not entirely sure why... the brutal honesty of the people, the effortless style of everything they do, dark-haired girls who worry about their blonde roots showing ... whatever the reason, I am happiest when in Sweden. </div><div><br /> </div><div>And I've always thought how nice it would be to work there. But can the Swedish ad industry even sustain planners? <blockquote></blockquote><br /></div><div>Well, yes, it can and it does. And they've organised themselves into APG Sweden... coffee mornings, blogging, the whole shabang. So if you've got the urge to indulge in a little Svenske planning, you could do worse than check out <a href="http://apgsweden.typepad.com/apgsweden/docs/inenglish.html">APG Sweden</a>. <blockquote></blockquote></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5052919856384694754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rh-T1n5T2eI/AAAAAAAAANI/6a5Q7VlGzjY/s400/Swedish+coffee+morning.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>And if Scandinavia is too cold and perfect for you, but you still need some local insight, then <a href="claes@foxerus.com">Claes Foxérus </a>is your man. Claes is a 100% pure Swedish planner who is super-happy to traipse across Scandinavia and satisfy your every planning or marketing whim. What is more he is one of the lovely chaps behing APG Sweden - so he'd be just as super-happy to have you pop by to one of their coffee mornings. </div><br /><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-87691204540272331772007-04-09T12:03:00.000-07:002007-04-11T10:37:42.739-07:00100 Greatest Tearjerkers... and not an ad amongst them<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051508562067674130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RhqQRe3jVBI/AAAAAAAAAMw/xbK1ZTClU1I/s400/Kleenex.bmp" border="0" /><br /><div>A while back, Channel 4 did a programme on the <a href="http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/T/tearjerkers/100-91.html">100 Greatest Tearjerkers</a>. It's no surprise that not one brand communication made it to the list. What was surprising was that not one book or piece of music made it either... but then I suppose they don't make for great telly. </div><br /><div>Anyway, I haven't posted in over a month. And that must mean I've said almost everything there is to say about the opportunity for brands to be emotionally complex. However, I'm a verbose and opinionated soul, so it's not like I've nothing left to say in general. I think I'll follow the example of all other planners and broaden the scope of my blog. However, inspired by a recent debate as to whether blogging is killing planning, I won't compromise on substance. So no reviews of best door knobs, Wimpy's or places of silence in london... I promise. </div><br /><div>But so as to not stray too far at the outset, my first non-sadvertising post will be about emotion. And when I get round to it, I'd like to ask what we can do to optimise the emotional impact of the brand communications we make. What needs to change, what assumptions and practices are disabling us, and what if anything are we missing? </div><br /><div>Hopefully I'll get round to it before the next bank holiday, but sunny evenings aren't conducive to pouring over the future of brand communications. </div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051510357364003874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RhqR5-3jVCI/AAAAAAAAAM4/wMZI88oTbSo/s400/David+skriver+g%C3%A4stbok.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-61171914877846745582007-03-07T05:36:00.000-08:002007-03-07T05:52:22.351-08:00Lizard Love Story - sad or funny?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Re7C8V1MhwI/AAAAAAAAAMk/KEO0tUYlqUY/s1600-h/Lizard+Love.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5039179374982366978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Re7C8V1MhwI/AAAAAAAAAMk/KEO0tUYlqUY/s400/Lizard+Love.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>Ian MacDonald at JWT pointed me towards <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJxKtswYOGA">yet another "sad-vertisement" from Asia</a>, as covered by <a href="http://cmmnews.blogspot.com/2007/02/love-story.html">FishnChimps</a>. It's a lizard love story from Publicis, Thailand, and it's dripping with tragedy. FishnChimps describes it as "perverse and unusual with a twist of evil" but equally "fantastic" and "with some comically bad acting thrown in as a bonus". </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I like the ad, but I'm a bit of a purist. And I wonder if the comic rendering of this sad tale makes the ad all the less brave and less impactful. Personally, I think it's a million miles away from being perverse (although it is a damn sight braver than anything I've seen in the UK recently). </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>What do you think? Is this sad-vertising? Could it be done without the comedy? Do we only feel a cartoon empathy for the lizards? Or is it the real deal? </div><br /><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-17832178831035666322007-02-28T09:22:00.000-08:002007-03-01T05:30:53.323-08:00Two cries and a packet of crisps, please<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/ReW_bPyhwuI/AAAAAAAAAMM/YIm-MgK4YGw/s1600-h/crying_article.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036642233099600610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/ReW_bPyhwuI/AAAAAAAAAMM/YIm-MgK4YGw/s400/crying_article.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I came across <a href="http://www.tokyocube.com/lifestyle.php?subnav=leisure&feature=things&article=Japanese%20Crying%20Boom">this wonderful article </a>thanks to the ever-vigilant <a href="http://cubemate.blogs.com/cubemate/">Dan Ng</a>. </div><br /><div>It seems Japan has literally been wept away (forgive me) by a boom in tear-jerking novels, TV and film. People are clammering to experience poignant, sad and deeply affecting material and a small industry has sprung up to service the boom. No one knows why the Japanese are finding it so enjoyable to be sad - perhaps it's a journey of emotional self-discovery or maybe it's basic stress-release. But whatever the reason, crying is now one of the country's most popular pass-times. </div><br /><div>"Typically, the stressed businessman will travel to a café, in which they rent out an intimate room by the hour and watch a Tear Movie. After a sob, they feel refreshed and emotionally cleansed. Some prefer to watch with company so that they can share their feelings afterwards." </div><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036740884203422450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/ReYZJfyhwvI/AAAAAAAAAMY/qdyTWIK0yDA/s400/crying.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>And it's not just for stressed grown-ups. A leading animated series aimed at teenagers follows "a beautiful young girl who is dying of an incurable disease and explores her relationships with family and awe-inspiring outlook on life". <blockquote></blockquote>Lovely. And all I had as a teen was Hollyoaks and Byker Grove...<br /><br />Surely this Crying Boom can't simply be a foible of Japanese culture? I wonder if it will ever spread to the West? And I would love to know if Japanese ads have gotten more weepy since the boom began... let me know if you come across any. </div><br /><br /><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-75773763999965669552007-02-24T05:29:00.000-08:002007-02-25T03:45:09.844-08:00"Mom, my love for you will never be 'laid-of'".<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/ReBIhLjTG5I/AAAAAAAAALo/7mui7teM_qs/s1600-h/Crying+Mother.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035104118273940370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/ReBIhLjTG5I/AAAAAAAAALo/7mui7teM_qs/s400/Crying+Mother.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Over on the excellent blog of <a href="http://www.mb-blog.com/index.php/2007/01/29/happily-ever-after-the-case-for-sad-vertising/#comments">Nigel Hollis </a>(Millward Brown's Chief Global Analyst) the debate about sad-vertising continues. Praveen, a former MB colleague of Nigel draws our attention to this <a href="http://soapbox.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=b70a11a5-597d-4baa-ab48-fd011af0e8be">gorgeous Chinese 'sad'</a> for detergent (hurrah for another FMCG example). He writes..<br /><br />"Here’s an example of a successful ad for an FMCG brand using ‘a confusion of positive & negative emotions’ (as David calls it), though I’d say the dominant emotions are more negative.<br /><a href="http://soapbox.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=b70a11a5-597d-4baa-ab48-fd011af0e8be" target="_blank">http://soapbox.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=b70a11a5-597d-4baa-ab48-fd011af0e8be</a><br /><br />Diaopai is a local Chinese detergent powder brand, and in the late 90s used (very bravely, I feel) the scenario where factory workers were being laid-off.<br /><br />The underlying emotions in this ad are one of sadness, guilt and anger, which the laid-off mother faces as her child ‘grows up’ and does the washing, and then writes a note saying “mom, my love for you will never be ‘laid-off’”. Again, this is not a ‘purely’ negative ad as you can sense the feeling of pride and family bonding in the mother. And Diaopai acts as the catalyst for this bonding.<br /><br />Quite beautifully, they also managed to weave in a ‘value proposition’ into the product window where they talk about & show ‘using only a little’." </div><blockquote></blockquote><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035104985857334194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/ReBJTrjTG7I/AAAAAAAAAL4/UA4vPswTqPg/s400/Sympathetic+daughter.JPG" border="0" /><br /><strong>Predominantly negative, "extremely effective"</strong><br /><br />Praveen sums up...<br /><br />"The ad was extremely effective, and Diaopai captured nearly a third of the market, despite charging a slight premium over other brands."<br /><br />True to form, Nigel suggests that the ad does have a "positive resolution" because "we feel the mother's love at the end". Yes, there is a degree of resolution - if it was a piece of music it would be the kind of incomplete cadence that ends one movement and welcomes the beginning of another. If it was a film or a book, it would denote the ending of a chapter. But it does not feel like a full resolution. And it does not feel entirely positive either. We see an expression of the mother's stress and worry for her child's future. We see how close they are. At best we see catharsis. But their circumstances haven't changed - they were probably as close before and we have no reason to believe the mother won't remain unemployed.<br /><br />Resolution may have value. But this highly effective ad reminds us that resolution doesn't have to be complete. And nor does it have to be completely positive. <div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-30328087060514376202007-02-21T05:53:00.000-08:002007-02-21T06:11:26.890-08:00The sad life of a great pretender - new VW ad from DDB London<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdxSFbjTG3I/AAAAAAAAALQ/CEmva8M-u-0/s1600-h/The+great+pretender+1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033988736742005618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdxSFbjTG3I/AAAAAAAAALQ/CEmva8M-u-0/s400/The+great+pretender+1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It's lovely to be able to talk about sad-vertising from the UK... let alone from my own agency. So I proudly invite you to view <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIvARfHHI4k">the latest VW Golf ad</a>. And I challenge you not to feel a confusing mixture of eye-rolling hatred and humanising empathy for the main character. </div><br /><div>Lovely idea too... "the power of understatement". Congrats to all involved. </div><br /><br /><p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033989007324945282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdxSVLjTG4I/AAAAAAAAALY/a-AYG_OxpiU/s400/the+great+pretender+2.jpg" border="0" />David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-10961971876733040802007-02-17T07:15:00.000-08:002007-02-17T18:33:10.123-08:00Home Depot make Sads in the USA<blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><p></p><blockquote></blockquote><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5032527953940126514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdchgrjTGzI/AAAAAAAAAKg/i-8qvl7AZ6I/s400/nytlogo153x23.gif" border="0" /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdchlLjTG0I/AAAAAAAAAKo/6xufEoyhMi8/s1600-h/Home+Depot.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5032528031249537858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdchlLjTG0I/AAAAAAAAAKo/6xufEoyhMi8/s400/Home+Depot.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></p><p><a href="http://cubemate.blogs.com/cubemate/">Dan Ng </a>recently tipped me off that The New York Times had covered a new campaign by Home Depot in the USA which "taps into the weepy side of reality TV". <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/business/media/12adcol.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">The article</a>, by Stuart Elliott, describes the campaign as a cross between a reality TV series 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' and "commercials for Hallmark Cards"<br /><br />Elliott says <span style="color:#3333ff;">"the intense emotions generated by reality TV, as well as talk shows like </span><a title="More articles about Oprah Winfrey." href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/oprah_winfrey/index.html?inline=nyt-per"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Oprah Winfrey</span></a><span style="color:#3333ff;">’s, are largely because of their focus on so-called real people, prompting marketers like Frito-Lay, Geico, Home Depot and Sears to climb aboard the reality bandwagon".<br /></span><br />The <a href="http://video.on.nytimes.com/ifr_main.jsp?nsid=b50b7eac3:110d031f180:-1ce4&fr_story=5d7edb5abd91fe4a9e255f0b377f4eb51e4ba62d&st=1171726114525&mp=FLV&cpf=false&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;fvn=9&fr=021707_101427_50b7eac3x110d031f180xw411b&rdm=280719.155143762">lead ad </a>is especially weepy and involves a single mother:<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">“My name is Amy. Eleven years ago, I was a shy, new single mom, trying to just kind of make it on my own. When I bought the house, and I’ll try not to cry on this one, 15 days after I bought the house, my dad died.”<br />“He remodeled every house we lived in,” she adds, crying.</span><br /><br />Another ad involves an occupational therapist who's been helping her patient (who had suffered a brain anneurism) to remodel her home.<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">“It takes a lot of courage for someone to get back into their life again,” Tammy says of Phyllis, choking up. “Because of that, Phyllis will always be a hero to me.”</span> </p><blockquote></blockquote><p><br />You can see all the stories <a href="http://www6.homedepot.com/truestories/index.html?cm_mmc=True_Stories-_-Vanity-_-Homepage-_-Jan_2007">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5032530346236910434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rdcjr7jTG2I/AAAAAAAAAK4/JTT0cK5kFx0/s400/real+people.bmp" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5032530213092924242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdcjkLjTG1I/AAAAAAAAAKw/UAETkDne1ss/s400/Sue.jpg" border="0" /><br />Some of my English colleagues have found the ads a little over the top, perhaps even manipulative, breaking the implicit contract between consumer and seller (i.e. "I will watch your ad if you are straight with me and just tell me why I should buy the product"). But the Director of the ads, Jeff Bednarz, would defend against accussations of manipulation...<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">“I think people right now are looking for honesty,” Mr. Bednarz said of consumers, adding: “We are so educated now in watching TV that you know when someone’s being honest, when it’s coming from the heart. As long as you’re pure about it, and not trying to stage it, the honesty will come through.”<br /></span><br />I think this campaign is interesting. Although a British audience might need something more subtle, akin in tone to the BT ads that have aired in the last couple of years with the "modern" family. I could only find <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HJCrumJ1EQ">this example</a> which is cheery, crammed with product message and lacking in tension compared to the others. <blockquote></blockquote>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-78139506449031519512007-02-13T14:26:00.000-08:002007-02-14T16:08:55.833-08:00If you feel anything, vote...<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdI-KrjTGxI/AAAAAAAAAKM/BXIBYFTy9R4/s1600-h/sad%20face.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031152086936656658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 232px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 237px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="228" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RdI-KrjTGxI/AAAAAAAAAKM/BXIBYFTy9R4/s400/sad%2520face.jpg" width="189" border="0" /></a><br /><div>If you agree with anything on this blog.... or even if you hate the notion of sad-vertising but have enjoyed the debate (a lovely emotion hate) ... then you could do worse than go to the blog of <a href="http://russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/2007/02/january_voting.html">Russell Davies </a>and vote for Faris's post on "<a href="http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2007/01/the_dark_side_o.html">The Dark Side of Brands</a>" as post of the month for January. Faris is kind enough to mention my musings on sad-vertising, pairing it with some antipodean thinking on the matter and coming to his own interesting conclusions. </div><br /><div>As Faris points out, this has been a lovely experiment in blogging, collaboration, etc. So thank you Faris for the exposure... and here's to a little more :) <blockquote></blockquote></div><div></div><div></div><div>Also worth reminding everyone that <a href="http://scampblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/sad-vertising.html">Scamp </a>and <a href="http://www.mb-blog.com/index.php/2007/01/29/happily-ever-after-the-case-for-sad-vertising/">Nigel Hollis </a>also did superb posts on sad-vertising this month. And if four people post on the same thing in the same month... then surely collectively we've done a "post of the month"?</div><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-36235575861473828072007-02-11T09:37:00.000-08:002007-02-11T12:32:50.484-08:00"Emo"... the kids need an emotional fix<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030366881015601858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rc90BrjTGsI/AAAAAAAAAJM/w8oqRK0xB0E/s400/Am+i+emo.gif" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>Youth is wasted on the young. Free from decrepitude and regret, with a thousand possible lives ahead of them, you'd expect the young to be elated, hopeful, ambitious and dripping with anticipation. </div><br /><div>But they're not. The young are choosing to be sad. Reflective. Brooding. Emotional. </div><br /><div>And they're not doing it alone. This is not the passive, bedroom-bound emotion of solitude that has forever been a feature of adolescence. Instead this is a shared experience with it's own genre of music, code of behaviours and dress sense. "<strong>Emo</strong>" is both personal experience and badge of allegiance... performing the same function that Mod, Punk, Goth, Grungehead and Candy Raver have in previous editions of adolecence. </div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030366765051484850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rc9z67jTGrI/AAAAAAAAAJE/haBuffZe9fE/s400/emo1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Now the term "Emo" has been hanging round music for a while, but in the last few years it has been given a clear new meaning... <strong>the display of strong emotion</strong>. And this makes it quite unique as a muscial genre... because "emo" is not defined by a structure or style of music, but simply by the effect it has on the listener. If it evokes strong emotion, it's "emo"... so potentially this is a very large genre. For starters, check out <a href="http://www.mychemicalromance.com/">My Chemical Romance</a>, <a href="http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/">Death Cab for Cutie</a>, <a href="http://www6.thursday.net/thursday/home.php">Thursday</a>, <a href="http://www.jimmyeatworld.com/">Jimmy Eat World </a>and <a href="http://www.funeralforafriend.com/">Funeral for a Friend</a>. You might also want to explore "<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=screamo">screamo</a>" a new sub-genre of "emo". </div><br /><div>If you're not sure how you feel about the music, you can take <a href="http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=3535833573796675081">this test </a>to find out whether you're "emo" or not. But if "emo" gets your amygdala popping, then I highly recommend you drag your self-loathing down to <a href="http://www.feelinggloomy.com/main.html">Feeling Gloomy</a>... "the UK's only club night that brings you the saddest, most melancholy music known to man". I've been. It's great. </div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030365317647506082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rc9ymrjTGqI/AAAAAAAAAI8/_pB1Q1TMXRg/s400/gloomy_03.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>So if the kids are inviting gloom and sadness upon themselves, then surely brands that want to get close need to shroud themselves in melancholy? Yet I can't think of a single brand that makes "emo ads". Can it really be so hard to get a little brand loyalty out of a glum adolescent? </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030369350621797074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rc92RbjTGtI/AAAAAAAAAJg/DjffIV601io/s400/screamo-26579.jpg" border="0" /></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-82325055579978626692007-02-05T15:35:00.001-08:002007-02-07T11:46:26.261-08:00It's easy to do sad-vertising for insurance and telecommunications...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RcopJ9AbQ5I/AAAAAAAAAIw/hP8CoqiQWpM/s1600-h/Crying+Thai.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5028877184884491154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RcopJ9AbQ5I/AAAAAAAAAIw/hP8CoqiQWpM/s400/Crying+Thai.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>My colleague found these Asian ads on Youtube... lots of crying reported by all who've seen them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Life assurance... Thai style. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCHPWH-ZQ_k">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCHPWH-ZQ_k</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Orange mobile in Thailand. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4UZs4qFfiY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4UZs4qFfiY</a></div><div><br /></div><div>And a mobile network in the Philippines. </div><div></div><div></div><div><div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcOx0m4h80c">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcOx0m4h80c</a> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa3ILAeCOdY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa3ILAeCOdY</a><br /></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>So I'm left thinking, is it genuinely harder to do sad-vertising for FMCG? Or are we just so unused to it that it seems impossible? </div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div>I've seen it done really well... and I'll upload some mpegs if I can figure out how. </div><div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-18739970043645367382007-02-05T14:05:00.000-08:002007-02-05T14:35:33.559-08:00The nobility of melancholy... or... it's ok to be sad in Russia<div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5028179098037895666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 227px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 287px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="333" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RceuP82XwfI/AAAAAAAAAH0/sxScx5tfbIs/s400/bear.jpg" width="227" border="0" /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rceub82XwgI/AAAAAAAAAH8/g7U6CYDCNtc/s1600-h/coca-cola.jpg"></a><br />I watched a great documentary on Tchaikovsky the other night (clever old BBC4). Of particular interest was a brilliant concert pianist named Natascha. She spoke of Tchaikovsky's music being wonderful for its nobility, its tragedy and its melancholy. And with great pride she went on to say... "there are no happy bits in Russian music... ever". All that noble melancholy was apparently "in our genes".<br /><br />Now I have only limited knowledge of Russian culture, but what she says rings true… I can’t think of one book, one symphony, one pop song that is Russian and anything other than sad.<br /><br />I was reminded of a chat I had in the summer with Anton, the Head of Planning at McCann Moscow. He was very at home with the idea of sad-vertising and described a recent Coke ad that involved a bear and a sad story of some description. I forget the details, but a sad bear story is very different to what you might expect from Coke… and certainly not something you’d expect to find in American ads.<br /><br />You can see where I'm going... perhaps the appetite for emotionally complex ads is culture-bound? Consider the infinite rumours of different countries having different film endings. Napoleon Dynamite in the USA ends with a happy wedding... in Europe it ends with a non-descript and rather pathetic table-tennis match. </div><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5028181842521997858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 356px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 234px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="253" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rcewvs2XwiI/AAAAAAAAAIU/tcRDNFjBXMc/s400/napoleondynamite12801.jpg" width="366" border="0" /><br />I know emotion is universally experienced and expressed the same way, but the cultural filters that influence when and to what degree it’s permissible to express emotion, doubtless vary.<br /><br />So, I wonder which country is most fond of sprinkling negative emotions in with their positive?And which country makes the most sad ads?</div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-25634490865704324412007-02-01T15:58:00.000-08:002007-02-03T05:12:18.916-08:00Wagner says negative emotion without positive resolution can work<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RcNpbM2XwbI/AAAAAAAAAHE/Ih1FQNxiwzc/s1600-h/r_wagner.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026977525102264754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RcNpbM2XwbI/AAAAAAAAAHE/Ih1FQNxiwzc/s400/r_wagner.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last night I shared a few ales and a marvellous wide-ranging conversation with my friend Paul (not the photo above) and it really got me thinking afresh about the whole sad-vertising thing. As a result, I was writing blog entries in my sleep - so there should be plenty of new material posted here in the coming weeks!<br /><br />One question in particular continues to gnaw at me - can an ad which portrays / evokes only negative emotions, and which supplies no positive resolution, be effective? </span><a href="http://www.mb-blog.com/index.php/2007/01/29/happily-ever-after-the-case-for-sad-vertising/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Nigel Hollis </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">of Millward Brown thinks not - and it appears a quite reasonable argument - considering consumers who saw the Smirnoff ad, but not its positive resolution, he worries that they "may be left bewildered and upset?" And asks "can that be good for the brand?"<br /><br />But as you will know from previous posts I am not convinced that all negative is all bad. I've already listed a number of reasons for leaving the jury out on this question.... but until the matter is properly </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#000000;">addressed with further research, perhaps you will permit me a muscial analogy that helps me feel optimistic about the "all-negative" route...<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><em>[I beg foregiveness from all those without a notion about music, and double forgiveness from all who know their music better than I and can see my sweeping assumptions for what they are].</em> </span><br /><span style="color:#000000;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Right, a cadence is a a particular series of intervals or chords that ends a section of music. If you don't know what I mean, listen to a piece of music, and the last two or three chords of any section constitute a cadence. Cadences basically tell you when a piece of music is concluded, giving you a feeling of completeness and satisfaction in the process (think of Mozart and his gratuitous repetition of cadences at the end of his grandest works... you're left in no doubt that the piece, and the story, is 100% over and resolved). </span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026983739919942114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RcNvE82XweI/AAAAAAAAAHg/4iF0Qs4LQrg/s400/tristan_isolde_bodyimage.jpg" border="0" /><br />But then along comes Wagner who rather brattishly decides not to give his listeners the satisfaction of cadence completion. Throughout the whole of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_und_Isolde"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em>Tristan and Isolde</em> </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(the highest summit of music or incomprehensible garbage depending on <span style="color:#000000;">your critic of the time) Wagner uses "harmonic suspension" to create musical tension. This means the listener is exposed to a long sequence of unfinished cadences... and in the absence of nice, neat Mozart-like cadences, the audience is left gagging for a musical resolution that does not come. Tristan & Isolde is build-up with no delivery... excrutiatingly tense and frustrating, but incredibly engaging, involving and dramatic... no wonder this musical form became a staple in 20th century cinema scores. </span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, I wonder if a purely negative ad might work like harmonic suspension... a failure to deliver resolution that just leaves you emotionally entwined around the brand and desperate for more. It works for Eastenders (Britain's best soap opera which is all negative all the time... it doesn't stop middle-aged women sending off for Eastenders mugs).<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#000000;">And just as Wagner was denounced and misunderstood by many, perhaps the all-negative ad would only appeal to a discerning few? </span><br /><br /></span><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#000000;">A final point</span>... lack of resolution may leave it open to the consumer to interpret what has happened, what they have felt, what it means... and in an era where consumers define brands as much as marketing professionals... perhaps this is no bad thing?<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well next time I post on this all-negative all-the-time thing I hope to have a little more ammo than a musical analogy... but even if it is the case that an all-negative ad would just leave me feeling "bewildered and upset", the </span><a href="http://sad-vertising.blogspot.com/2007/01/admap-article-in-full-main-text-only.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">last paragraph of my Admap article </span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">suggests that could be quite a nice experience. </span></p>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-6174323475195459022007-01-31T06:12:00.000-08:002007-02-12T05:30:07.885-08:00The bug spreads: more great posts on sad-vertising...<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RcCx682XwaI/AAAAAAAAAG0/-S9yOkGymug/s1600-h/Smirnoff+Triple+Distilled.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5026212810470179234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RcCx682XwaI/AAAAAAAAAG0/-S9yOkGymug/s400/Smirnoff+Triple+Distilled.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>First of all, <a href="http://www.mb-blog.com/">Nigel Hollis</a>, the Chief Global Analyst of Millward Brown has opened a <a href="http://www.mb-blog.com/">dicussion </a>on his blog (I'm really chuffed that Millward Brown are showing such appetite for this debate... and such openness!). In response to the posts of the last week, Nigel begins by asking...</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">"Has Erik now become the savior of Millward Brown, or has he simply articulated our belief about how emotion works better than the rest of us?"</span></div><div><br /></div><div>He goes on to indicate his broad agreement with the principles of sad-vertising, but also underlines an important distinction that certainly warrants further debate... </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">"An ad that touches deeper emotions which resonate with the target audience will always be more effective than a “happy-talk” ad. There is, however, a very important distinction to be made between how we feel when we watch an ad and how we feel about the brand as a result of watching the ad."</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Citing my example of the Fly Fishing / J.R. Hartley ad, he says... </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">"The key point is that the narrative flow of the ad resolved my sadness and empathy into affirmation, just as David suggests it should. That’s what great ads do; they engage your emotions in a way that leaves you feeling better disposed toward the brand. The problem is, not every ad is a great ad. Not every ad resolves itself to leave you feeling affirmed, revived, or exhilarated. All too often ads which seek to utilize “negative” emotions end up turning people off the brand because they fail to close the loop."</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Now I still maintain that we cannot yet be 100% sure that "failing to close the loop" means people will be turned off by a brand. Yes, it is intuitively appealing to believe that negative emotion is ok as long as the resolution within the consumer is positive. People get this. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I worry that implicit within this is the belief that the ad itself must have a positive resolution. And in my paper I speed over a number of reasons to believe that negative emotion without positive reconciliation may be just as effective (mood congruity, the experiential similarity between postive and negative emotion, the example of tragedy, and motivational attractiveness to negative emotions in others). We can't know for sure, but it may be that purely negative ads can be effective for brands. </div><div><br /></div><div>And with a complex media strategy perhaps a brand could communicate negatively for weeks or months before finally offering a positive resolution... a true emotional journey, far greater than that possible in 30 seconds? Consider the Smirnoff Triple Distilled ad (pictured above) a sad tale covering a break up, adultery and a "positive" resolution which at first only came about if you pressed the "red button". </div><div><br /></div><div>So, to the more complex point about positive resolution having to occur within the consumer (if not in the ad). Well again this seems very sensible - I argued the point in my paper - but we cannot yet rule out the possibility that an unresolved negative emotion associated with a brand could be good for the brand. It's hard to fathom... I know... but let's remember the important distinction between complex social emotions (guilt, embarrassment, empathy) and base reptilian motivational emotions (e.g. fear).<br /></div><div></div><div>Take the Bisto ad made by McCann Erickson, London... it was beautiful, effective... but didn't it also leave a lot of parents feeling guilty? </div><div><br /></div><div>Secondly (a long way down for a second point I know) <a href="http://farisyakob.typepad.com/blog/2007/01/the_dark_side_o.html">Faris </a>posted some lovely stuff on sad-vertising and the Dark Side of brands yesterday. Check it out, he echoes the above with his discussion of brands functioning to reconcile complex opposites and talks about the thinking of his Australian chum. All quite fittingly adding to the complexity of this matter.</div><div></div><div>And given Faris's prominence in the blogosphere it has led to some nice coverage here... <a href="http://if.psfk.com/if/index.php">http://if.psfk.com/if/index.php</a> ... thanks for being so popular mate!</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Phew... I think all this warrants a PhD. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-46144110781541718682007-01-29T10:45:00.000-08:002007-01-30T09:22:20.370-08:00Erik Du Plessis, Millward Brown, joins me on the Dark Side<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rb3z1s2XwYI/AAAAAAAAAGc/3lrKOVEbfEc/s1600-h/Luke+&+Darth.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025440863113167234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rb3z1s2XwYI/AAAAAAAAAGc/3lrKOVEbfEc/s400/Luke+%26+Darth.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Who says blogging isn't good for planning?<br /><br />Last week, what started as <a href="http://scampblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/sad-vertising.html">a blog-posting about sad-vertising</a>, led me to having a full and frank email discussion with Erik Du Plessis of Millward Brown about the merits of negative emotion in advertising.<br /><br />And guess what… where originally I had considered Erik and Millward Brown to be firmly against negative emotion, it seems we are now in agreement that negative emotion can lead to powerful and effective advertising.<br /><br />This is Erik’s last note to me; including an important warning on the dangers of using negative emotion gratuitously, and a hypothetical illustration with a brand I work on...<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">“Hi David, I can only agree with your last comment that we need to simplify, and not over-simplify, the issues about emotion.<br /><br />Up to 1995 the general view has been the D’escartian view that emotion is the antithesis of rationality. (E.g. “Be rational, not emotional, about this). Everything has changed with Damasio’s book “Descartes’ Error”. Along with LeDoux a new paradigm has come about. Mostly being discussed only from 2000 onwards.<br /><br />This leaves us with a situation where much of the pre-1995 work on emotion should be questioned against the new paradigm. Remember that this work was undertaken by only a few psychologists without the benefit of the new paradigm.<br /><br />I think all of us at Millward Brown will agree that we still have a lot to learn about measuring emotions, and we are investing a lot of time in this. From what I have seen our approach is probably the best, at this stage. I believe we can learn a lot from debates like you have initiated with your paper, and your Blogg. At a minimum you are raising questions, hopefully you might even come up with solutions.<br /><br />This is one reason I prefer to talk at conferences where there are creatives, planners and clients; rather than researchers.<br /><br />Onto another point: I am impressed by the depth you have read my book to be quoting it at me, and yes, I might have been unclear, or simply wrong.<br /><br />Negative emotions are as (if not more) important for survival as positive emotions. Thus, as far as the attention role of emotions you will give attention to things that cause strong negative or positive emotions. This makes for powerful advertising.<br /><br />As far as the second role of emotions is concerned – setting up a pre-disposition – you might find that negative emotions sets up a negative predisposition, and this is the danger of gratuitous sadvertising.<br /><br />I can see that showing people dying as a result of eating Marmite will get attention, but I really doubt that it will do the brand any good. The same ad execution showing people dying but this time because they did not eat Marmite brand might be more effective. Both would probably classify as sadvertising.<br /><br />Thanks for giving me space on your Blogg. Erik.”<br /></span><br /><br />So with Erik on side, we can now be optimistic (if that is the right word?) about the future of sad-vertising. Let’s hope his authority will help breed optimistic clients too.</div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-76510341981450006862007-01-24T15:00:00.000-08:002007-01-29T05:11:05.569-08:00Other sad-vertising proponents<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rbj1jM2XwWI/AAAAAAAAAGE/l8JPyJZYHUA/s1600-h/HARTLEYjr.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5024035369425289570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/Rbj1jM2XwWI/AAAAAAAAAGE/l8JPyJZYHUA/s400/HARTLEYjr.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div>Some other great writings on sad ads came to light after Scamp's post this week.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pinkair.com/2006/07/mad_sad_glad.html">http://www.pinkair.com/2006/07/mad_sad_glad.html</a><br /><a name="c116954609910749060"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://media.guardian.co.uk/advertising/story/0,,1724184,00.html">http://media.guardian.co.uk/advertising/story/0,,1724184,00.html</a></div></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1472639339388950721.post-44860697940064589772007-01-24T14:34:00.000-08:002007-01-25T10:19:13.582-08:00Millward Brown: A New Hope?<span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RbiR382XwUI/AAAAAAAAAFw/KkJG1LCYIx0/s1600-h/book_wlogo.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5023925774744797506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_P-AJWE7QQ6Q/RbiR382XwUI/AAAAAAAAAFw/KkJG1LCYIx0/s400/book_wlogo.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#333333;">Scamp posted a lovely piece this week on sad ads and followed it up with some flattering coverage of my sad-vertising article. Yet again, why is it that creatives are first to engage the power of sad-vertising?<br /><br />And then yesterday, </span><a href="http://www.scampblog.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Scamp was contacted by Erik Du Plessis of Millward Brown </span></a><span style="color:#333333;">(the arch villain of the piece if Scamp's "hssss"-ing and Darth Vader pictures are to be heeded). Why a villain? Well apart from Millward Brown having no doubt commited many atrocities on Scamp's ideas over the years, I kind of made Erik out to be the bad guy in my ADMAP article. Well Erik isn't really sad-vertising's nemesis, and if he's Darth Vader, then that makes me Luke Skywalker... and why would Luke be defending the Dark side?<br /><br />Have a look at what Erik had to say about sad-vertising and then I'll respond below... </span><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#ff6666;"><span style="color:#3333ff;">"Hi Scamp, I was not sure how to use your comments block (no send button) so I thought I will mail direct. I also do not find David Boneys address – you might be able to forward this.<br /><br />I am Erik du Plessis, from Millward Brown (hssss). I don’t think I mentioned that I am against advertising that raises a negative emotion. In fact I am a great one for advertising that raises an emotion, any emotion.<br /><br />The Maxwell tape ad on David’s blogsite is a very good example of using emotion in advertising (or sadvertising). Emotion has two functions: getting attention and setting a framework inside which the message is interpreted. Sadvertising can do both, and often more effectively than Gladvertising.<br /><br />I would warn against Gratuitous negative emotions in an advertisement, but then I think gratuitous positive emotion has a similar problem. My view is that there must be emotion in an advertisement, and hopefully compatible with the product.<br /><br />Congrats to David on his paper in ADMAP."</span><br /></span></em></div><div><br /><span style="color:#333333;">Well I just posted this response on Scamp's blog...</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">"Well if Erik Du Plessis is Darth Vader then he must have sympathy with the Dark Side.<br />I'm really heartened we seem to be on the same side now. For the record, my take on Erik's and Millward Brown's attitudes towards negative emotion are based on his book "The Advertised Mind" which anyone would be forgiven for interpreting as being firmly against negative emotion. </span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">Here's a quote...<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">"We are all programmed to seek out the positive and shun the negative. So it goes without saying that the emotions an ad generates in us needs to be positive ones".<br />Granted Erik acknowledges in the book that emotion is a "difficult" concept, but it does seem his views have moved on in the last couple of years.<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">Millward Brown should be congratulated for trying to get to grips with measurement of emotional responses to ads. And if Millward Brown's methods for testing sad-vertising are a not as honed as they could be (I think I recall a list of 16 emotional states that do not include a fair representation of complex social emotions) then I'm sure under Erik's influence things will improve.<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#3333ff;">The biggest challenge is drawing clients away from a "positive or nothing" approach to creative. And if Erik and MB can help us push clients out of their comfort zone, then the main barrier against truly moving ads will have been lifted."<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="color:#333333;">Emotion is really a complex issue and will never be addressed if we get hung up on creating opposing sides for the sake of it. The biggest danger to good thinking in advertising is over-simplificiation. People love simplicity... but as Einstein said (I think it was Einstein) ... "An idea should only be as simple as possible, and no simpler"... and if we simplify emotion too quickly, we'll make mistakes. </span></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><span style="color:#000099;"></span></div>David Bonneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16322739152840352912noreply@blogger.com0