Found this via Ernie Schenck- (who still has no clue what trackbacks are).
And while it’s hip jargon in the stratosphere of advertising to say something like “your strategy is showing” as if that’s a bad thing- I always fall back to Ogilvy’s famous line about the consumer not being a moron- but your mother. Mom understands she’s being sold to- she knows it’s an ad- and strategy or no strategy showing it comes to Howard Luck Gossages classic quote “People don’t read ads, they read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.”
So, flaunt your strategy for all I care- just make sure it’s interesting. I liked the definition of what “creative work should” do- (and note- the spelling isn’t wrong- it’s just a Brit talking)
adliterate: Too damn right my strategy is showing
Creative work should engage people, provide an emotional connection, build memorability, invite people to join the conversation, absorb them in the moment, build emotional desire and all of those wonderful things that it does. But it should also dramatise the strategy.I can’t for the life of me think why you wouldn’t want your strategy showing unless of course it is so lifeless and limp that 10,000 volts wouldn’t bring the bloody thing to life.
If that is the case then burying it under layers of creative artifice and never speaking of it again is the least you can do.
Our definition at The Next Wave of strategy is even shorter: Create lust • Evoke trust™ and that’s what drives us. No matter what you do in the realm of marketing- always remember, keep it interesting- no price and product laundry lists, or simple feature lists- not unless you want to pay for those 10,000 volts to keep it alive in the customers mind.
What do you think?