What business are we in? Seems like a strange question, but it’s an important one… and relates to a trend that’s crept up on me (and the industry) in recent years.
When I started in agencies (pause while people leave the room), advertising – across all forms, including BTL – was creative, maverick, exciting, even glamorous. We had the opportunity to create famous campaigns with clients who were prepared to invest in work that could truly shift the dial – on awareness, sales, and brand performance.
We worked in advertising and were proud of it. And we made ads.
But here’s the thing. Never once do I remember anyone talking about “assets.” Or “content.” Not even “deliverables”. We made ads, not assets.
There’s a big difference. Assets should, by definition, be things of value, but in reality, they’re often treated as low-value items, churned out to order.
And just like that, we find ourselves in the asset delivery business. Assetising, not advertising. And that business is significantly less creative, interesting, effective – and certainly less fun.
I recall an article that the wonderful Dave Trott wrote back in 2015.
So there it is: we’re in the shipping business. That’s what happened to what we used to call "the idea". The idea has become whatever goes into the box: just content. It could be anything, it’s not important.Dave Trott
His point was well made. Our industry has become obsessed with exciting new delivery systems, whilst the content (what goes in the containers) hardly matters.
I’ve seen this many times. I recall agonising over a short film for a consumer product. The client demanded multiple amendments, and it was weeks before they finally gave us sign-off. The film was to run in ads on social media, and the client suggested we “put £100 a day behind it and let’s see how it does after a week.” No kidding.
Of course, I could have told them the answer and saved them £700… whilst it may grab some likes, it’d have close to zero effect on sales. The client was, sadly, unreceptive. ‘Assets’ allow marketers to run campaigns for very little money and demonstrate results, no matter how superficial they may seem.
It was an asset, and assets cause people to think small.
A good start would be to remove the list of deliverables and assets from our creative briefs. Start by working on a problem before worrying about the containers. Start with the most important thing – what Graham Fink once called an Interactive Developed Essential Argument.
Better known as an I.D.E.A.
We focus first and foremost on ideas – on what goes into the trucks. Call it whatever you like, but ultimately, we create work that works. And as we all know deep down, if it’s a great idea, all good things follow.
If you like to talk about ads rather than assets, call us – or even pop in for a cuppa.
