Advertising media

I've always been fascinated not only by creativity but by the creative process. I think sometimes we think that a designer will get it right in first sketch, the writer gets it right in first draft, the ad copywriter always uses the first idea. Sometimes of course it is all serendipity, the planets collide and the genius flows when it needs to. Everyone's different, every process moves in mysterious ways. Sometimes the genius happens in asking the right questions and illumination from gaining the right answers.

Take advertising for example. It's a beautiful thing if we see an ad that 'works', that talks to us, the tells us a story we want to hear. Sometimes of course, as with any art form, an ad can just be admired for the sheer craft, the sheer proper work that goes into it.

A few years ago, the soft drink Sprite was re-launching in Ireland. The ad agency McCann was appointed to run it and set about conducting some research. They spoke to some young target-market lads, aged 18-23 in a focus group, and this is roughly how it went:

Q: How do you get around, how do you travel?
A: Bus

Q: Do you sit or stand, upstairs or downstairs?
A: Sit, upstairs, probably near the back

Q: And what do you do from there?
A: Chat to each other, play games and look outside when we come to bus-stops, looking at girls.

Q: What else are you into, how do you spend your time? What tv programmes do you watch?
A: Love the Simpson's. Like seeing graffiti marques around town.

As part of the campaign, an ad appeared sometime later. It was on the roof of bus shelters through main cities. The pic is just a random un-advertising space bus shelter roof to illustrate the thinking process - you look out the bus window and having focus-grouped as above, you see the potential. You have the creative vision to imagine a great ad appearing in a functional, mundane space. The ad then, went something like this, in jaunty, trendy font, with a bottle of Sprite placed to the right.

At last!!!! We've found somewhere that can't be grafitti'ed

So far, so focus group, we can see where the influences have come into play. A couple of weeks later though, they grafitti'ed the ads with a special marque, and spraypainted 'D'oh'. Listening to the audience to create a great ad, then getting the media choice and the placement spot on. When it works, it works.