Battle of Big Thinking part 3: Marketing is arse; Fighting mediocrity; action-based advertising
Wednesday saw the APG’s Battle of Big Thinking. The third session covered big advertising and marketing ideas. For me it was the most entertaining of the five sessions.
Speaker: Geoff Ross, founder of 42 Below vodka
Topic: Marketing is a bunch of arse
Quote: “Marketing has largely become impotent. And worse than that, it’s become bloated, expensive impotency.”
His argument:
Ross built 42 Below into a brand that he sold to Bacardi for $138m in the space of four years. But he argued that if he had followed conventional marketing wisdom, it would never have happened.
He previously worked in advertising. He said: “I was in love with advertising for many many years but I was starting to get frustrated, possibly even angry. I was angry with clients because I wanted them to take risks. I was firmly of the view that they needed to take risks in order to succeed.
“In my view, advertising is completely in a quagmire, multiple layers, pre-testing, post-testing. In the end nothing good is going to survive.”
But he argued: “New Zealand and Australia are better positioned to do something about this than any other country in the world. We’ve looked up to the Unilever, P&G, Coke way of doing things, which is slowing us down.
“Life is full of risk and the bigger the risk, the bigger the return.”
He argued that brands should start setting more ambitious goals rather than looking for, say, a 4% uplift. “We need to think we can radically change a category.”
He also argued that brands can stand for far more things to consumers than marketers believe. “Brands have heaps more stretch than you think.”
And he called for more action. “Strategy is good but doing things is better.”
And he warned against relying on testing ideas with consumers. He said: “Don’t ask people who are not really thinking about your brand. You are asking the wrong people.”
My take:
You can’t argue with his success. However, the question is whether taking big risks works as well for big, established brands.
Speaker: Richard Sauerman, motivational speaker
Topic: Removing barriers to growth
Quote: “We are trapped in mediocrity and you don’t even fucking know it.”
Before playing a video of a streaker, he told the audience: “As we grow up we manage all the mystery, content and spontaneity out of our lives.”
Railing against advertising regulations, he said: “If you can make a commercial that’s awesome and some fucking granny in the hills complains about it, there’s a chance it can be banned. You don’t like it, fuck off.”
From Sauerman’s YouTube channel (hat-tip: Katie Chatfield)
My take:
Sauerman’s presentation – pacing around the stage, shouting, swearing – was easily the most entertaining of the afternoon. However, his argument went not much more than a very motivating exhortation to not settle for mediocrity
Speaker: Jon Wilkins, Founding Partner, Naked Communications
Topic: Advertising’s central premise is dead
Quote: “We’ve got ourselves into a position where most advertising is a waste of time and money.”
Wilkins’ argument was that many successful recent campaigns – his examples included Best Job In The World, Naked’s Ask Richard campaign for FBi Radio and the Barack Obama campaign – have reversed the usual advertising process. So instead of starting at the bottom of the pyramid – beginning by raising awareness, then moving on to interest, then desire, then action – consumers are invited to take an action at the beginning.
He said: ‘We need to shift insight into action . Any action that you can generate is effective, whether it’s pressing a red button or scanning a QR code.”
My take:
Wilkins’ presentation generated the most pub talk for me this week, and helped remind me why Naked were different in the first place
My vote: Jon Wilkins
The audience winner: Richard Sauerman
Tim Burrowes
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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It’s easy to exhort the need for marketers to take bigger risks, but the reality of larger businesses is that marketing doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Radical ambition to reinvent a category is fine is you are a challenger brand fighting for share, but if a brand is a market leader in any category, it will be bloody hard to convince a CEO, board, shareholders, channel partners, the trade or loyal customers that radical change is a good thing.
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Have to agree with you Tim, take away the theatrics of Richard and looking at the content (shame about the daft power point preso) I found Jon’s argument incredibly compelling.
Would also like to add that the event whilst it had its down moments was a fantastic success and cannot wait for the next instalment.
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Very true Craig – great to see these kind of events popping up more in Australia. I appreciate that it’s hard to replicate the kind of scale and caliber that US and UK events have – I think we all get a little jaded watching TED talks and the like. There is, however, something very special about actually being present and involved with this kind of thing… getting together with other interesting folk, enjoying the juxtaposition of different perspectives, and just taking the time to engage with the ideas.
Let’s have some more!
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Agree with Dean Harris. It’s all well and good to present that talk to a group of marketers to get them charged/ make them feel inadequate, but try being the marketer who has to present that back to the Powers That Be in the company they work for. Fastest way to get your budget cut, I reckon. Sorry to be cynical, I’d like to believe we could all be radical (ALL THE TIME!!!) but in my experience CEO’s et al want to see strategy and a clear return on investment. Re: the quote “Any action that you can generate is effective, whether it’s pressing a red button or scanning a QR code” – yes but measurable sales (!) would be more compelling.
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Mediocrity is the enemy — in life, in the workplace, in advertising, in everything. It seems to me therefore that my argument is fundamental to everything we are and do. And if that message left anyone feeling inadequate, that’s because your self-image is “I am inadequate”; just another one of the glass houses that contains and constrains us. My message was in fact a positive call to action, not a criticism. And it wasn’t trivial either. I just walked the talk by delivering my message the way I did. It’s called being “on brief”.
As for ‘the powers that be’, I work with them every day – not just in marketing, but right across the business, in all areas – and their appetite for transforming their people, business and brand is huge.
By the way, I never once used the word “radical”. This is your [Dean] interpretation. I suggested that the antidote to mediocrity might be being “extraordinary” or “remarkable”, not being “radical”. “Radical” is a negative word, that verges on hysteria, and is your attempt to undermine the validity of my big idea. “Too radical” is another glass house, by the way. How much money do you think Lady Gaga made just last night? There’s your business case for being ‘radical’ [should you require one].
Cheers and thanks for your opinions. Richard 🙂
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Hi Richard,
I’m not against being “remarkable” or even “radical” for that matter. You’ll also find no disagreement from me in regard to the tyranny of mediocrity.
My point is simply this, in some cases, arguing and justifying a case for change is considerably more difficult when a brand leads that market.
That’s not to say market leaders should sit on their hands. Indeed any leading brand that wants to continue to lead, must embrace change. It’s just a matter of deciding what, when and how to change, so a brand doesn’t leave its’ customers – the most important of the “powers that be”, scratching their heads.
Have a remarkable weekend!
Cheers
Dean
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By extension, if all marketers miraculoulsy overnight forewent their ‘4% mediocrity’ routes and chased (and achieved) a 25% return, wouldn’t 25% become the new 4%? Fact is, most businesses, stakeholders and shareholders are happy to bank consistent single-digit annual returns rather than risk their capital on a 25% return that may pay-off on a one-in-ten basis. We call it human nature.
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“Human nature” indeed. Which is exactly the point I was making; and the fact that you cannot see how limiting that is [fish are the last ones to recognise water]. Your reasoning has turned you into a domesticated pussy cat, and so I invite you to forgo what you think is right, open up your mind and heart, and wake up your tiger. Or not. The choice is yours. You are, after all, the CEO of your own life. 🙂
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Indeed I am the CEO of my own life Richard, and it’s a life I really enjoy. Kayaking in Antartica last month was just amazing – mind you sleeping on the ice was pretty chilly. I enjoyed summiting Mt Kilimanjaro last July. Kokoda was an amazing experience too. I’m looking forward to Mt. Aconcagua next. If that’s mediocrity I’ll bank it any day.
See you at the summit!
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Mighty impressive, and somewhat remarkable. Good on you. Richard 🙂
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Thank you Richard, but hardly remarkable – maybe a tad out of the ordinary.
Many people tell me I am crazy for doing such things – it would be too much of a stretch for them. From my perspective these are just great adventures to interesting places that I happen to enjoy.
My point is that just because I happen to like out-of-the way places, does not mean that I expect my friends to go climb mountains or trek through jungles just because I like to. I respect that they are very content to holiday on a beach somewhere – just like I respect the views you espoused. My idea of ‘mediocrity’ is someone else’s idea of a trip of a lifetime, while my idea of a holiday is most people’s idea of insanity. Who is correct? We all are – it’s all a matter perspective, and respecting those different perspectives.
Which reminds me. I’ve promised my wife that our next “holiday” is NOT in -20C up some mountain! I’d better start looking at booking Port Douglas!
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