Media agency PHD tells brands: Up your game
Media agency PHD has launched a provocative two minute video telling brands to “up their game” before the impending upheaval they face at the hands of the next generation of consumers.
The piece – featuring kids describing their future media consumption habits entitled “We Are The Future” – has been released to mark the 21st birthday of PHD, originally founded in the UK as Pattison Horswell Durden.
PHD launched in Australia in 2008. Last December managing partner Mark Holden departed to take up the role of global strategy director at PHD.
The agency said of the video: “More than an ad, it is a provocation and an invitation to the marketing industry to ‘up their game’. In less than 10 years, the next generation will be a true match for marketers. This film is intended to be a wake-up call for the marketing community. To make them get ready. Things are about to get a whole lot more difficult.”
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Will we also have hoverboards and jackets that dry at the touch of a button?
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While I agree with most of the ideas here, it’s got to be said these creepy little bullies from the future are not terribly likeable.
Is it just me, or did you hear echoes of the Simpson’s pastiche of Wyndham’s Midwich Cuckoos?
Every line may as well have been them saying in unison (in dreadful RP accents):
“we know all your secrets…”
Thanks for the chills, PHD.
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Cathie … Snap! I referenced Village of the Damned too in a comment I made elsewhere.
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How misguided and short-sighted to think that in ten years, ‘ecommerce’, ‘API’ and ‘app’ will have any meaning, and that data aggregator companies will enjoy the same important status as they do now.
Smacks of old-world thinking trying desperately to remain insightful and relevant.
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LOL. Reminds me of ‘things real people don’t say about advertising’.
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Bah. My bet is that these (recycled from Benetton) eight year old children will be too busy enjoying ‘Ow! My Balls!’ in a decade for any such demands.
These children are fortunate they had a (too clever by half) Gen X to write their lines.
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Kids from the future, speaking words from today, trying to scare the clients from yesterday? Please.
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Would have been more interesting if the kids weren’t delivering scripted and rehearsed lines. More insightful perhaps if it was a collage of insightful thoughts from kids about the future? Or maybe they just didn’t have any.
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VO: Consumers told us they wanted [client brief or hoby-horse goes here]
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In the future, all children will be middle-class and accompanied by twee guitar muzak.
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Nice try – but consumers/kids/tweens/teens/adults/mums are doing this already
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Easy to pick holes in but it is thought provoking enough and isn’t that the point?
Yes, if you look back at this in 2021 on your iPhone you may well cringe at the minimal predictions that are actually in this but the fact is, that in the main, those (creepy) kids were talking as much about now as the future.
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I think these kids sound really cool – id hire them. Expect i could pay them $7.50 an hour and get them to make me coffee
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Don’t they know that in 10 years time our robot overlords will be using us as power cells?! Watson is just the beginning!
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pity the kids in the video will likely be poor students with little disposable income in 10 years time.
I look forward to the video on marketing to the over 50s who control the lions share of wealth and spending power…….i won’t hold my breath, that wouldn’t be nearly as cool
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Send them all to their room with out internet.
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Okay enough of this over-cerebral sh*tting on other peoples work… How creepy is the chic with braces and the guy with the prepubescent tache!? That’ll keep me up tonight.
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These kids are just SO progressive and different that they are willing to read verbatim from an auto-cue. Yep … super-compliant … be very scared.
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Hmm theres an idea…phd would probably cost it at a cpc “Cost per Coffee”
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Will the iphones of 2021 be water resistant?
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I think this is a very thought provoking video. Some of these thoughts that have been provoked include:
How many 10 year old kids use the word “confound”?
and…
How many 10 year old kids do I know who go about comforting current day digital media practitioners with such sage advice as… “Don’t worry, you’ll offset the cost by on-selling any leads to those data aggregator type companies”.
There are some good insights in this video that hopefully do make some marketers stop and think. But take heed oldies, the last time I took a ten year old’s advice, I ended up spending the best part of a Saturday at the pinny parlour eating bubblegum ice-cream and sticking temporary tattoos on my shoulder while shooting the bejesus out of some poor animated moose.
Might have worked better as a musical.
Seriously.
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Cringe worthy.
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Intrusive but rewarding
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Well, Well, look at all the grumble-bums who want to put down this ad. Is that because you too, are lacking in marketing for the future or having trouble keeping up with the present? I’m Gen Y and all i do is look to the younger generation for innovation who are more up to date than you will ever be. Stop being that annoying grown up that you hated when you were 17 and thinking that you know everything. Perhaps, just for once, is it possible that the younger generation has alot to tell us – regardless of who this ad was written by or how relevant it will be in 10 yrs. It has a point and if you are already marketing in this way, then you’ve got nothing to worry about!
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We’re all doooomed! Doomed!
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Lauren G, time to grow out of your teen angst. People have been singing “The Kids are alright” for over 50 years now, don’t jump on the bandwagon.
Listen to the Salad!
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