Earworms, HS2 and Psychological Safety for Creativity
What did we learn from Advertising Week Europe? Beyond the fact we’d have died immediately in Squid Games (kudos to Netflix for a great activation) and that Lemar hasn’t aged a bit in 20 years (yes, it is a bit weird for an advertising festival to have so many early ‘00s pop stars speaking, but they certainly still seem able to pull in the crowd)?
But we’re not here to talk celebs really. We at Brave Spark went along to a number of talks at Advertising Week Europe earlier this month (well, it’s quickly become one of the industry’s biggest UK festivals, it’s important to us to ensure that as many of the team is inspired with fresh insight as possible and it’s literally a five-minute walk from our Covent Garden office, it’s a no brainer really). And we picked up a whole bunch of little sparks from some of the best in the business. Here’s one thing that each of us in attendance learned from the event, and could help you navigate this tumultuous industry for the rest of 2024 and beyond…
Ask a different question
The festival started on a high. The very first talk was absolutely one of the best of all, as industry legend Rory Sutherland urged everyone to up their ambitions to even the most basic of briefs. Context changes everything, he explains – for example, how would Disney have tackled the brief for HS2? They wouldn’t have focused on making the journey time 20 minutes faster, they’d have made the journey itself part of the experience. Or they’d have looked at creating reasons for people to stay in Manchester, instead of heading down to London as often as they do. Or they’d rally against the alternative – “how can we make people feel like a twat for taking a car?” he pondered. Starting with a different question is what creativity is all about… and Rory gave us an important reminder.
Leena Keshishian & Charlotte Fox, creatives
Psychological safety for creativity
Lots of talk about diversity of thought at the festival – and rightly so. And I really liked hearing about McCann London’s commitment to creating psychological safe spaces for creativity, which allows creative briefs to be taking out of traditional spaces and allowing for an environment where employees can come together and share knowledge, expertise and insights to help fuel and spark conversations that bring bigger and better ideas to life. This space for diversity of thought and the free-flow of conversation means teams can sense-check and sensitivity-check work more effectively and encourage greater collaboration and bolder ideas from the off.
Natasha Bannister, senior project manager
Stop talking, show action
On the subject of diversity, I’m always interested to see whether it’s all just bluster and empty promises, or whether agencies and brands are finally moving on from just talking about diversity and starting to actually showcase what they’re doing to make it happen. Because as we know and as was reiterated at the festival, ‘creativity is a consequence of diversity’. I still worry we’re at a stage where there’s not enough action – and so I’d like everyone to live by the line shared by the brilliant Nishma Patel Robb in her session: when it comes to inclusivity “don’t laminate it, live it.”
Rita Diria, business director
OOH is BACK
How often do you hear a talk at a festival declaring ‘X channel isn’t dead – in fact it’s bigger than ever’ (unless you’re actually talking about ‘X’, which is dying the most painful and toxic of deaths)? But I was left convinced by a panel on the future of Digital Out of Home, which has moved OOH from a top of funnel medium to an action and decision-making channel too. Retailers like Marks & Spencer are doing some really interesting things with Programmatic DOOH and it’s no surprise that CMOs have recently stated that they currently see OOH as offering more innovative creative opportunities than other media. Marry these clever new tactics with those big, bold, fast-reaching builds (and, dare I say it, some of the faux OOH executions that open up even further conversation) and I’m convinced that the future of the discipline is indeed bright.
Matt Williams, new business & marketing director
Rekindle the jingle
Speaking of ‘things that aren’t dead’… it’s time to reinforce the power of the earworm. We’ve all heard those maddeningly catchy jingles or slogans – and one talk I went on how brands can be more memorable took us on a nostalgic journey discussing ads like Sugar Puffs (you know the one) and Jaffa Cakes (you’ve definitely reenacted ‘full-moon half-moon total eclipse’ when eating one). But for whatever reason, the industry has neglected such winning brand memory triggers. Let’s embrace earworms again – but also, let’s consider what other senses can be heightened or played with to trigger reactions. Müller did it last year with their Magic Eye illusions campaign, embracing a sensory playfulness – and I’d love to see more.
Sahar Amer, art director
Know your (queer) audience
Outvertising are a volunteer-led organisation aiming to make marketing LGBTQIA+ inclusive. And I was fascinated by their session, which revealed that a recent YOUGOV poll showed that 56% of young people do not identify as heterosexual. Meaning, a big part of our audience are predominantly queer.
Who knew that gay/bisexual men’s favourite brand is Pringles? Who knew that Irn-Bru was such a big hit in the lesbian community? But it’s important to consider. And look, no piece of work is perfect. There is always going to be criticism. But if you represent the queer community with good intentions, the support will be there. It’s worth checking them out.
Margaux Dalgleish, copywriter
