The sad normality of the grey rainbow
Quiet, innit?
I don’t know about you, but to me, 2011 seems to be shaping up to be year number five in the UK advertising slack streak.
But what seemed worrying a couple of years ago has now become the status quo. It’s been five years since the Gorilla put away his drumsticks. Yes, there have been a few very good ads, but nothing truly great.
And I worry that that means the spinning of the vicious circle continues: crap ads get made, the standard falls, the best ads of the year are less good, clients and creatives are less inspired, crap ads get made…
So there is absolutely no reason to stop it and anyone who tries will be a lone voice in the wilderness.
It feels a little like we’re looking out of the window at a grey rainbow and no one seems to think its unusual.
That sounds quite sad.
Any ideas how to improve things?
Failing that, what’s your favourite ad since Gorilla?
No. It’s time to give up now. The halcyon days are gone, never to return. The dead hand of the client, research, focus groups and massive bellends have won.
We barely put up a fight.
Gillette Fusion ProGlide? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Xt-_Nj2Sc
These are good spots that worked on TV and radio without changing a line of copy.Not mind blowing but pretty funny. Think there is four or five altogether.The rest are in the side links.
http://youtu.be/9HrhrMTZNyw
http://youtu.be/yWwVrptvgVQ
move abroad
What came first – the moaning about how shit things are or the shit work? The pessimism can’t help with developing great ideas.
I liked that knight rider beer one. Nope that was Australia. You’re right, we’re fuked.
Don’t be sad Ben. Sure, we live in the shadow of uncertainty – with global economic and political turmoil steadily eroding the little confidence that might be left in anything this industry has to offer.
But…
It’s the beginning of September – my favourite month of the year. The sun has come back and the sky is blue out of my office window.
There’s a lot that’s wrong with the world. And this business – like so many others – seems to cower when things get tough.
But don’t let your head go down Ben.
Besides, you’ve got Yossi on loan. What could possibly go wrong….?
Hi Mr. G,
I’m actually very happy right now. I’m doing a job I love, the sun is shining, the kids are cute, ‘er indoors is always in a good mood and we signed Arteta, Germany’s centra half, Brazil’s left back and some Chelsea and Liverpool reject (on loan)! Yossi will be fine backup I guess, but I’m 100x happier than I was at 6 on Sunday.
Doesn’t change the fact that the ads ain’t great.
Brian, they are radio ads. Watched with a webcam.
‘It feels a little like we’re looking out of the window at a grey rainbow and no one seems to think its unusual.’ – I like that.
Thanks, Mark.
Brian, I don’t usually like to be this forthright, but those ads are shit.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true.
Glad to know there’s a smile on your face Ben.
An old boss once said to me ‘only worry about the things you can change’.
There’s much to be said for that.
Way back in just as bollocksy 2010 one ad shone through in my opinion. In fact, it brought tears to my eyes (and still does if watched when feeling soft). Embrace Life by Sussex Safer Roads Partnership – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM
Lara that embrace life ad is hilarious.
Were you being ironic?
Why doesn’t anyone ever suggest a print campaign, I know we always take second place to TV and all you creatives much prefer to work on moving rather than stills but hey give us a break and talk about print, just for once?
My fave – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5hrholTH0M
Well, the first I could think of anyway.
17: Not bad. A few miles from great.
Vue: come on then. Suggest one.
Lara, I think that ad is not good.
Here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUQ-dpb0CaY&feature=player_embedded
That’s a shocking looking link which probably doesn’t work. But the end of that man’s rainbow isn’t any shade of grey.
I actually think for once one of the WKD ads was funny. Most weren’t. I actually laughed at this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfNpPnoasME
@Anonymous No, not at all. Beats the shit out of your average teen-texing-drunk-driving-absent-minded-parent crap we usually see.
@Ben Really? I thought it was a nice change to the average car safety crap.
The flake ad, by a country mile.
How much must that kill you to have produced a little work of genius and have a room full of cunts threaten to drag you through the courts if it ever goes public?
Do we not owe it to the creators, as well as ourselves, to start seeding the fucker and make sure that every single person in the world gets to see it?
It would get the Americans off chocolate for while, and that can only be good.
Yeah… It kind of doesn’t exist now. Alas…
you ask how things can be improved?
just do it.
my god, i think gorilla was stupid. way too self-indulgent. maybe self-indulgence needs to be abolished quite a bit. with that grey rainbow youre doing quite a bit of that already ben ; )
http://youtu.be/btL-EeX96Kk not saying its the best, but it had still been on my mind. just watched it again. still made me grin.
anyone wants to blame the riots on it?
my two cents. or tuppence ha’penny. http://theescapepod.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/oy-for-england/
Mary, I love that ad*.
Vinny, I love that post. I’m glad the annuals went to a good home.
*Alas, it still falls short of greatness.
Damon Collins appears to be that lone voice. He’s not talking about it though, instead he’s doing something about it. Since joining RKCR, their creative standard has risen, their stock is up and they are winning awards and pitches for fun.
Best ad since 2007? Nike Write the Future. Sure, it came out of Amsterdam, but the team were from the London office. Tenuous, but that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
In your estimation Ben its been about 5 years since ads started to feel less good.
The downturn started then about the same time as youtube started to get big?
Could this be significant? Ironically the last great ad in your opinion was Gorilla. Very youtube inspired. Certainly the last one that felt really fresh and different.
Since then we have had so much access to mad, surprising stuff through youtube everyday, that ads just don’t seem as mad or surprising anymore?
George: Damon is definitely da bomb (as the kids say).
TRRH: interesting theory. It has certainly helped bring the ‘creatives’ down a peg or two… ‘I know where you got that idea, therefore you are a stupid, talentless thief’ has certainly become a worryingly common refrain.
And it helps with the tall poppy syndrome: let’s cut that fucker down so his success doesn’t make me look bad.
the cravendale cats with thumbs thing was lovely.
oh yes, cravendale. was cute and funny. pitty it was a one off. everyone knows the internet is made for cat videos!
I’m late on this one, but just in case anyone is still listening (hi Ben) – how many scripts that you write come with a reference film from youtube (or any other online video source)? A very large number – perhaps 60 or 70% that I see come with one, be it a combination of 2 or 3 to the downright ripoffs. And quite a few of the ones that don’t come with a reference film are quite obviously borrowing heavily from an idea I saw on youtube.
Not that it’s a bad thing. Just an observation. Some really fucking great scripts come with youtube links – it’s just a way of explaining what you mean.
Ideally, you come up with the idea, then look on youtube for something that fits. Doing it the other way round is rather lazy…..
Please look and listen to a song I wrote:
-Grey Rainbow- on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mQMED47-zs