Idea vs execution
If you had to go for the supremacy of one, which would you choose?
Would you rather have a great idea poorly executed or a dismal idea brilliantly executed?
For me it’s the latter every time.
I’ve written before about how there are plenty of idea-less ads that have turned out to be absolutely brilliant (e.g.: Whassssuuupp, Can I Kick It?, almost any headline-visual-body copy press ad…), but if a dismal execution has been applied to a great idea the result is always poor.
How many times have you read a script that doesn’t look like much, only to see its flawless execution elevate it to the greats? That’s where the good stuff happens. The idea is only the very beginning of what is usually a very long process of collaboration. Look what a great typographer, photographer, DOP or director can add to something so-so (as far as Jonathan Glazer is concerned, you need to allow a third of the ad’s creation to happen at the shoot so that the unexpected moments of genius can be allowed space to shine).
Of course, greatness most often occurs when idea and execution are both at the top of their game, but all the great planning, dialogue and conceptual nuance can come to naught if the execution is shite.
I watched a documentary on Sir John of Hegarty the other day. He told a story about this ad:
On the surface a great idea that would have worked brilliantly in the 80s Levi’s campaign. But when Sir H first saw the cut he was aghast: the music was poor and it deflated the whole thing. He was crushed at the utter failure and fell into a huge panic about what to do next. Then they changed the music and a classic was born. 1-0 to execution.
The same thing happened with Sony Paint, where a crappy intial track was swapped for a music-less version, which then won best ad at the BTAAs. When it came out I recall Graham Fink writing in Private View about music being 50% of the final ad’s success. If that’s the case then the idea can only responsible for less (much less) than half the quality of the finished film.
Execution: it’s not just there for the nasty things in life.
I agree. Execution is what people react to, so it’s ultimately the most important thing. And things that are great on paper quite often reach their peak on paper. They make too much sense to be exciting.
Without content style has no meaning or is the other way round? Without meaning there is no reason to purchase or is there lot’s of meaningless purchases made these days? I’m lost.
Good idea badly executed is still an ad.
No idea brilliantly executed is a piece of art.
So it depends what business we are in. Ad or art?
That’s my opinion. I don’t care if you disagree with me so don’t bother trying. There’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind. Offer me a pint though and I might.
Taking your Levi’s example, I wouldn’t say it was 1-0 to execution.
The idea was a good one. Then, execution (eventually) did what execution is supposed to and presented that idea in the best way possible.
So I’d go with 1-1. A great idea, brilliantly executed. Which I think is what we should be aiming for rather than arguing for the supremacy of one.
Ok, 1-1.
But the idea still relied on the execution.
I’d distinguish between the concept and ideas.
You can have a shit concept with loads of great ideas in the execution, but you still need ideas in there somewhere to make it good. Whether that’s an idea about a soundtrack, cinematography, performance etc. ideas apply to everything – some of the most successful executors have ideas right up until it’s finished (as you said with Glazer).
For me, the idea relied on the extremely hot waitress.
There’s a tendency to argue from the extreme. It’s not surprising, with advertising work in general being so bland and beige, it’s tempting to just grasp something and hang onto it; idea vs execution, emotion vs rational, interruption vs engagement etc. One is always better than the other.
But, unfashionably, I reckon the reality is, most good things sit somewhere in between, somewhere between the purely rational and the purely functional, and somewhere between the idea being all important and the execution being all important.
I don’t think it’s cut and dried either way, it just depends on the context.
In the case of idea vs execution – a brilliant executed ad with no idea can be an absolute turd, exhibit A being those BMW Joy ads. In those everyone involved in the execution turned up – the direction was good, the post good, the soundtrack good, the DOP made everything look great, but the idea is pap. the ads are pap.
Conversely, exhibit B – that Paul Whitehouse ad for Aviva life insurance. The execution was nothing to write home about, yes Paul is a really good actor, that helped, but the style, direction and everything else execution-wise is pretty middle-of-the-road ad-world. But the idea was strong, the idea of seeing your family after you’ve gone, seeing how what you put in place has helped them – that was really powerful. I thought was a very strong ad, it really worked on me. Unremarkable execution, strong idea.
But I don’t think the above means that it’s always idea over execution, I just think it depends.
Depends is a pretty unfashionable, unexciting point of view in advertising. People prefer polemics and strident arguments.
But advertising doesn’t work by rules, its not only one thing, then another thing. And just when you think you’ve worked out the rules, something comes along to completely break those rules.
That’s why advertising is a people business, smart, talented people are necessary because the call is different every time, it always comes down to judgement.
If it were just about rules, then theoretically, all you’d have to do is follow the rules, and every piece of work would be brilliant. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.
I think maybe part of the problem also lies in the very narrow, Watford-esque view permeated throughout London advertising about what constitutes an ‘advertising idea’.
For example, even though the execution in Wassup in superb, and makes it, it isn’t devoid of an idea. It isn’t a empty vessel of pure entertainment. There is a truth in there about blokes behaving like blokes. The problem is, when you say something has an idea, some people demand that you be able to express that idea to a specific formula of what makes an idea an idea. I find that a vey narrow and unhelpful thing, that sometimes holds creatives – and London advertising – back.
The definition of an ‘idea’ is definitely a problem. But generally when people ask ‘what’s the idea?’, they are looking for something like ‘In the moments where life goes tits up a Hamlet cigar will make anyone feel better’ or ‘When something’s not quite as it should be, a Heineken gets it back to where it should be, or somewhere even better.’
The ‘idea’ of Wasssuuupp doesn’t fit into that definition. In fact, I’d say it’s more of an insight about blokes together than an idea.
Same goes for ed’s point: I’m not talking about having idea in the dictionary defined sense. What is generally accepted to be an advertising idea is something else (see above).
Whether or not any of this is a good or bad thing is a whole other debate. Yes, the Whitehouse ad isn’t Guinness Surfer, but the execution is still very good. It could have been a fine idea that went down the lav.
And it’s not really about one being better than the other – of course they work together – just me helping to kill some time for you poor stiffs working away at the granite cliff face of the tising we call ad.
@Sell Sell I love you.
Yep fair enough.
Execution then!
No wait, idea!
Damn.
I enjoyed the post though, thanks.
And look, John loves you.
Well there you go.
That alone has made my day.
And I love being with you, John.
Wasn’t it Sir John who said, “Advertising is 80% idea and 80% execution”?
honestly, the idea behind wassup! was to to make that phrase catch on. and the fact that it wasn’t white American guys (for a very white American brand) appealed to me also. it was only after it caught fire that analytical ad folks kind of retrofitted the “guys behaving like guys” insight thing. which was undeniably the root of it all. but only in retrospect. I remember guys telling me, with great animation, that we had totally captured them and their friends’ lives. Like they were the only ones that watched sports on TV and drank beer. Psychic we were!
Hi Ben.
Fascinating topic. I wrote a little thing on this recently. Sell! Sell! I agree with you that there’s a grey area around what an idea actually is. But I think that ‘great execution’ is also a bit intangible/subjective. The BMW Joy ad is technically excellent execution. But the ad I link to here is technically excellent AND somehow inspiring/moving. All without having an idea (or maybe it does have an idea, but it’s a bit cliched/confusing).
http://antmelder.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/utterly-beautiful/
LIke going behind the Wizard of Oz’s curtain, Vinny!
Thank you very much for this thought provoking post, I always used to think it was always the idea, but now I question that for its all down to a collaborative effort, I shall treat my student book with a more balanced concerned with execution!
And yes Jeff I also agree what Sir John Hegarty said “Advertising is 80% idea and 80% execution” for ether side can make the ad campaign! But if both a hit well thats when great work comes into existence, 160% is our aim 😉