Project Description

December 2020
Making Brands Matter
Acts rather than Ads – Show your brand values
“Did you know I’m a really fast runner?”
“Really, how fast can you run?”
“Really fast.”
“Good for you.”
(You’re probably not imagining that sarcastic tone)
Let’s try that again.
*Wins a race.*
“Wow you’re a really fast runner.”
“Thanks.”
Now picture the last B2B advert you saw. Got it? And distil that down into a conversation like above.
“I can transform your business.”
“How?”
“By transforming it.”
“Great thanks.”
(You know where to insert the sarcasm now)
The advert could have been brilliant, intelligent, well designed, and intriguing. But it just falls flat and doesn’t sell us. So, let’s try that again.
“I can transform your business.”
“How?”
“I’ll show you….”
In my opinion, brands that act, will always outperform brands that advertise.
So, what do I mean by act?
Take the essence and focus of your message and demonstrate the capabilities of your offering in the real world. Bring your advert off the page. Make it relevant. Make a societal change. Make a difference, big or small, to someone or something. In short, show what you can do.
How IBM act
In a recent project with IBM we introduced the seventh division Leatherhead football team to the IBM Watson AI system to give them the upper hand. Through insights and performance guidance, the company helped to improve the teams play tenfold, moving them up 12 spots in the league rankings.
IBM could have told you that they have game changing AI capabilities, but instead they went a step further. They acted to provide the evidence that proves their capabilities. And isn’t that a far stronger message?
So what can you do?
If you believe in doing your part for global warming, commit to running your business on entirely sustainable sources. Then you’ll have a powerful example to share with people. And if you believe technology should be available for everyone, don’t just tell people – prove it. Put your money where your mouth is and donate your most powerful systems to a charity.
These acts won’t need paid media, they’ll run themselves. And they’ll be far more powerful for it.
Fearlessly stand up for what you believe in. Trash everything you think you know about advertising. And do something awesome.
I’m not saying it’s easy…
As a new Art Director, this was a scary blog to write. Firstly, I’m dyslexic (tip: always keep a copywriter close). Secondly, meaningful acts take moments of sheer genius. It takes real insight, guts, bravery and usually a lighting fast turnaround. And that’s not even the worst part. It’s probably not even what your client asked for.
It could be expensive, it could be risky and you can wave goodbye to your comfort zone. But wow is it worth it.
I know what I would want. I would want to be known for winning the race.