I’m so honored to write a guest article for the new Gunn Report.
The Gunn Report, authored by Donald Gunn and Emma Wilkie, is the most prestigious annual publication in the advertising world. The report is detailing the most successful print and television advertising campaigns of the year.
Greater Than
The ‘greater than’ symbol stands for better, bigger or stronger.
People > Everything
We should put people back at the heart of everything we do. Not consumers, users, unique users or target audiences defined in military terms. People. That’s because we are here to improve people’s lives.
Problem Solving > Advertising
Advertising is not just about fun, great images or sophisticated copy.
These are only the tools. Our business is about the bottom line. Advertising shouldn’t be seen as an end in itself, but rather as a tool for solving business problems.
Content > Promotion
We ask people to give us their most important resource: time. People spend time exploring things they are passionate about. They read, watch and listen at their choice. Whether it is cinema, TV series, newspapers, magazines, books, internet sites, Facebook, or blogs, you name it; they are spending their time there because they are passionate about it.
So content is the king. The better the content the longer the time people will stay with it. At its best, advertising can create quality content. At its worst, advertising interrupts content with promotion.
Product > Communication
A platform is better than just an Ad. In other words, let’s do more and talk less. That’s because products last. Campaigns rarely do. Products create better touch points with people. Apps are a good example: apps are products and not just communicating tools, and therefore engage people better than ever.
Innovation > Creativity
Creativity has become just another commodity. Being different is the first key to successfully standing out from the crowd. Whether it’s a new product, a new service, a new business model, a new way of communication, a new way of advertising or a new use of media, innovative solutions can be better problem-solvers. Innovation lives outside of product/service categories. We can achieve better results through innovation than we can through what we think of as creativity.
Beta > Perfect
The iPhone 6 will be better than iPhone 5. The iPad 4 will be better than iPad 3. Google is a beta. Facebook is a beta. Instagram is a beta. The entire internet is a beta version of tomorrow’s internet. The name of the game is to be fast. Learn fast. Act faster. Create things and test them (not research them to death.) Improve on the go. See what takes and scale that. Act like a start up. Embrace a beta culture. Remember Oreo’s tweet during the Super Bowl blackout last year? Well, you should. It was a Grand Prix winner at Cannes Festival.
Insight > Big Data
I have a great respect for the phenomena of big data. That said, I think a simple truthful insight is much more powerful. Today, with the great technology we have at our disposal, we can track tons of details and numbers. But what’s missing is the understanding that numbers don’t make the difference when it comes to reaching the public – insight does. Insight brings us to the ‘Eureka!’ moment we’re all aspiring to. And with big data availability, big expectations are born. But with one simple insight “Dove Real Beauty Sketches” campaign has won 29 lions at Cannes Lions 2013.
Idea Based > Algorithm Based
Data-based marketing is incredible. Everyone knows that.
Location based marketing is great. Almost everyone use it.
Search based, performance based, algorithm based. Could anyone live without those?
“Dumb ways to die” campaign has scored a record at Cannes Lions 2013. It won 5 Grand prix wins. But it was not search, performance or algorithm based. It was based on an idea.
For Good > For Business
In a world where most products have the same qualities and a similar price, the most important factor influencing brand choice is purpose. Brands should have a social mission, not just a commercial proposition. Brands can empower the community. They should give back to the community. Purpose leads to preference. Purpose goes way beyond the commercial value and provides people a reason why.
? > !
Not knowing is better than knowing. Questioning can lead us further.
There is more potential in every “?”. It’s always better to be in a learning mood. It’s the best place to be. Not knowing makes everything much more interesting. “?” is more challenging
The most powerful ideas are a mix of all these points.
2014 > 2013