Ron Samuel: Learnings from AdFest, Day One

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Ronnie at AdFest.jpgBy Ron Samuel

After learning my lesson the hard way a couple of years ago I was very happy not to be starting the first day with a mind numbing tropical hangover. It was a steep learning curve for some of the people I bumped into this afternoon. They had that ‘did I really do that last night?’ look on their faces. This city can bring out the devil in anyone and you can easily find yourself in a place that you would have never have dreamt you would ever be.

The day started with The Gunn Report. The report collates results from every agency’s award wins in every major ad show and showcases the most awarded work in each category. The agency networks are ranked accordingly. Agencies invest a lot of money to attract and develop creative talent, this is obviously paid for with their clients fees.

So while I can understand that it’s always good to know that you’re getting what you paid for I’m still fascinated by the fact that Donald Gunn has been able to establish a very successful business based on simply seeing who won the most stuff every year. It’s like harvesting egos for profit and we’re happy to keep paying for it. Any client reading this will be asking themselves whether that means that the work actually did what it was supposed to do and that’s where we can see the gap, once again, between what we value and what our clients do. That gap should not exist. Our clients are quickly discovering that they can live quite well without us the opposite is not true. The Gunn Report is a fantastic resource for agencies as there is also a huge archive of work that can be easily accessed on its website. To me that’s where the real value is because the work also gives you an idea of the strategies used to arrive at that particular execution.

Tony Hertz was next talking about how to get the most from your radio commercials. Tony is a radio legend and he gave everyone something that could take away and actually use when they are writing their next script. Whenever that happens you know that you are getting great value from the speaker. Tony shared the wisdom he has gathered from over 40 years in the business and he still writes and produces outstanding radio commercials. He never uses voice overs and he never fills spots with information because it simply won’t be remembered and a voice over at the end of your ad will just disengage the listener you have worked so hard to engage.

His passion for his craft can be summed up in this quote from him ” In a world of parity products the only difference is the creativity.” We all know it’s true but how many times have we ignored this simple truth.

Here are his 7 Secrets for effective radio commercials:

1.Find a feeling

2.Begin with a picture

3.Think about the person,

4. One ad one message

5. Stand in a different place

6. Use characters not voices

7. Produce with a passion

Next up was Morihiko Hasebe (Mori) from Hakuhodo Japan. He discussed the problem of the decreasing lifespan of information and likened a single piece of information to a stray animal in the desert, without support it won’t last very long. When was the last time you heard someone discuss the hugely popular ‘Dumb ways to die’ campaign? Mori gave some insightful examples of how to increase the lifespan of information or messages to keep them alive for the maximum amount of time. He showed how this was done with some great examples. As always I was blown away by the technology that the Japanese employ on these campaign, it was impressive and shows how far behind we are. Google Hatsune Miku and you’ll see what I mean. This was an excellent session from a good speaker who was also happy to share his learnings and leave his audience with advice that they could use on their next brief.

Laura Kightlinger, actress, writer, producer, comedian, fell onto the stage in her re-enactment of Jennifer Lawrence doing the same thing at the Oscars. Whilst it was a funny moment it was largely lost on the audience and a good reminder that it is always good to do your cultural homework before you come here. The Oscars are certainly not a benchmark for great films in Asia and many of the countries represented have their own healthy film industries. She is a genuinely funny person and I enjoyed her presentation even though many of her jokes didn’t connect with the Asian audience. She finished with a great five minute stand-up routine although I think some of the subject matter was lost in translation.

The title of the next speakers presentation was called ‘Don’t just think, make something’ and it was Leigh Reyes from Lowe and Partners, Asia Pacific. Her philosophy is that the tools that we use dictate the solutions that we arrive at. So if you learn new tools you’ll think new thoughts and make new things. She then went on to show us what she meant with a selection of examples of how tinkering with stuff can lead to fresh new thinking and some great ideas. The best part was that she showed where to get the stuff to prototype your idea and actually make something before you decide to outsource the ‘how’. The technology was so simple and cheap but the results were unbelievable. The real lesson here was that the technology has become commoditised and that the idea is still where the real value is. It was good to see the actually technology that is used in activation’s to make things move or light up. It’s the same stuff in most cases and there is no technological or digital experience required to get it working as there would have been a few years ago. We’ll be ordering some of it when we get back. Have look at makeymakey.com and you can see what’s possible. Leigh was a standout.

The day finished with the welcome party in the tropical gardens of the hotel. There are few places that can put on a show like that. The setting was beautiful, fantastic food and almost 100% humidity so you were sweating as fast you were drinking. Those who had had a big night before were deciding whether or not to go out for ‘just one drink’, I ran away.

Ron Samuel (pictured above second left) is co founder and creative director at Cooch Creative, Perth.