A coworker and I went to the Battle for the HeArt last night in downtown Minneapolis and it was great. It was all about defining a new type of creativity because what was working, no longer is. People are blocking ads on the internet, switching channels during commercial breaks and not really paying that much attention to advertising. So, a new way of thinking is being created.
What it all boiled down to was interaction. If it’s not interactive, it’s not going to work as well.
One of the keynote speakers was Chuck Porter who has worked with BMW Mini, Virgin Atlantic, Burger King and many others. He showed commercials that took traditional advertising to the next level and it was amazing. One example was was buying adspace on the back of popular mens magazines. Then, creating a new, phony, magazine cover on the back. What you ended up with was something like Maxim on one side and Animal Rescuer on the other. That way, when you had a girl over, flip the half naked Maxim cover over to the back and there would be a cute Animal Rescuer magazine cover that made the men look sensitive and good to women. Another example was taking a beer bottle and putting a label on the back that could be pealed off and worn as a badge. The labels said things like ‘Guess where my tattoo is’ and ‘Skinny dippers are people too’. [more examples] Hundreds of labels were created and they were very successful. I guess a lot of drunk people feel like pealing the labels and sticking them to their shirts. I know I would. 🙂
The other main speaker was Joseph Jaffe who talked more about the new definition of creativity and that interactivity is everything. It’s all about letting the user take control. Everything from TV spots that you can order ‘fake’ products (marketing pieces) or internet ads that allow you explore and interact with an advertisement without ever leaving the page you are on. Some of the examples were so good it made me want to turn off adblock.
Over all I really enjoyed the evening and the speakers. It’s interesting to see the things that some of the best advertising people are doing and why. It’s not black and white anymore. It’s more about advertising to people without them knowing you are advertising to them.
I found this piece interesting. It’s amazing what advertisers go through to sell something. I personally am impressed. I’m writing a paper on Creativity and would love to cite those two examples of creativity if you dont mind.
Thanks
Lacey