We are angry! Really pissed off! Who wouldn’t be? We take our jobs seriously. We take advertising seriously. Because it is serious business. For some seventy odd years, advertising agencies have been toiling away, building brands and along the way creating some of the most recognizable names on store shelves. We work unholy hours and lose precious weekends. We find ourselves dealing with ill-informed clients, badly done research and censorship boards that live in another age. Yet, we don’t get the recognition we deserve for our labour. Year in, year out, we get overlooked by the most respected International awards. We don’t even get a foot in the door. Simply put, the Lions have evaded us. The Loeries have refused to perch on our shingles. The Clios, One Shows, D&ADs - they are all no-go areas.
But hold on. Are we justified to cry foul? Are we right to feel so aggrieved? What exactly is holding us down and how can we surmount it? Do we have a blueprint for trapping the Lion in its den? Like everything else, providing a blueprint for winning awards on the international stage is at best a controversial, almost presumptuous exercise. Yet, shying away from controversy is a sure way to ensure that we never get there. In these short minutes, I will attempt to sketch a rough roadmap to the Lion’s liar. This is not the usual advice on how to improve your creativity. Too much of that already exists. These are thoughts based on factual observation and honed by years of agonizing over the snub. Take it at your own risk. But remember that in risk lies the greatest opportunity.
The Ten Keys
Here then are the 10 keys in no particular order:
1. The Cannes Lions reward first and foremost The CRAFT of Advertising. As Michael Newman says in his book, “The 22 Irrefutable Laws of Advertising”:
“Advertising…it’s a craft, more like a medieval stonemason’s workshop (except that stone is easier to crack than a truly persuasive idea.) Advertising’s role is as a transmitting device between marketing and consumer – it translates rational marketing into a different and more compelling language. Into the dialect of emotions, the fears, spirit and even the funny bone. Great advertising is at once personal and universal, drawing people together in a shared experience…and when it’s done with enough inspiration, like great pop music, it elevates its success to something more like art.”
Nigerian advertising lacks craft. And we allow too many excuses for maintaining that lack. For instance, how many of us have bothered to read Michael Newman’s book, or Jim Aitchinson’s “Cutting Edge Advertising?” to mention just two. The most experienced practitioners do not have a framework for handing down their precious knowledge to younger ones. The way out? We must develop the craft. In recent times there have been a sprinkling of training initiatives to help develop Creative talent. These efforts must be supported.
2. There are rules - written and unwritten - that determine what wins and what doesn't. The only way to know these rules is to learn them and become familiar with them. To become familiar with them, go to where they are made. Most agencies are still unwilling to sponsor their creative teams to the world’s most prestigious advertising festival. And Cannes is not only for creatives. It is a unique networking opportunity. Each year it features a rich programme of Seminars and workshops that will benefit everyone in attendance. Attend Cannes!
3. Don't waste your time on clients who don't encourage cutting-edge work. Service them for the money. John Webster, the legendary Creative Director of London’s BMP DDB once charged,
“Bad advertising is a pollution. Advertising that’s infantile, as much of it is, treating the public like idiots, and irritating them, and shoving and pushing, I find that a pollution.”
And yet, that is what many of our clients make us do. Bad advertising. Chief Akin Odunsi, the highly respected chairman of the Rosabel Group once told me of a conversation he had with a senior official of Cadbury’s who had asked him why the agency never produced award winning advertising for them the way Rosabel had done for some other clients. Chief’s response was that companies like Cadbury, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt & Coleman would never win advertising laurels, because those clients were too meddlesome in the creative process. So, when you find a client that allows you space, pull out all the stops.
4. Develop yourself and develop your people. The most repeated excuse agency owners give for not investing in quality training of their people is that no sooner had you spent so much money on them, than they begin to look for greener pastures. But that is not an excuse. When you give people reason to believe that you are interested in their long-term career prospects, they are likely to remain loyal to you. So agencies need to begin to invest more seriously in the growth of their people. Don't be satisfied.
5. The Nigerian Lion will come from a Nigeria-centric ad with a theme that is globally relevant. Also, it must be simple, relevant yet unexpected. Again according to Michael Newman in the introduction to the book:
“Great Advertising is created through a combination of deep analytical skills with the subtle nuances of our truest blood-nature.
Advertising is willful imagination. Applied to marketing. It’s a discipline. The only art is the creation of symbols and stories that catch the fundamental truths of everyday life.”
6. Nigerian advertising awards must become credible. Notice that I did not say "more" credible. The awards as conducted presently are too subjective. In all the years we have held advertising award shows in Nigeria, have we ever bothered to compile a comprehensive showcase of the best advertising and design work ever produced in Nigeria? How do we learn to avoid what has been done before? Such a compilation would help us to see where we are coming from, how far along we are and how much further we have to travel. In essence, they help us to benchmark our work against the best in the world.
7. The Key to the Nigerian LION lies in the hands of fresh young talent. Though creative in their own right, the bulk of current Nigerian creative talent is too unexposed, too poorly baked, too tainted with old misconceptions to deliver the goods.
8. India is currently one of the leading nations in terms of advertising creativity. They achieved this by first developing the knowledge base. Next they grew their ideas on their culture. They exported Indian humor and created award-winning ads around it. What do we have to export that is universally recognizable?
9. Run away from Image Banks. They curtail creativity. They are only good for jump-starting ideas, not copying. A truly original idea will be difficult to find in Corbis. Think up visual scenarios in your head first. If you find an image that matches it perfectly in Corbis, great. If not, create it yourself.
10. Don’t copy others. Don’t rehash old and used ideas. At the CANNES Lions, emphasis is placed on the search for truly original thinking. For example, as much as it is touted for creativity, the Bank PHB campaigns from Insight won’t cut it. Nice bold colours, big budget commercials, heavy ad spend… but no truly original thinking.
What is the point in all of this? That in the search for the Nigerian Lion, we should take an aggressive, long-term developmental view. We are not quite ready yet, but initiatives like organizing the Young Lions competition is a firm step in the right direction. (Thank you, Nnamdi Ndu and Chini Productions). The demons to conquer are still plentiful, but we can knock them off one by one.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Nigeria: How not to brand "a good people."
Very few events or issues in recent memory have seized the imagination of Nigerians or galvanized public opinion as the ongoing "Branding Nigeria" project. In the last 20 years or so, my vote would go to the controversial membership of the OIC and the annulment of the June 12 elections. (Actually, we need to rephrase that last part, because I'm
not sure my vote counted on that particular occasion). On both occasions, we were reminded rather rudely of our voicelessness. For a nation recognized worldwide by the outspoken, almost boastful nature of her peoples, we have endured too many years of executive muzzling at home.
So when frustrations boiled over after June 12, it was not so much due to the actual act of the annulment (many people had long before lost any faith in the sincerity of the entire process), rather it was the realization that once more we were powerless in the presence of forces bent on maintaining our retrogressive progress. And now again, like those two contentious issues before it, an otherwise well-meaning exercise is generating as much widespread and intense public engagement for all the wrong reasons.
Well then, since the issue here is branding Nigeria, it is only fair that we approach it from a brand-building perspective. Akin Adeoya has already x-rayed a number of critical failure points of the entire exercise. The least we could do here is to give a few pointers to some success factors that could be built into the process going forward.
What makes a communication exercise successful?
1. Think about the best film you have watched, the best book you have read, the most memorable ad you have seen, your favorite song. They all have one thing in common: something in them struck a powerful chord in you - either they gave you an insight into a personal issue you were dealing with in your life, or they reflected a value you cherish, or they were a metaphor for the story of your life or the action hero or heroine did something you always wanted to do, and so on. In one word, they achieved the holy Grail of communication - engagement. So think about our slogan: Nigeria - good people, great nation. Nice thought. Engaging? Hardly. Now think about this: America, land of the free. Engaging? Very. The American slogan captures the imagination in a way that very few expressions could. It is a statement and intent, a vision and a reality, a challenge and a promise. It is a desire to live and die for. Freedom.
2. What I tell you three times is true, so goes a Russian proverb. The morale: it is not enough to have a gripping slogan; it has to be repeated as often as possible until it is etched in the memory and consciousness. That is the origin and essence of the term branding. Put a hot iron on the skin of a cow long enough and it makes a lasting impression. Burn a powerful, positive thought in the mind of the Nigerian long enough and he begins to buy into it. Think about "the big black sweet wey get white line, na TomTom," or "Gala o my broda, gala o my sista, gala o im taste na kpamgba!" or better still,
"First Banki na you be number one o, First Banki o, una well done o," and even far better still, "MKOoooo, is our man O!" The longer we heard these slogans, the more we believed them, and in the last instance, we were galvanized to action.
3. “If a Leopard sells goat meat, few people will buy it,” so says a Kenyan proverb. Why did Americans buy Obama’s meat? Why did they reject John McCain’s? Freshness. McCain’s meat was Republican leftover, just as a leopard’s meat couldn’t be anything else. So Obama’s message had a more credible ring to it, because it was fresh. How credible is ‘good people, great nation’ coming from our present crop of politicians? Indeed we are a good people and a potentially great nation. But that is where it ends. Give us a message that commits to steady supply of electricity, a well thought out transport network, and educational system with a standard to rival the best in the world, a credible judiciary…then, we’ll buy that meat.
Good People, great nation. Nice slogan, but it does not inspire passion, does not motivate to action. It does not present a lofty vision to which we must strive. It is easy to scoff at because there are no pillars to hold it up.
A final note: A Media broadcast by the President is a celebrated event in Nigeria. American Presidents speak to their people monthly and sometimes even, weekly. That way they can connect with their fellow countrymen and women, share their visions directly, encourage involvement and lead by example. We want to hear our President, every month. Let him speak directly to us, point the way forward.
not sure my vote counted on that particular occasion). On both occasions, we were reminded rather rudely of our voicelessness. For a nation recognized worldwide by the outspoken, almost boastful nature of her peoples, we have endured too many years of executive muzzling at home.
So when frustrations boiled over after June 12, it was not so much due to the actual act of the annulment (many people had long before lost any faith in the sincerity of the entire process), rather it was the realization that once more we were powerless in the presence of forces bent on maintaining our retrogressive progress. And now again, like those two contentious issues before it, an otherwise well-meaning exercise is generating as much widespread and intense public engagement for all the wrong reasons.Well then, since the issue here is branding Nigeria, it is only fair that we approach it from a brand-building perspective. Akin Adeoya has already x-rayed a number of critical failure points of the entire exercise. The least we could do here is to give a few pointers to some success factors that could be built into the process going forward.
What makes a communication exercise successful?
1. Think about the best film you have watched, the best book you have read, the most memorable ad you have seen, your favorite song. They all have one thing in common: something in them struck a powerful chord in you - either they gave you an insight into a personal issue you were dealing with in your life, or they reflected a value you cherish, or they were a metaphor for the story of your life or the action hero or heroine did something you always wanted to do, and so on. In one word, they achieved the holy Grail of communication - engagement. So think about our slogan: Nigeria - good people, great nation. Nice thought. Engaging? Hardly. Now think about this: America, land of the free. Engaging? Very. The American slogan captures the imagination in a way that very few expressions could. It is a statement and intent, a vision and a reality, a challenge and a promise. It is a desire to live and die for. Freedom.
2. What I tell you three times is true, so goes a Russian proverb. The morale: it is not enough to have a gripping slogan; it has to be repeated as often as possible until it is etched in the memory and consciousness. That is the origin and essence of the term branding. Put a hot iron on the skin of a cow long enough and it makes a lasting impression. Burn a powerful, positive thought in the mind of the Nigerian long enough and he begins to buy into it. Think about "the big black sweet wey get white line, na TomTom," or "Gala o my broda, gala o my sista, gala o im taste na kpamgba!" or better still,
"First Banki na you be number one o, First Banki o, una well done o," and even far better still, "MKOoooo, is our man O!" The longer we heard these slogans, the more we believed them, and in the last instance, we were galvanized to action.3. “If a Leopard sells goat meat, few people will buy it,” so says a Kenyan proverb. Why did Americans buy Obama’s meat? Why did they reject John McCain’s? Freshness. McCain’s meat was Republican leftover, just as a leopard’s meat couldn’t be anything else. So Obama’s message had a more credible ring to it, because it was fresh. How credible is ‘good people, great nation’ coming from our present crop of politicians? Indeed we are a good people and a potentially great nation. But that is where it ends. Give us a message that commits to steady supply of electricity, a well thought out transport network, and educational system with a standard to rival the best in the world, a credible judiciary…then, we’ll buy that meat.
Good People, great nation. Nice slogan, but it does not inspire passion, does not motivate to action. It does not present a lofty vision to which we must strive. It is easy to scoff at because there are no pillars to hold it up.
A final note: A Media broadcast by the President is a celebrated event in Nigeria. American Presidents speak to their people monthly and sometimes even, weekly. That way they can connect with their fellow countrymen and women, share their visions directly, encourage involvement and lead by example. We want to hear our President, every month. Let him speak directly to us, point the way forward.
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