Charlotte Carden's Film & TV Blog: The future of Advertising...

"Look, Ma! No cavities!" "See the USA in your Chevrolet" "Know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing...

I have been thinking a lot about short films during my course at the Academy. Before I came I had a very different idea structurally to that which we've been learning with Richard. I think I have always worked best when I don't feel pushed down a certain path. I have enjoyed learned the 'proper' use of structure in Screenwriting if not to use it then to go against it, which can only be done with a greater understanding of structure which I'd someday like very much to have.

I am very interested in Iconic or Cinematic Commercials as well as the what makes good advertising. I was just thinking about how Commercials are often short films however they obviously do not follow the three act story structure because they do not have to be stories. The point of a commercial varies as much as the topic. It can simply be to amaze, to humour, to spawn a gag which can be repeated and become a household catch-phrase. Commercials should convey a message but it has become increasingly popular to simply try and be memorable. These ones often have no connection with the product at all.

You need people to talk about it and you need to make sure it's seen. That is the most important factor. It's the same with films, if your films not advertised, noone will know about it and noone will see it, so there was no point in making that film. Never underestimate advertising, we are subconsciously bombarded with adverts and information everyday, I think it's quite scary really.

I would really recommend reading Creative Review. We get it delivered at home and it's always full of very interesting articles on all aspects of visual communication.

www.creativereview.co.uk.

Creative Review often post debates and they have a three part talk with many leading Ad companies about the future of Advertising, as well as Digital and financial aspects.

"The Marlboro man" used from 1954-1999. Originally thought up to be a rugged masculine cowboy to try and sell filtered cigarettes that had become a 'femine' product, real men wouldn't be seen dead with them! So this figure was constructed to show how manly the cigarettes were. It was just him, nature and his favourite cigarette.

This is a clip from the Creative Review website which shows the talk about agencies and their clients and also where advertising may be in the future.

The man who does most of the talking is Steve Henry, he seems very arrogant but he's an interesting man as he really knows what he's talking about in the advertising world.

Do people really only appreciate adverts who work in the industry? Do they just get in the way of content we actually want to watch?

Steve Henry's advertising blog has always amused me, I would recommend it even just for a funny read. He speaks of this new 'Cadbury Gorilla' advertising. He says of Cadbury's newest ads, "Never mind any product benefits, or indeed any link to the product at all, let's just entertain the viewers and slap a logo on the end." I find this style of advertising interesting because it really isn't too 'clever' however it is memorable and even the fact that Steve Henry can use "Cadbury Gorilla" as a adjective now and we all know what he's talking about must say something about the campaigns success.

The newest Cadbury Campaign that appears to be the Marmite of advertising!

He calls this type of advertising "a creative cul-de-sac" we love them when we first see then but they quickly loose their gimmick and become overdone or just plain annoying. I think when you reach "a creative cul-de-sac" it's time to get new talent in, spend a good budget and start making good quality advertising again.

Henry has two first rules for advertising:

1) The importance of execution. The strategy must be executed with real care and expertise.

2) The importance of treating your audience with respect.
I completely agree with him on both these counts and also believe they apply just as much to film.

When anybody mentions Nike in my head I immediately think- "Just do it". And that level of mild brainwashing is the key to excellent advertising and exactly what the client wants.
Jay Chiat and Guy Day got together to create The Chait/Day Advertising Company. Three of their adverts were chosen among the top 20 ad campaigns.

1) The Apple Computer 1984 campaign

2) The Energizer Bunny campaign

"A word to the wise -ENERGIZE"

3) The Nynex Yellow Pages campaign

Calvin Klein boosted sales for his jeans with young model Brooke Shields and the lines, “nothing comes between me and my Calvins” and “I’ve got seven Calvins in my closet, and if they could talk, I’d be ruined.”

Sex sells, so by making Calvin Klein jeans 'sexy' was an good choice, it appeals to the target demographic of young adults and is clearly reflected in the rise of sales.

Advertising is obviously commercial and therefore I think one of it's great aids is in showing us a history or snapshot of popular culture. I can get a better sense of the buzz and attitudes in the 70's by watching a 70's advert because advertising should always represent the people or mood of it's time in order to connect with that audience and spread a message. If it doesn't do this unintentionally then I fell it has really failed the public. We can see this in Andy Warhol's controversial pop art like the Campbell's soup image. He was trying to show an idea of the times and how commercial we had become.
I love good advertising and I can't imagine a world without it. Even before buses and TV's we had newspaper advertising or even earlier people would write adverts on walls, which I noticed during my time in Nepal they still use this method.