We have to think of ten brands which will eventually go to 6 or 7 for our portfolio. Here are our suggestions so far... What shall we not touch with a barge stick and what shall we tenderley love for 6 months? Or if anyone has any other suggestions for brands/services/products etc let me know!
We have already had advice that we are choosing too many luxurious brand names. We need a good mix to show strength in all areas and some brands already have great creative work that would be hard to top. What do you think?
1. Oxford English Dictionary ( which we re developing from my first press ads)
2. BMI Baby service aeroplane
3. Yakult
4. Pie minister, see http://www.pieminister.co.uk
5. Aston Martin
6. A Band- Maybe advertise an up and coming band as a brand
7. Crayola
8. Corona Beer
9. RSPB
10. Science Museum
11. Schuh ( shoe shop)
12. Bourjous (women's make up, french brand in UK)
13. Royal Bank of Scotland
14. Skype (internet phone service)
15. Virgin Radio
16. Canderel
17. Gu puddings
18. Jacob's Crackers
19. Piz Buin (sun care lotion)
20. Green and Blacks Choc
12 comments:
I'd agree that you need some more lesser known/less reputable brands in there to really show what you can do. If you can take a relatively crap brand and make the worst of all skeptics think "Wow, I might actually have to try that" then that's going to get you noticed more than doing good work for a brand that's already well established and everybody loves.
Of the advice I've ever heard, the most notable things are:
*avoid charitable ads like the plague
*have a good range of products - a chocolate bar, an alcoholic beverage, a household product, a car, etc. (If you can crack out something really original for a car, that's something pretty amazing!)
*advertise to different audiences to show that you can write copy/art direct to the masses
*have at least a couple of things in your book that would never run (because they're too risque, not because they're shit!)
*don't include work you enter for student awards unless you 1)win an award, or 2)know for a fact that your work is better than the stuff that did win awards. Or sometimes 3)you just really love your work, regardless - sometimes it can be good to have a piece of work that you're really passionate about in there, even if some people may disagree.
At the end of the day, as long as all your work reflects your personality and you can merrily show it to anybody and feel happy with what you've got, then you should have a good book there.
H
Thanks Hayley, great advice.
although i have been told to use one charity just to show you can be sensitive. But a charity that hasn't been over cooked, but still known.
Argh its a hard choice to choose!guess i wont really know what would work until i try cracking them.
Yeah charities are good to show sensitivity, the only problem is that all charities are shown in that way. Again, it all comes down to doing something different with it - still remaining sensitive to whatever the problem is, but being completely original with it. I had a couple of charity type ads in my portfolio, but was told that it's too easy for creatives to do good work for charities, and that's generally why they're disliked.
But once you get into the swing of creating your campaigns for whatever your chosen products, etc. will be, you'll be able to see yourself what feels right and what doesn't quite fit. Always go with your heart on things until someone persuades you otherwise - always be selling work that you believe in, and it can be quite easy to make other people feel the same.
H : )
Looks like a decent list I would say apart from Aston Martin, if you can make an advert for a car better than the car itself then good luck, that's hard. And the Oxford English, why would you need to advertise a dictionary, if you need one you buy one, no ones ever seen and ad for a dictionary and thought "Wow, I'm going to get that". Plus anyone who's anyone uses online dictionaries anyway.
Please please feel free to prove me wrong and if you do, i'll buy a dictionary (I would buy the Aston but cant afford it).
I would say
Corona beer, you should always have a beer, bank or car in your book
RBS, it will be hard but if you pull it off you'll get alot of credit
Green and Black chocolate
Aston Martin, not wanting to be sexist but its a male brand and it will look good in a females book, because you can think across sexes
Thats the boring hard brands out the way which will earn you respect. Now be fun
Crackers
Pie Minister
Virgin Radio
I agree with the being sensitive tone of voice in your book but that doesn't mean it has to be for a charity.
And do big brands, not what Haley said anybody can launch a little brand but doing good work for a big brand is hard, it's what you'll be doing in industry so get ahead start.
Also the whole risque thing might be going out of fashion especially when you graduate it's all about big ideas now, not childish 'look at me I'm crazy ideas' a CD want's to see something big.
test the waters with your work sometimes you may not be happy with it but a creative might highlight why it's good
Finally, digital don't ignore it. Avoid banners, microsites and extra's for work e.g I've done three posters now something digital, try doing a campaign for one of the brands I listed above soley online or atleast intergrated.
Pheew thats it I'm done time to fall asleep at my desk now....
I'd agree largely with Adam and anon. But still think it's worth having a lesser brand in there somewhere. As anon well knows, you advertise the lesser brands along with the big brands, even at the bigger agencies. Don't ignore them like everyone else does. It's just as risky to attempt advertising for a well-established brand as it is to attempt to bring a lesser brand to people's attention.
But at the end of the day, you're going to get completely differing opinions from everyone, so it comes down to how you feel about your own work. Every creative you go to will also tell you something different - it's then down to you to use their advice as you see fit. Some people form a book full of ads for the agency's clients to prove that they can bring something new and better to the agency. Others would advise against it.
Tis a fickle old advertising world!
H : )
Hi there.
My general advice is to pick brands that people have definitely heard of, which haven't had good advertising, and which aren't too easy (e.g. condoms, save the whale).
If people have never heard of a brand, you have to spend half the ad explaining what it is. Not good. That rules out Pie minister.
If a brand already had good advertising, there's a danger yours won't look good, in comparison. That rules out Science Museum.
If a brand is too easy to do good ads for, you can't shine. Show you can hit the bullseye, not just the dartboard. That probably rules out RSPB.
The rest are fine. Have a go at all of them! all best
new update: Down to ten with some more added.
1. Paddy Power
2. Jacobs crackers
3. Corona
4. Pie Minister
5. Virgin Radio
6. Bourjous
7. Skype
8. JCB
9. Cluedo (boardgame)
10. Everyman charity (testical)
Is it wrong that I laughed at the word "testicle" just floating there in a bracket?
Funnily enough, corona is also a word for part of the male genitalia. Bit wrong that they named a beer after it! (ooh, maybe you could advertise it on that premise!... Though don't think anyone would drink it ever again!)
Hi! Corona is well recognised in bars and really popular so i would pick something that is competetion to it.
rusty, don't avoid big brands they are what you will be working on (if in London) why would a CD want to give a placement to a team who can do good ideas for less unkown brands.
Out of that list I would only consider
corona
paddy power
Hey, just a couple of suggestions for ya:
1. Listen to Scamp. He's a CD, we're not. Swap Pie minister and Bourjous for something like Woolworths and Halfords. Big ol' shitty brands.
2. Virgin Radio is no more. It's Absolute Radio now. Still think it's a good'un though.
3. Testicular charity is way too easy. How about a Barclays campaign justifying their dealings with the Mugabe regime. Now there's a challenge for ya!
Hope that helps. Peace.
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