“I want to bring our country together, our United Kingdom together…to reclaim a mantle that we should never have lost – the mantle of One Nation, One United Kingdom.”. So said David Cameron on the day of the elections results.
Well in one way we are definitely already two nations.
If you flick through Media Week’s triumphant 30th anniversary issue in print then in the back section there are a series of features from media agencies and media owners. In the latter, digital out of home dominates with highly optimistic outlooks described by Clear Channel’s Chris Pelekanou, Exterion Media’s Shaun Gregory, Outdoor Plus’ Jonathan Lewis and Talon Outdoor’s Eric Newnham.
According to these champions of Digital Out of Home the landscape will be awash with ‘Minority Report’ style personalisation of messages. For broader campaigns the right time, right message and right segment accuracy of communications should improve out of home effectiveness and accountability in spades.
Shaun Gregory writes “The rise of digital out of home has been one of the most explosive industry game changers todate.”
If you live in a city that is.
For the two nations that definitely exist out there are those living with exposure to digital out of home and those who are not. It’s yet another way in which it is very different outside the urban sprawl, and once again your experience as a media practitioner in London is irrelevant to the experience of significant parts of the UK.
A huge amount of investment is due before the full potential of DOOH to effectively drive a national campaign for a household brand is truly realised. In addition audience data will need to be more immediate and more accurate. The best campaigns will be served dynamically based on streams of data available with specific information from mobile networks. The effectiveness of the outcomes of these campaigns will need equally accurate and transparent data.
At the close of last year I was one of the judges of the Campaign City Street Live Challenge where two creative teams were pitched against each other to create an ad campaign that made the most of the exciting new tech embedded in multipoint touchscreens. It was really interesting, but for me, incredibly hard to judge. Not just because the two ideas were so different. Because as a media planner I really wanted to understand the metrics in order to have an informed opinion about which campaign should win. For one reason or another (outcomes unclear, detail not comparable, sample sizes small) this proved very difficult.
To truly fulfil the potential which we can all imagine, there is a huge amount of work that the outdoor industry needs to undertake. Can Britain’s Digital Out of Home bring our nation back together? How long will the investment into national digital outdoor take? Will the data about audience outcomes become available in real time to planners and data analysts so that we can truly have a currency comparable with other media? And if so when?
“I’d like to work in advertising. Can you help me get a job?”
Friday, May 29th, 2015You must have heard this more than once. As the summer milk round kicks off the requests from graduates will begin to escalate. Dave Trott, years ago, wrote a definitive guide “How to get a job in advertising” which includes the memorable advice :”99% of people trying to get a job believe they are whiz kids… unless you realise that you do not at present know any more about advertising than your mother, you are no use to a good agency.” He goes on to point out that your mother might in fact be more useful as she probably buys more of the products that are advertised than you do.
So referring job seekers to Dave’s guide is of course a good place to start. So is a job application letter written half a millennium ago.
Back in the 1480s Leonardo da Vinci applied for a job at the court of the ruler of Milan. It is an utterly brilliant letter constructed on the basis of what he can offer Ludovico Sforza, not on the basis of what he, Leonardo, would like to do (I’ve assumed that he is quite keen on art).
Assuming then that da Vinci had a bit of an interest in drawing and painting we can notice that he doesn’t even mention his skills in this area until the end of his letter : “Likewise in painting, I can do everything possible as well as any other”. It is almost an afterthought.
The thrust of his application is specifically tailored to what he, and only he, can offer to make Sforza’s personal objectives more attainable.
These include plans for portable bridges with which you can either pursue or flee the enemy; several portable types of cannon; “an infinite number of items for attack and defence”.
The letter, which is printed as part of a brilliant collection Letters of Note by Shaun Usher, stands as a fantastic guide to anyone aspiring to a new job. Don’t dive in with what you are good at. Work out what the business needs and be specific about how you can fulfil those needs better than anyone. By all means talk about your core skills too, but only framed in the context of their needs. I have spoken to more than one prospective advertising candidate who – when asked what advertising they think is good and why – can only mention Nike, because it has footballers they like in it.
That’s if they can think of any advertising at all.
Da Vinci concludes his letter with two excellent points. First he applies his talents in art specifically to Sforza like this :”moreover, work could be undertaken on the bronze horse which will be to the immortal glory and eternal honour of the auspicious memory of his Lordship your father and of the illustrious house of Sforza”. Nice use of flattery, appeal to family values. Finally he offers proof points :”if any of the above-mentioned things seem impossible… I am most readily disposed to demonstrate them in your park”. Always be prepared to walk the walk, right here, right now.
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