Yet another high production, ie expensive, spot has included all the executional trimmings except the most important ingredient – an idea.
To begin with, the wonderfully shot and edited Adidas spot has nothing to do with – All in or nothing.
I understand the “Just do it”- like platform has merit, but the spot does not deliver.
Aside from it borrowing/stealing from the well conceived and executed Gator-Ade spots with Wade and K.Durant –that had an idea- Messi dreaming of the game, and his opponents, doesn’t score or even hit the post.
Seems almost like they cut the spot without Messi playing, but some one said “Are you crazy. We’re not going to show him playing?” And then edited him in, which eroded an idea I’m perhaps giving them credit for having.
Production without a memorable, idea that pays off at the end is like a superficial relationship without a soul. We see it every year on the Super Bowl.
Generating great ideas is the cheapest part, relatively speaking, of a client’s marketing, but the most important.
The most expensive Lego set without building something memorable or satisfying is just a bunch of plastic pieces.
A painting without a memorable image is just paint on a canvas.
A novel without …you get it.
The idea should happen on a piece of paper, a computer, a phone and you should know it when you have one and when you don’t.
Oh one more thing. Some creatives think if they get a film director to shoot their baby it will birth into a Gold lion. Niet. They don’t usually understand the art of telling a story in short lengths. The Pytkas, Scott’s, Dekters, Horns, Leibermans, Levine, I could go on, could/can take a script and bring their form of magic to making your idea a winner. Many talented directors incidentally were agency art directors and know the power of a good idea.
Not to mention, if there are holes in your baby you or the client missed, they could repair it and maybe paint a masterpiece.
A great way to learn this is get your people in a room and review dozens of spots – cold…after each, everyone has to write down what the strategy and idea was.
More time should be spent on teaching (creative directors take note) the difference between a grandiose production and a simple idea produced brilliantly that works in the marketplace. I admit I have done some pretty grandiose and expensive spots, but never at the expense of and idea. Less time should be spent on giving creatives and producers expensive Lego pieces to play with. Clients would get more out of their marketing budgets and incidentally, give more respect, not to mention compensation, for what we do.
If we want clients to embrace the creative agency for doing something they can’t do themselves we better go “All in or nothing”…ourselves.
