Friday, 16 March 2012

Google ReBrief: The Idea Is Still King

Advertising is an interesting and exciting industry for many reasons. It is an industry that is on the very forefront of technology, yet one that can and still is, learning so many lessons from the past. One of the (few) things I really remember from uni was that a the idea should be able to work across any media, "content is king" in the words of Amil Gargano, creative on Volvo's Drive It Like You Hate It campaign.

Google's ReBrief puts this theory to the test, taking some of the most iconic adverts from 40 years ago and attempting to recreate them in a digital world through Google's display ads. The stuff of advertiser's wet dreams.



It is truly fascinating to watch and listen to those behind Coke, Volvo, Alka-Seltzer and Avis' most famous ads. Some of the most iconic adverts ever. As I started saying, there are still so many lessons to be learnt from the past in advertising, which is why the words and experiences of the greats such as David Ogilvy, Bill Bernbach and John Hegarty are still as valuable today as they've always been. At it's very basic level, advertising has always about connecting to people, and over the last 40 years or so, people haven't really changed that much.



It is also quite humbling to see very intelligent and creative people completely baffled by the simple technology that we take forgranted. But they don't shy away from it, they embrace it and thrive upon the challenge and opportunities. And they really prove that not understanding new technology is not an excuse, it always has been and always will be about the idea. Sure how you execute it is vital, but a great idea is a great idea. End of.

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