I am not an art aficionado that’s for sure. I love what I love - but would be (almost always) unable to distil and explain why.
However I find this latest work by Banksy just breathtakingly good. It truly and sincerely moves me in a way that I cannot understand or explain. He has completely and utterly changed the way that I think of him, his work and his commentary. I think this is masterful work.
Truly masterful.
- Simon
ANGRY!!!
It would be perhaps an exaggeration to say I have an obsession with this particularly topic. But it would be fair to say that I feel VERY STRONGLY about it. I mean VERY STRONGLY...so strongly in fact that there are flecks of saliva on my screen as I type this.
Here is an excerpt from a lead story running in today’s edition of ‘AdNews’ (an Australian advertising & marketing magazine)...
“The Bavarian Bier Cafe has kicked off a viral marketing campaign to support its brand...The latest campaign is an online viral building on a theme...”
*Deep Breath*
OK. Here goes. One more time for the cheap seats...
You CANNOT create a viral. Viral is not a creative execution. Viral activity is (if you are very, very fortunate) something that occurs if the content you have disseminated becomes popular and begins to be distributed, in an ever increasing fashion, by the people that come in to contact with it.
You DON’T create a viral.
You cannot control viral.
Or guarantee something going viral to your client.
What you can do is create terrific digital content that you hope has some instinctive triggers imbedded into it that resonate on a large scale. And by large scale I don’t necessarily mean mainstream or mass. A targeted viral success would have relatively small reach into the mainstream, but could still get large scale distribution and penetration into a certain niche group.
Viral activity is something that happens. You don’t create it and you sure as hell cannot bank on it happening. You just hope, as with ideas in general, that you have captured something that is topical, timely and brilliant.
Rant over.
- Simon
Which is fair enough I say; they need a major commitment to get the best out of them but by and large are worth it as they can be a solid and reliable friend for life (not counting poodles whom are aloof and poncy).
A micro site however is not a dog (although...).
A micro site should be for Xmas rather than for life. They are designed (just like Roy) to burn twice as bright and half as long. The vast majority of campaign micro sites exist to amplify and support the campaign while it runs and offer up channels for consumer / customer participation. But once that campaign has finished they should shuffle off into oblivion (or get archived into your brand site for nostalgic purposes).
The intraweb is littered with sad little micro sites that have passed their sell by dates and I come across them all the time. They sit there with inactive forums that have not had a comment in months, events and dates that are long past and often they promote competitions and offers that are no longer valid. They look melancholy, out of date and neglected. And so, by association does the brand that they represent. And I fear that this sad situation is only going to get worse. We are in the midst’s of micro site madness with more and more digital agencies recommending a micro site build with every campaign (despite it often being unnecessary and a waste of money).
Brand managers – it is vital keep your brand fresh and current online just as you do offline. If you MUST have a micro site (and think very carefully about this) make sure that the pin is pulled on it once that campaign has finished. Don’t let your brand be part of the micro site wasteland blocking up the intraweb tubes.
If you love something set it free. - Simon
[image CC deanna_ @ flickr]
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