Our Olym-picks.

Hello. 

Creative team Chris and Tim here.

 You might not have noticed, but apparently London’s hosting some sort of sporting event thing in a couple of months. Which means that our screens, papers and internets are filled with Olympic-related advertising of wildly differing quality. So we thought we’d take a look at what’s out there and share our thoughts.

Chris: Let’s kick off with Tampax. “Oh no! Mother Nature! And just when I’m about to [CROWBAR ALERT] compete in the Olympic High Jump. Good job I’m wearing Tampax Pearl.” All pretty tenuous stuff. And as for “No Tampax, No Glory”. Well, it’s bloody awful.

   Tim: Badly acted, badly directed, an unintentionally hilarious script, a lame set (it doesn’t look like the London Olympic stadium) and the old bat is better suited to a daytime Spanish soap opera. I think that all involved should undergo a drugs test.

Chris: Still if you’re P&G, you want to get your money’s worth out of your Olympics sponsorship. So start churning out those ads. Talking of which…

Tim: What about “Thankyou, Mum”? Now I could ask, “Where’s Dad?” (He’s probably out working a double shift to put his overachieving spawn through running school.) I could suggest that Mum resents having to get up at sparrow fart to drag aforementioned sprog off to the track when she would much rather be in bed.

But I won’t. Because I really liked this – and because, as this ad shows, mums are brilliant. It’s sweet, it melts my heart and it presses my buttons. Probably because I’m a parent. Sniff.

Chris: Like the Tampax ad, I thought it was a tad tenuous. “Look! By doing the washing-up I’m helping my son become an Olympian!” Nicely put together though. Very emotive. And I’m sure if you’re a softy like Tim you’ll be moved by it. Not me though. I’ve just… I’ve just… got something in my eye. Which leads us to…

 Tim: …Blink and you’ll miss super speedy Usain Bolt’s ad for Visa.

Chris: Ooh, seamless Timmy. Now, I liked this ad a lot. It had charm, it was genuinely funny and Usain really can act (unlike the appallingly stilted Sir Chris Hoy and Tom ‘Wooden’ Daly). Plus, the product benefit is demonstrated nicely. And the line “Flow faster with Visa” is pretty good.

Tim: Bolt can act (up to a point). I like this. It’s fun and gets across the product benefits nicely. The only thing that grates is the beginning – why would he get into a race with that grinning bearded weirdo in the first place? Maybe to get away from him? Anyway. Must dash. Ta ta. 

Can I have some cookies?

From 26th May, the EU Cookie Law will come into force in the UK. Users will have to opt-in before any 'electronic communications network' can use cookies to store information about their browsing behaviour. And unless the cookie is deemed 'strictly necessary' for a website, app, mobile site or email to function, the user will need to give their consent. Non-compliant businesses run the risk of prosecution and could be fined up to £500K.

And all of this is just five days away. Yikes.

Given that only 13% of people claim to fully understand how cookies work, a quick explanation is probably in order. A cookie is a piece of code that downloads to your PC when you visit a website or click an email link. Cookies are used for loads of stuff, from remembering your log-in details to the contents of your shopping cart. They're pretty useful little things, enabling seamless navigation around the web and keeping track of your interests and preferences as you go.

They sound harmless, right? Apparently not.

According to the caring folk who issued the directive last year, legislation is necessary 'to protect the privacy of internet users', 'prompted by concerns about online tracking of individuals'.

But this 'online tracking' allows advertisers to deliver more targeted and relevant ads. Clearly this does throw up a few concerns and does need to be regulated, but the EU's approach does feel a little heavy handed. In case you hadn't noticed, lots of stuff on the internet is free, most of which is paid for by targeted advertising. 97% of Google's profits come from advertising. Thanks to our booming internet economy, a villager in Uganda with a smartphone can access the same search technology as a planner in a London office (and Google can make money at the same time). The same goes for Facebook or YouTube (it's pretty much their business model).

Imagine that the next time you go to Google something you're interrupted with:

Now imagine being faced with one of these pop-ups every time you go to check the news, share a link or click on something not considered 'strictly necessary' for website function. It's going to get annoying, not to mention confusing - and even dangerous. After all, the pop-up is asking 'Mind if I download some stuff onto your computer?' Will users be able to distinguish between the safe cookie pop-ups and malicious viruses? Ironically, in an attempt to make the internet a safer place, there's a chance the legislation will do the opposite.

There are alternative solutions. Check out the header from the ICO here. Yes, their opt-in mechanism is far less intrusive than a pop-up or splash page, but does it actually work? The ICO lost 90% of their recorded visits in Google Analytics after implementing this opt-in after only 10% ticked the consent box. Can you imagine the damage to business if Amazon or eBay lost 90% of their tracking data?

May 26th is just a few days away and yet surprise surprise - no-one's ready. In April, it was estimated that 95% of UK businesses are not yet compliant with the new Cookie Law. Does this mean the ICO will go in all guns blazing and hit the 95% with 500K fines? Probably not.

Even so, being the conscientious marketers we are, we attended the DMA's 'Countdown to Cookies' morning last week, and can offer a few top-line recommendations for business to get the ball rolling.

1. Conduct a cookie audit

Check every website, app and email - identify any cookies and decide how intrusive they are. Are they strictly necessary e.g. to remember what's in your basket? Are they performance related or used for targeting? This doc from the ICC categorises cookies pretty nicely.

2. Plan how to obtain consent

You could use pop-up boxes, splash pages, homepage headers, banners or the T&Cs. It's really up to you ho you reach your solution, but it's worth testing a few ways to ensure you get as many opt-ins as you can (and don't disrupt the user experience too much).

3. Communicate with your clients

It's essential to work out who is held responsible for compliance with the new legislation. Remember that this law applies to any websites, emails, apps or mobile sites - so bite the bullet and negotiate an agreement.

4. And finally...look like you're doing something

There's no denying it - the Cookie Law still all feels a bit woolly. The advice from the ICO (those responsible for enforcing the law) is that the most important thing is to 'take steps in the right direction'. Your best bet is to leave a paper trail of emails, meeting agendas and drafted cookie policies to demonstrate your willingness should the ICO come-a-knocking. 

Lauren Took

Junior Planner

Shock Report: Agency Visits To Dentist Up 80%

Everyone came in to work this morning to find this lovely new addition to Reception...

A truly scrumptious and tempting Tuck Shop, set up by Nicola 'Willy Wonka' Sait.

Loads of agency peeps are hoping to run a half-marathon this October (in support of the baby charity Tommy's) so this is their somewhat sneaky way of raising money and making the rest of us fat.

Current agency mood?

Like kids in a candy shop.

The Big Boys Do Direct Mail Part II

We asked our CEO and Creative Director to cast their busy yet experienced eyes over some recent Direct Mail work. Here's what we eventually got out of them. Next up, our CD, Chris Martin:

Clients seem to be falling out of love with DM (with budgets slashed, costs spiraling and trends dictating that everything should be social, digital, co-creative). Even the postage is going up, so the odds are stacking up against poor old DM.

Yet recent research has proven that younger people in particular love this engaging and personal dark art of mail...and the industry is waking up to this.

But DM seems to be shorthand for keeping in contact with those of failing eyesight, a propensity to sponsor starving African children, take cruises, replace their car every two years, need hip replacement surgery or want to put up bespoke blinds in their conservatories.

I'll steer clear of the technical and targeting side of things and concentrate on the creative. Well, what there is of it.

The first thing that strikes me is the multi-coloured-ness. These DM packs have used just about every hue imaginable. My mail is more demure than this. It's boring, and mainly in differing shades of white. Do old people need to be smacked in the face with colour to wake them up or something?

First up is a brown wallet thingy for Kwik-Fit. A wallet hey?. That old chestnut. Younger readers will not necessarily be aware of all the great DM cliches, but a wallet is pretty high up there. Personalised? Tick. Plastic card? Tick. Intricate foldy-outy bits? Something that painfully tries to emulate a traditional letter? Offers? Tick tick tick.

But you know what? I bet it worked. It's cute, gets the much vaunted 'cut through', is relevant and says what it needs to. It won't win any gongs or many friends, but for what it is, it's OK.

Next up is the Football Pools. Now this makes me pretty angry. There's a beach shot with a couple, an azure sky etc etc. But it's just genuinely awful. No apologies. No class. Just tons of garish forms, lift letters and massive type. Cheesy pictures. Testimonials. Flashes. Bullet points  and all in massive type.

Let me explain my ire. It's got nowt to do with aesthetics. It's the assumptions of lazy marketers that 'old' people are stupid, tasteless, brainless and have not moved on with the times. And it's all based on an outdated model of what a 60 year old is like.

A 60 year old nowadays was in their early 20s when Led Zeppelin were at their pomp. They saw punk change things before they were 30. They probably broke laws. Had fights. Rode bikes. At the very worst, they probably got down to The Bay City Rollers and watched Morecambe and Wise on telly.

These people are not all elasticated waistband wearing, bread and dripping eating Arthur Askey fans. They're real, relevant people. And if they want to read, they wear glasses (or get laser correction surgery). Might I remind you that The Telegraph's body copy is set in 7pt. So why do some companies constantly treat them all like dribbling nostalgic idiots?

Finally, a cruise piece for Hurtigruten.

Along with the treatment of 60 year olds, close on my list of DM pet-hates is the regression towards self-mailers. Yes, I know they're cheap and efficient. They can even be clever. But they feel cheap, and this one's trying to sell me a luxury adventure cruise to North Norway (South Norway is so last year).

At least they've gone for a contemporary look. The images are interesting and dynamic throughout, but there are lots of partner logos which confuse things a bit. The text isn't in idiot jumbo size, but it all feels a bit thrown together (and the odd foldy-format makes it nigh on impossible to track any narrative).

There's a story here but it's hidden. DM packs were conceived, more often than not, on the tenors of logic. Of storytelling. Of involvement. Of explanation. Of whetting appetites and trying to elicit an action. This piece is a wonderful example of how these things have sadly been sublimated. Sublimated by time pressures. By budget restraints. But ultimately messed up by a lack of understanding of how good DM can and actually should work.

Ay-Thang-Yaw'll. Need a lie down now. And some bread and dripping.

 

The Big Boys Do Direct Mail Part 1

We asked our CEO and Creative Director to cast their busy yet experienced eyes over some recent Direct Mail work. Here's what we eventually got out of them. First up, our CEO Steve Grout:

I get less DM these days, as clients seem to be reducing spend on cold DM - most of the packs I get seem to be reactivation or warm mailings. Any cold DM is mostly charity based (as I find myself fast approaching a worrying new demographic).

The Football Pools
 

I used to play the pools as a result of my family always playing the weekly collector. I cancelled about a year ago and now get sent regular reactivation messages. The phone calls I get are good - Liverpudlians who know the product, actually chat to me rather than read a script and call back when they're supposed to.

I seem to be getting the same win-back pack each time. It's a traditional DM with all the tricks of the trade you'd expect - dreamy holiday photos, big cash amounts and Harry Redknapp handing over a giant cheque. Despite it being 'non-creative' I like it for what it is. It's cheesy but I'm sure it does the job.

BA Wine Club

I like wine, so I'm already a warm contact - but I seem to have stepped back in time opening this mailer. It looks exactly like the packs I worked on 20 years ago! A one-piece, fold-up, newsletter-style mailer with a seasonal collection offer, lift leaflets, vouchers and free wine glasses - all the classics.

I'm sure there's some smart targeting going on in the pack, but there's nothing obviously personalising it or giving me a reason to engage.

20 years of the same approach must mean it's still working, but somehow I just wish that other ideas were being effectively trialled. Perhaps it looks new to younger recipients - or perhaps it's an incredibly clever retro approach to marketing that I'm just not getting.

BMW Service

A nice simple service message on a one-piece mailer (with a good deal and a nice limited MOT offer) obviously based on a trigger data programme. Unfortunately, it's based on the car I sold over two years ago, and they've been servicing the replacement ever since.

They can't have any hope of maintaining a relationship with me when they don't even know what car I own (or which one they service now)?

BMW Mini

I like letters. Most people like nicely written letters that are just for them. Unfortunately this isn't one of those.

We replaced our Mini about a year ago, so I also got a letter offering me another nearly new Mini. I just can't see the sense in sending me a letter trying to sell me a nearly new Mini when I leased a NEW one from them last year. Not only that but the letter is also pretty patronising (explaining just what a nearly new car is).

Poor all round.

Kwik-Fit

This Kwik-Fit mailer works. Although I don't like the forced wallet-look as an outer, once you open it it has nice simple pieces (including a discount card you can put in your real wallet). It's well targeted (mentioning my actual car) and has a really strong offer.

I feel this is a nice example of getting the data, print and production team involved early in the briefing - making it both relevant and practical. I reckon this format will work really well at driving people to store.