Something We Can All Understand

When I first started working in this industry, the acronyms threw me. An email would be peppered with CMO, RFI, SEO, CTA. I felt I needed my own Enigma machine to understand what was happening. It’s testament to the immersion of the industry (as well as my colleagues’ patience) that I’m now able to decode them.

I blame it on my background. Before Creativebrief, I worked in publishing where the majority of what you needed to get by was cupcake and tote bag-based. It’s therefore no surprise that going from publicising a children’s book about ‘the little unicorn that could’ to drafting press releases with some of the biggest brands around wasn’t without its period of adjustment.

But as disorientating as things got, there were two reassuring traits shared by these industries that kept my head firmly above water: creativity and the willingness to make a difference. Creativebrief’s upcoming event, BITE LIVE, is a prime example of both.

The key to unlocking talks that, we hope, will be able to root people to their seats, lay in what got people interested in the industry in the first place. The names coming to the event are ones we’re very proud to have – McDonald’s, IKEA, Stonewall, the list goes on. But, as far as this greenhorn can tell, the value of this industry has always been in what lies beyond the razzle dazzle; in a sense, it’s true value. For an industry so dominated by showmanship and brand, it’s the value of a message, that elusive kernel, that continues to beguile its workforce.

As to why, Michele Oliver, VP of Marketing for MARS UK, puts it best: “[Marketing] is about people.” A member of the working group for The Marketing Society’s ‘Marketing for Change’ initiative, and a speaker at BITE LIVE, Michele’s point is that a connection is vital. And what’s more, positivity hand-in-hand with creativity can help this. Anyone searching for reassurance on the matter can look at MARS and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO’s recently famed Maltesers campaign. Its three ads heralded a 8.1% uplift in sales whilst on air, and the ‘New Boyfriend’ instalment broke the two million views barrier on YouTube within its first 24 hours. The plan was never not to sell Maltesers. But, if you can do that by being positive and creative, why wouldn’t you?

It seems wrong to call the campaign ‘the Maltesers disability campaign’. Yes, it features disabled actors but there’s no treading on eggshells. Nor is there any asking its audience to feel bad for them. And that’s down to getting rid of the stigma.

This is what the previously mentioned ‘Marketing for Change’ is all about, removing stigmas, only this time it’s around mental health. Not only in work but in the office environment, enabling people to talk about these issues head-on and perform at their best without fear of exclusion or lack of support. 

In publishing, stigmas to me were always those ugly little things that stuck in the paw of creativity. And it’s the same story here. Once they’ve gone, that breathing space can help creatives, whether writers or marketers, find new inventive, compelling potential. Creative, ground-breaking work is good, but what’s better is when it’s persuasive.

Stonewall and Mr President are one such partnership who have championed this, seeking to prioritise positivity over preachiness, persuasion over pushiness. Their campaign ‘Come out for LGBT’ looks to engage a passive audience into action. After all, nothing motivates better than a good message.

It’s reassuring to work in an industry where ‘Marketing for Change’ and other such initiatives exist. It’s exciting also to help plan an event where the quality of work, and its various and varied messages, will dominate the stage. Even more so when you expect 300 marketers to be in the audience, not only listening, but also taking note.

Since leaving publishing I haven’t had a glass of prosecco at midday.

But the rest has felt fairly familiar.

The communal effort to create something exciting, to package it as best we can, and to convince someone that making a difference is a good thing, whether by taking action or changing their perception, is still there. The importance of change drives us. That’s the significant part. It mightn’t have its own acronym but it’s still something we can all understand.

BITE LIVE will be at Milton Court on Tuesday 14^th November and will feature talks from Michele Oliver, Stonewall UK and Mr President. To find out more, click here.