Interesting question.
What’s the difference between a great piece of film and a great ad?
A great piece of film moves you.
It touches you.
It plugs into a truth inside you.
It might make you laugh.
It might shock you.
But you think, yeah I recognise that, how perceptive.
That’s a great piece of film.
Fine.
Next question.
Did it change your mind?
Did it make you want do, or buy something?
Do you even remember who it was for?
You see a great piece of film doesn’t have to do anything, except make you like it, for itself.
A great ad has to make you do something, beyond itself.
It has to change your mind.
That’s the difference.
Advertising isn’t entertainment, it’s propaganda.
It has to do a job.
Making you like it isn’t enough.
We’re not in the business of writing sketches for The Fast Show.
We’re in the business of motivating people.
Liking what I do isn’t enough.
Making you laugh isn’t enough.
Awards isn’t enough.
Hits on YouTube isn’t enough.
They’re all very nice but I haven’t done my job unless the ad has changed your behaviour, or at least your mindset.
I love some of the current ads as pieces of film.
They’re clever, well shot, nicely edited, watchable again and again, on YouTube.
My only problem is that everyone outside advertising I’ve spoken to doesn’t remember who they’re for, or what the point was.
And yet they really like them as pieces of film.
So how do explain that?
Sounds to me like the production companies are doing their jobs really well.
My only question is, are the ad agencies doing their jobs?
As Shakespeare said:
“WHEN CAESAR SPEAK PEOPLE SAY, WHAT A WONDERFUL SPEECH.
WHEN MARK ANTHONY SPEAKS, PEOPLE MARCH.”