Ad doesn’t lock in brand

(Re: ‘Picture perfect’, a story in the Feb. 28 special report on Effectiveness in Newspaper Advertising.)

It is right there for all to see. Right across the country. Words right out of their own minds. Zak (‘holy shit’) Mroueh, associate creative director at TAXI Advertising in Toronto; Trevor (‘junkyard’) McConnell of Palmer Jarvis DDB in Vancouver; John (‘giant clam’) Farquhar of Young & Rubicam; Ian (‘one idea’) Grais of Rethink, and Michael (‘tight…times’) McLaughlin of BBDO.

In all their talk, as quoted in a recent article by David Todd about ‘fresh ways of saying’, their admission that ‘newspapers are regarded as the junkyard of the ad business and their whining about poor colour reproduction and tight turnaround constraints, there is not one brand-oriented thought among them.

Not Salon, not Selective

and not Colour Shield.

The ad for Salon Selectives Colour Shield shampoo touted as an ad that ‘really pops’ which accompanied the article is a prime example of the generic thinking of which all ad agencies are best at and guilty of (I know, two ending prepositions. Poetic licence; used for emphasis). What a terrible way to treat a great brand idea. Such a waste of space! All this ad does is make a terrible metaphor out of a generic feature/benefit.

Trust a young male award-winning copywriter to come up with this one. Gets across the ‘locks in’ part but totally ignores the brand. What’s the connection to the brand? This ad works with any brand. What is it about the ‘selective’ ability, ‘salon’ milieu and ‘colour shield’ attributes of this product’s positioning that entitles it to exclusive ownership of the creative idea? That’s what is missing from this kind of thinking, notwithstanding whatever value there might be in the metaphor.

Key Problem

The key problem is that Mroueh started the idea process searching, in his own words, for ‘a fresh way of saying’ that a hair care product locks in colour. He should have started by searching for the way in which to leverage the brand to the notion of ‘locking’. That’s why it’s called brand marketing! The way was staring him in the face. It’s the name of the brand. There’s a ton of potential being ignored here simply because of the approach to the brand. It doesn’t come last as a sort of grateful recipient of creative ability, it comes first. The thinking should have been, how can I make this brand the exclusive owner of a locking type of idea?

Creative Arrogance

This ad also reflects the arrogance of the idea. It places the creativity above the brand. The brand is just the excuse for the writer/director to showcase how clever he is. And we’re supposed to admire the fact that it is clear, simple and uses virtually no copy! All the right generics and no brand integration, let alone positioning. Probably win an award.

Tery Poole

President

Poole-Adamson Research Consultants

Toronto, Ont.

tpoole@mail.interlog.com

Cannes Lions 2025: Canadians nab more medals on final festival day

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Friday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the oldest category at the Cannes festival, Film, as well as Sustainable Development Goals, Dan Wieden Titanium, Glass: The Lion for Change and Grand Prix for Good. Canadians were recognized with four Lions today: two Silver and a Bronze in Film, as well as a Bronze in Sustainable Development Goals.

FCB Toronto was given yet another nod for its work, “The Count,” for SickKids, bringing the medal count for that campaign to four, including a Gold for Health & Wellness. Another Canadian agency recognized on the final day of the festival was Klick Health Toronto, which earned a Silver in Film for its work “Love Captured” for Human Trafficking Awareness and a Bronze for “18 Months” for Second Nurture. And over in Sustainable Development Goals, the Bronze went to Publicis Canada and its “Wildfire Watchtowers” work for Rogers.

Another massive win for Canada included not one, but two Young Lions (pictured above) taking home medals in the annual competition. In Design, the Gold Young Lion was awarded to Rethink’s senior motion designer Jesse Shaw and ACD Zoë Boudreau. The second, a Bronze in Media, went to Cossette Media’s business intelligence analyst Samuel David-Durocher and product development supervisor Tristan Bonnot-Parent.

Film (2 Silver, 1 Bronze)

1 SILVER: “The  Count” by FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation

“The Count,” a striking campaign from FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation, has earned 1 Gold, 2 Bronze and now 1 Silver for Film at Cannes. If you watch it, it’s easy to see why. The collaboration between brand and agency honoured the hospital’s “VS” platform, while steering it in a new direction from its initial development by previous AOR Cossette. The creative celebrates childhood cancer patients who have to fight for every birthday, while honouring the hospital’s own milestone – 150 years and counting.

 

1 Silver: “Love Captured” by Klick Health Toronto for The Exodus Road

Klick Health Toronto added to its medal tally with a Silver in Film for it’s work “Love Captured” for The Exodus Road. The creative features a romantic getaway that isn’t what it seems in an experiential short film for the global anti-trafficking organization. The experience takes viewers through a tragic and twisting experience of exploitation.

 

1 BRONZE: “18 Months” by Klick Health Toronto for Second Nurture

Klick Health Toronto also won a Bronze in the Film category for its work, “18 Months,” done for the charity organization Second Nurture. The animated film is based on a real-life story in which a same-sex couple adopts a baby found in a subway station, and the 18-month journey into a story of hope.

Sustainable Development Goals (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Wildfire Watchtowers” by Publicis Canada for Rogers

Publicis Canada landed on the winners board for its work, “Wildfire Watchtowers,” for Rogers. The Canadian-developed wildfire-detection tech – which has been billed as “a fire alarm in the forest” – uses AI-powered sensors installed on 5G towers to monitor vast remote areas in real time. By scanning, identifying and reporting early signs of wildfires (up to 16 minutes faster than other systems), the technology helped prevent 54 fires in 2024 alone.

Catch the Gold winners later today when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.