Dispatch from an advertising future #54

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/skills-going-demand-ad-industry-recovers/1680802

Helen.

I disagree, I think she’s just what we need. You’re right to think of the team. Our studio has long been a creative hub. Remember that Champagne feature about our fussball table? Happy days. Our guys bantering, bouncing off each other. The pranks. Late nights. We never needed team-building days. We agree she has a fresh eye but, no, she’d never fit into that. I’m no psychologist and I hate the phrase ‘neurodiverse’, but you’re right. But, following Don’s memo that we’re letting the building lease lapse and taking Zoom up on their ‘hub’ package. Heh, she’s ideal.

Bill

Dispatch from an advertising future #53

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/during-covid-19-brand-purpose-demands-solutions/43431

The Doctor had a moment before it all began again to check messages. Before all this, she was used to drugs companies’ offers of all-expenses-paid trips. Messages from spin doctors wanting to set up photo-ops for politicians of all stripes. She’d felt good at how quickly she could diagnose and dispatch. Delete. Delete. Delete. She was a doctor. But this was new. Her finger hesitated. They had global reach. Contacts. They could get supplies. Now. They weren’t asking for anything from her today. Just “when it’s over”. The brand would celebrate her as a “hero”. She’d be an NHS influencer.

Dispatch from an advertising future #52

https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/theageofthedigitalpitchishereandadagenciessaytheyreready/43448

Don shared his screen and began: “Technology is a glittering lure…” The other windows fell silent apart from the occasional toddler’s cry in the background. Across the city, laptop screens lit the faces of the men and women in corner ‘offices’ claimed from spouses and home schooling children. Slide wipes and sounds echoed the narrative as Don’s voice echoed around the disparate rooms. He wove the story: “Round and around, and back home again, to a place where we know we are loved.” He stopped. Silence. Then a voice…. “Sorry Don, lost you there. Can you go through it again?”

Dispatch from an advertising future #51

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/03/27/bbc-rejigs-thick-it-alan-partridge-and-mighty-boosh-clips-with-stay-home-message

He’d never been the most popular person in the office, until now. A bit of a geek. He’d never been at the top of the email chain when it came to socialising. He was never sure whether they’d ever really noticed he was there, until he wasn’t and neither were they. And most importantly, those groovy, popular creative types had had their shoots cancelled. Suddenly, he was the go-to guy. Mr popular on Zoom: “heh I wanna remix that ad we did in ’84 with that footage of… you couldn’t find them could you? Purleeze :)” He smiled. He liked power.

Dispatch from an advertising future #50

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/03/20/even-better-the-real-thing-meet-the-virtual-influencers-taking-over-your-feeds

He was glad the lockdown was still in place. It meant he couldn’t go out and so didn’t need to put on a disguise just to leave his flat. He could just sit at home and work. His face was more popular than ever as his followers whiled away time being ‘influenced’ by him. Work was going well. But all that would end if clients knew the truth. Ever since the move to virtual ‘safe influencers’: clean, controllable, programmable — no-one paid for real. All it needed was one fan to see he was real and the game would be up.

Dispatch from an advertising future #49

https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2020/03/13/mental-wellbeing-within-agencies-flexibility-and-stability

It popped up in the lower right corner. Two googly eyes on an animated clip. “Hello there!” Cheery chirruped, “just checking in.” It raised an animated eyebrow and nodded at the time. “Now you’ve finished with the client, let’s Cheerypause (™),” it said. She sighed. Since home had become office, the laptop had become a series of windows. Each one now had the pulsing Cheerybreathe (™) animation letting her team know she was on pause. As the screen unfroze, Cheery popped up again with that sickening smile. “Could you just check your fit on your Cheeryclip (™) please,” it said.