The Magical DDB Visit: Part 1
by sammassooleh
http://youtu.be/o9gLqh8tmPA
I recently had the pleasure of attending a workshop by Lance Saunders, the Executive VP Marketing Director for DDB Canada, during a recent office tour offered to Sauder students.
During the workshop, he outlined what he believed to be the key differentiators between successful brands, and unsuccessful ones. He argued that successful campaigns understand the human truth behind their products, and use these truths to appeal to consumers.
As put best by Luke Sullivan in his classic book on advertising, Hey Whipple Squeeze This:
“Hair coloring isn’t about looking younger. It’s about self-esteem. Cameras aren’t about pictures. They’re about stopping time and holding life as the sands run out.”
In a modern example, Lance pointed out that while a social media platform like Instagram may appear to be a photography app at first, it is really more about a sense of belonging, and the rush of getting a like on your picture.
This theory can also be used to explain the failure of a brand like Blackberry in contrast with a brands like Apple and Google. Blackberry, a company founded by engineer’s focused too much on advertising the cold physical capabilities of their products, while Apple, through all their advertising campaigns, focuses on the human potential of their products; the potential to enjoy, the potential to create.
This is beautifully highlighted in Apple’s latest commercial for the iPad Air above, where a startling connection is made between a familiar item in our lives with unlimited potential: a pencil.