Interactivity and self-service is a good way for a brand to keep in touch with its customers. They appreciate to consume when, where, and how they want. What is true for a mobile phone or a clothes brand is also true for a planning strategic agency. BDDP Unlimited lauches the first take away strategy, the take away thinking. Ponctual consulting, inaccessible in one shot or outside a contract until then, which covers all communication disciplines. Every advertiser can « consume a strategy on the spot » by calling on the ressources of the agency, or « take it away » and implement it by itself.
The self-service logical is further until the menu, the order and the payment online.
Shouldn’t be artistic sociology a modern approach of consumers and trends?
Response this week with this underground road trip report. I asked “Are you the one who you are inside?” to tha inhabitants of a squat in Brussels and they have answered to me.
Qui sont-ils?
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For the 11th edition, the Grand Prix is a very poetic film from Conor Ferguson, “Atlantic”. Where a simple letter can affect a soul, and maybe a whole life. This irish director received the public award last year for his short “The Wenesdays”. See Atlantic.
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Introduction. Dexia, the world leader of the public financing, is not known by the public in Europe, except in Belgium where it always also were a bank for privates (ex Communal Crédit). Dexia takes place into education development, health for everybody, social accomodation and its restoration HQE (environmental high-quality), insertion of young people (School of the Citizenship). Its objective: to target the general public. To develop agencies towards the private individuals in Europe and firstly in France.
Dexia does not only have that things to sell, it has also things to say. Client’s briefing: to make known the brand Dexia (name and what it does) towards the public. To capitalize on its expertise as the bank of the communes since more than 60 years in order to crédibilise its launching towards the private individuals.
Where it becomes complicated. Axel Miller, President of the Steering committee, has a philosophy he strongly believes in: “short term has no future”. Its vision of what should be a great bank today – emotional bond/development of consumer loyalty customers, durable and responsible financing. But our client does not manage to define his brand: Dexia, the bank of durable development? Old fashion. Dexia, the bank of the local development ? Administrative. Dexia, another model of bank? Vagueness. Dexia, the world leader of the local financing? Distant. Lastly, the target is wide: almost everyone, private individuals, SME, communes…
My proposal: To think of the community, it is to think of each one. But difficult to find a relationship with “Shorts term has No future”, and this statement does not explain what is and does Dexia. A stage is jumped. Still an analogy? For once, a bank has a true relevant speech, a differentiating history and a stance, let us benefit from this force. Instead of limiting itself to a reducing message seen and reviewed, we chose another way.
The idea: simple logic. What Dexia bank does for the communes (swimming pools, schools, cycle tracks…), Dexia does it for the inhabitants of this these communes. Therefore, its knows well the needs for these inhabitants and it knows well these inhabitants themselves, from the baby to the elderly. Here comes naturally the concept of time. Dexia bank is well placed to know, therefore to meet the needs of people, throughout their life. Declined in TV/web and presses, creation takes the simplicity of a childhood play.
The film shows the function/mission of Dexia. Useless to sign it by a baseline which would define Dexia. One can allow oneself to be further introducing his vision, the famous “Short term has no future”. The loop is buckled, in a simple, credible and ludic way. The freshness of the production adds personality, optimism, human heat and lightness which often lacks in banking advertising.
Justification. Dexia has a clear stance definited by the charismatic Axel Miller. from its history, bank of the public finacing, Dexia knows better than another the needs of people. The message is simple, human. The campaign is more than a form, it contends a relevant proposal that goes beyond a product offer.
Conclusion. When one has something to say, one should go ahead.
posted under Good plans | Comments Off on Dexia corporate TV
TGV, for the public, is the generic name for fast train. People think about the TGV to go to the big cities in France, but its competitor Thalys is famous. Others think that TGV is the express train for the south of France.
What are the meeting room objectives? The client’s ambition?
To create a definite brand; to order to fullfill trains at least for 50% from Brussels – with the risk of confusion of the client’s will of two logos, TGV and SNCB. Nobody really know that the TGV transports its travellers in ALL towns in France. Moreover, for accustomed to low-cost people, the price seems quite high. The car remains the mean way to go to France. We have to convince those who can consider the train like an alternative, even only from time to time. In particular those who stay only for two or three days, or only downtown. The TGV would allow them “to live” their journey (readings, meetings).
Proposals for the briefing:
– Think TGV: to go quickly to France, take the TGV. “Not taking TGV is not credible.” Problem: lack of arguments.
– To travel as by TGV, take TGV. “The simplest way to go to France.” Pb: The media – imposed by the client – doest not allow to develop this “experiment of journey”. And most of all, is this the more powerfull argument to decide people to try TGV?
– France is smaller with TGV. “France is just beside.” Pb: Who wants a smaller France?
My proposition:
To promote the asset of the TGV (pertaining to Thalys): it goes everywhere in France, while creating a thirst of discovery.
We sought several key-locations wellknowned enough and very french but not common. The AD went through the country with the photographer, (french, Vincent Fournier).
To avoid of falling down in some kind of folkloric visuals and to definite TGV as a beautiful big brand, The option of the AD was to magnify these places, while saying that «TGV goes there» with a bit humour. The result is a visual eye catching campaign, very human, exploitable in the media and in the time.
Introduction.
IP, one of the most important media devices in Belgium, manages the broadest scope of media (TV, radio, event, marketing, network. Its mission: to commercialize the media space it represents, in collaboration with the advertisers and their ad agencies.
The client’s brief.
To order to developp a new corporate campaign beyond the «Indiens» campaign («the media spirit»), which could only be signed by IP, informative et déclinable on the long term. To communicate towards all its numerous targets – medias, agencies, advertisers – not to one in particular.
We want to be brilliant but we want to be loved.
More known for the brands it represents than for itself, professional expert and inventive (studies), IP is more respected than liked. How to turn to emotional a head of class? How to make sexy a media device? How to explain something complicated to so much targets, expecting so much different things without falling down into symbols or analogies ?
Where a defect becomes a quality.
The fact is that to choose a media device is hard. Agencies, medias, advertisers seek a knight to defend their brands the better, who makes sell, assures a consequent amount, but also has a vision on future. Nothing but this. In that perspective, they can hardly reproach the IP experts of being too cartesian, overdemanding, haunted by their job. However, in sweetheart, they maybe feel a bit sorry for their wives, children or friends. They are so careful that they appear as ennoying. Imagining them in evredy daylife situations make them amusing, human, likeable.
Therefore, the idea of the campaign is to push that fixed idea up to derision. It allows us at the same time to déliver a real information, while adding an emotional dimension, to humanize expertise by fine humour – well created by the illustrator, Voutch. Illustration avoids too heavy visuals and allows strong branding. In other words, to make IP be loved.
In 19 years of copywriting, I have seen hundreds of briefs and thought about nearly as much creative strategies. From copy to creative strategy, there is only one step.
