Radio waves.... on TV? /  by Oli Harris

viceland

There is a new breed of TV programme, appealing to both a mass and niche audience alike. Informative shows, that take the viewer to a place they either know about, but have never been, or have been to, but have never told anyone about.

Everyone knows we are big fans of everything Vice does. 

Viceland's newest show, Needles & Pins takes shows us a sub-culture which is both mainstream and underground. Something we all know something and nothing about at the same time. 

Viceland's approach to TV is to grab us with important, interesting and sometimes crazy subject matter, present it with an informative yet relaxed approach, with some of the most unique characters you'll see on screen anytime soon; check out 'F*ck that's delicious' for validation. 

Stacey Dooley has brought us a similar style of unpretentious, hard hitting reporting on subject matter that we all have a dusting of knowledge of, but with no meat on the bones. She relates to more of us than someone like  (albeit legendary) Trevor MacDonald. Her informal presenting style makes the viewer feel part of the experience, rather than being presented with a scripted production.

This style of TV seems much more akin to shows you may or may not have heard on the Radio, such as Radio 4's 'From our own correspondent'. The need to keep the listener intrigued, means the narrative style can flourish, which appeals to a wider audience and pulls away great layers of assumption on the producers part.

Agree? 

 

What's in a name? /  by Oli Harris

So yesterday the Hooke & Marshall team had some undeserved luck at the Cheltenham Festival by backing 33-1 outsider 'Flying Tiger' in the 16.50.

This was no form based, science led, data driven exercise. It was pure, luck (fate, some might say), and not the type you can practice to get more of (Golf fans will appreciate the reference).

This horse was chosen purely because of its name 'Flying Tiger', but mainly as it was a reference to the popular Danish retail outfit of the same name.... Flying Tiger.

The exact reason why we backed this will remain a mystery to the reader, but not to those in the know. Suffice to say, in this case it was very much 'who you know' and not 'what'.

However, there are lessons to take for aspiring organisations out there; there is more to a name than just how it rolls of the tongue. What does it represent to the vision of the brand? What does it say to consumers and what are their discussion points when thinking about it?

Our name came from two chaps that pioneered microscope technology, as we wanted to look into things in more detail than most. But after that it also gave us one or two angles to pursue elsewhere.

So have more than a think when you next want to put a name to your latest business idea, try and layer the thought process to go a bit deeper.

Or choose a Racehorse that might win you a few quid and name it after that! 

A different lens /  by Oli Harris

Ever thought about looking at something from a different angle?

Ever tried to forget everything you think you know about something and start again from blank?

During a planning session we like to get our whiteboard (or whatever colour, we ain't no Trump types over here) and draw a square with a topic or section heading above it. Everything we think we know, we write in the box. Therefore there can be no repeats of what we already know.

E.G - UX journey for an online dashboard. We KNOW that our user base wants a map to be front and centre and the main navigation element. So we box out and write 'map' inside. No one needs mention the map again, we know this already. Think of something else and forget the map, look at the overall plan from a different angle.

Check out Nychos looking at things from a different perspective, amazing! His street art is simply awesome. Check him out. Another we'd love to work with one day.

 

Art : Have we been missing out? /  by Oli Harris

The Dwarf Sebastian de Morra, Diego Velasquez c. 1645

The Dwarf Sebastian de Morra, Diego Velasquez c. 1645

Have we unknowingly been missing out by not using more 'traditional' art in our visual marketing?

Sure, there have been famous representations of classical images from the art world in some ad campaigns, but to what extent?

So much original and new creative is pumped out, some good, some average, but why not use iconic images that most audiences would recognise. Associating a message with instantly recognisable images seems like a no-brainer.

There might be some generational issues granted, but surely that works the other way around as well?

Look out for some old masters coming to a YouTube channel near you.

 

Re-invention /  by Oli Harris

Sometimes we look upon a brand refresh or a re-design as a great hassle of a project, and one that will undoubtedly  be an expensive and painful process.

Also companies are protective of their brands, and rightly place a great deal of value in what that brand may have achieved to date. Therefore changing it might be risky? 

What about the risk that your brand identity isn't very good, but you think it is?

Did you ever ask you customers what they think of your companies personality?

Preconceived ideas about how others feel about us is perfectly natural, but it is also natural to not want to know others opinions. This above image is an alternative poster is for all time great movie 'Jaws'. One of the most iconic original movie posters with the great beast surging upwards towards its helpless target. How interesting to see the movie from a different perspective. 

How interesting to let others see a different side of your brand as well. 

Credit to Nicolas Delort for a v v cool poster 

 

Mixed-media Campaigns /  by Oli Harris

A lot is made of campaigns promoting different types of media on multipe platforms, but every now and then a winner comes along which is simply worth admiring.

The History Channels 'The Curse of Oak Island' does this beautifully...

Check out this super interactive digital space... totally prompting the user to further explore the topic even if they have no idea what it is all about. I mean after looking at this you'd have to look into it. Lo and behold, a TV programme which looks like it might be worth a look, because they made the effort in differentiating the marketing!

Especially in these heady days of brilliant streaming TV, this sort of differentiation makes all the difference.

All about stories /  by Oli Harris

Marketers and creatives have been extolling the virtues of story telling for some time now. We all know how important narrative is when looking to communicate a theme or position. 

Our whole world is made up of stories, some fictional,some sadly non-fictional, however awful they are. Earlier today I was trying to think about how we can recreate the same enthusiasm and excitment in children in adults. How can we get people genuinely excited to recieve their new product in the mail, or visit that new bar or restaurant.

There is a degree of 'playing it cool' I understand, but I think there must be a way, and that way is story telling, but like it used to be.

It is #NationalStorytellingWeek and some of the wonderful mental images that come from hearing great stories are truly magical.

Rather than expect an audience to all think the same and be receptive to short, sharp, sub 5 second videos is madness. Stories that wake the imagination, encourage positive and exciting thoughts can make the difference.

If you need some inspiration you can always say Hello to us and we will tell you our story. OR click here for some inspiration from the BBC.

This from Pooh sums it up...

'I’m scared' said Piglet

'A story will help' said Pooh

'How?'

'Oh. Don't you know? Stories make your heart grow.'