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| Just a weird scene, captured on iPhone |
The thing with being a photog in the advertising industry is that the jobs you quoted- possibly wrote a treatment for, went through all the associated bumpf but missed out on for whatever reason-be it creative differences or simply budget- often appear to taunt you on billboards and bus shelters, as they were executed by whoever landed the job. Thats fine, its all part of the deal.
What really, really ticks me is when a prestigious brand belonging to a major company, as in the major-est (read Cola) will cut costs to the point that the campaign looks just plain frikkin' amateur. Now I'm not going into specifics here mainly because these internet ramblings thing have a habit of biting in the bum later, but I saw a new campaign that I happen to know some history behind, and I'm sorry to say, this is a product of post GFC advertising. The lowest bidder got the job, and produced a second rate job of the photography. This is fine and good if your product is Country Betsy's homemade jam cakes, but when its a pretty premium version of sugar water which costs more than fresh blood. C'mon people.
Now if your'e thinking I'm just sour grapes, you'd be wrong, this wasn't a job I lost out on. But my eyes are open to the fact that the previous ad campaign for this product was pretty well done, with beautiful photography befitting the calibre of the product, and I also happen to know that a new agency is now handling the brand, and I've been around long enough to know that its not necessarily their fault (although it may well be), but the whole issue is that it is indicative of what is going on in our industry. An acceptance of mediocrity as a solution to ever tightening budgets.
The notion that, if average is cheap, then its just fine, as nobody will really notice, and thats just the thing- they will notice. Even if its subliminal, a low craft job for a premium product is just not on.
Now, I don't really know what brought on a particular flurry of disgust in this case, because this is happening everywhere, and all the time. Maybe because in this example the regression in quality was so sudden, from first rate to third rate in one campaign. Just like that. The sad thing is that its symptomatic of the way thing are being done now. Quickly and cheaply. Get it on, get it out.
What really, really ticks me is when a prestigious brand belonging to a major company, as in the major-est (read Cola) will cut costs to the point that the campaign looks just plain frikkin' amateur. Now I'm not going into specifics here mainly because these internet ramblings thing have a habit of biting in the bum later, but I saw a new campaign that I happen to know some history behind, and I'm sorry to say, this is a product of post GFC advertising. The lowest bidder got the job, and produced a second rate job of the photography. This is fine and good if your product is Country Betsy's homemade jam cakes, but when its a pretty premium version of sugar water which costs more than fresh blood. C'mon people.
Now if your'e thinking I'm just sour grapes, you'd be wrong, this wasn't a job I lost out on. But my eyes are open to the fact that the previous ad campaign for this product was pretty well done, with beautiful photography befitting the calibre of the product, and I also happen to know that a new agency is now handling the brand, and I've been around long enough to know that its not necessarily their fault (although it may well be), but the whole issue is that it is indicative of what is going on in our industry. An acceptance of mediocrity as a solution to ever tightening budgets.
The notion that, if average is cheap, then its just fine, as nobody will really notice, and thats just the thing- they will notice. Even if its subliminal, a low craft job for a premium product is just not on.
Now, I don't really know what brought on a particular flurry of disgust in this case, because this is happening everywhere, and all the time. Maybe because in this example the regression in quality was so sudden, from first rate to third rate in one campaign. Just like that. The sad thing is that its symptomatic of the way thing are being done now. Quickly and cheaply. Get it on, get it out.
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