We’re not saying ‘The Man Who Walked Around The World’ is not a great piece of video by BBH/London. And we’re not saying it’s not a smooth piece of choreography. And we’re not saying Robert Carlyle isn’t a natural born story-teller. And we’re not saying we didn’t stay and listen to the entire history of Johnny Walker. We’re just wondering why it won ‘Best of Show’ at this year’s One Show?
Perhaps we’re wondering this because the history of JW and their Walking Guy character is just not that interesting. And perhaps we’re wondering because knowing the history of JW doesn’t really do anything for us to reframe either the scotch or the company. Not that it wasn’t a sweet piece of logistics, but from what we understand, Old Spice’s ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’ (Wieden+Kennedy) was just as much of a production miracle to make (with most transitions happening in-camera). First time we saw that, we wanted to see it again and again. And that spot only won Best TV :30. Maybe it should have taken ‘Best Of’ as well.
Here’s some student feedback from Mark Burk’s spring Killer Work class:
nicholas.troop@gmail.com
What seperates good teachers from bad ones?
I dont think it has to do with intelligence in the traditional sense of the word. The best teachers posess an intuitive emotional intelligence that allows them to connect on some level with all the different personalities in the room; to understand their thought process and know what to say and do to bring out their best work.
After learning the characteristics of good advertising, the majority of this course is an exersize in self exploration. The most important things you can take from this is an understanding of the way you think and the beginnings of a creative process that will produce work you can be proud of, and the confidence explore and ”keep going without knowing where youre headed.”
Nick
Robert.Ross@draftfcb.com
Mark Simon Burk has a fantastic ear for dead-on headlines and a keen sensitivity for what makes great advertising work. Whether you are a student looking to break into the industry or an advertising professional seeking to hone your skills, Mr. Burk’s class is a must-take. That’s not because you might not be good at what you do. It’s because you can be better. Even great. But you’ll first need to put in a lot of hard work and learn the fundamentals of how to do killer work!
Developing great noteworthy creative just doesn’t happen over night. It relies on the skills to competently evaluate advertising and sift through what makes bad advertising bad and great advertising superb. It requires that you develop a process in which you can delve deep into the details and come up with the insights and big ideas from which excellent creative can be developed. And, of course, it demands feedback from an advertising wiz like Mr. Burk who has the refined experience to help make your conceptual ideas sizzle and your tarnished ideas shine.
We came across this wonderful nugget of inanity for Post Trail Mix Crunch. The big position is that it’s the ‘sensation of trail mix for breakfast’. Not the real trail mix mind you, just the sensation. Okay, we’ll give them a pass for trying. But it’s the last line of copy that slays us:
‘Enjoy everything you love about trail mix in a cereal that satisfies your spirit of adventure!’ You like base jumping or free climbing? Now you can satisfy that adrenalin rush right at the breakfast table. Wanna get totally insane? For just this one crazy adventurous morning, substitute 2% for the fat free!
We actually liked the cereal. It’s the mindless garble on the package that’s so absurdly difficult to digest.
