Why should we treat advertising like other traditional media? | 02 Dec

“Properly practiced creativity can make one ad do the work of ten. Because it’s not just what you say that stirs people. It’s the way you say it. You can say the right thing about a product and nobody will listen. You’ve got to say it in such a way that people will feel it in their gut, because if they don’t feel it, nothing will happen.” Bill Bernbach.

The shots Awards are behind us for another year and we saw some fantastic work yet again by everyone involved.  There were some very well deserved winners and of course some undeserved losers as well!

Creating work that will ultimately win awards is rarely the goal of agencies and production companies. Here at Taylor James we feel passionately about how awards shape creativity in the advertising world today and want to support this whenever possible.

For example, the previously mentioned Shots Awards! We particularly LOVE this award ceremony, an event that caters specifically to London based studios. Our nearest and dearest, the people and studios around us that really help sculpt our own work.

For the event we created our own bespoke photo booth designed to snap up your own drunken photos and memories of the night. Be sure to check them out here so you can see the embarrassing photos of yourself either A.) Having drunk to much B.) Sloppily getting with your co-worker C.) Slamming blue crystal meth in private D.) All of the above.

But we didn’t just sponsor the event so we could procure dubious photos of our competitors for blackmail purposes. We truly believe that awards help bolster everybody’s creativity as well.  Friendly competition between studios drives us as individuals to strive for better results.  A little competition never hurts anyone! Furthermore, going to these awards serves as great inspiration for the next season of Ads as well.

With all the talk about account planning, and integrated marketing, and flying under the radar, and “The New Media” it’s sometimes easy to forget what this business is about — exciting ads. We can’t forget that. And it’s why we’ll always need advertising award shows.

We live in a time where Ads are intrinsically interwoven with British culture. The John Lewis ads for example are becoming as much a staple of Christmas time as Turkey, Tinsel and re runs of Elf on channel 5.  The industry has evolved into contemporary storytellers rather than just selling people objects. Taylor James is really at the forefront of this massive metamorphosis.

We are living in the era of the ideas economy, and creativity matters.

Looking past Christmas time, towards the Grand National, we teamed up with Loaf to create something that really evokes the excitement, tradition and wonder that is The Great Race.  The film can be viewed here, which proves we’re not just all mouth and no trousers.  We’re making things that affect peoples base emotions. Of course, none of this would be possible without award ceremonies! The inspiration, competition and collaboration from others around us really boost our own work as well. Which of course brings us back to why we helped sponsor the Shots Awards.

With plenty of award ceremonies around the corner, don’t be afraid to come up to us for a chat. We’re always willing to collaborate, inspire and be inspired by the creative world around us. We’re really excited to show how we’ve been evolving, growing and blossoming and would love to share it with others. So keep an eye out for us, and watch this space!