I Have Seen the Future, and It Is Snuggie

Be Prepared to Defend the Need for Quality Creative

Posted by Eric Webber on 02.06.09 @ 01:41 PM

Eric Webber

I'm a creative snob. Never mind that I don't actually work in the Creative Department at an agency (and never have). I've been around enough great creative work to feel like I know what is and what isn't.

And I've always worked at agencies that place a premium on work that wins, or is at least capable of winning, the most coveted awards. Coveted by agencies, at least, and by many clients too, albeit to a lesser degree.

But I'm worried. I sat at a Super Bowl party with a bunch of non-ad-industry friends and watched what is supposed to be the ne plus ultra of our craft. And what ad was the most talked about?

It wasn't even a Super Bowl ad. The Snuggie commercial got the most buzz. You know, the Snuggie -- "The Blanket with Sleeves!"

That led to a spirited discussion of some other current favorite campaigns, notably the ShamWow and that Amish electric fireplace thing. (Wait a sec; an Amish electrical appliance? Oh Brethren, has it really come to this?)

As the "industry expert" in the room, I had to begrudgingly acknowledge that ads don't necessarily have to be pretty to be beautiful. Some are beautiful in their simplicity and lowbrow-ness and ability to generate yak (and sales) in spite of being so God-awful. OK, maybe because they are so God-awful.

And that got me a-ponderin'. Are clients thinking the same thing?

I know these aren't new ideas; infomercials have been around a long time. I grew up with Ron Popeil and actually owned a Pocket Fisherman. Even the products aren't really new -- my grandfather was wearing his robe backwards long before the Snuggie came around. Granted, he didn't do it intentionally, but the end result was the same.

Perfect breeding ground
It does seem though that tough economic times are a perfect breeding ground for low-budget advertising. And I'm concerned that clients might find it an easy out in the short-term.

Agencies, especially those dealing with clients with modest budgets, need to be ready when that thought comes up.

At the very least, if we think that luxurious production values, special effects, extensive post work, top photographers, etc. are necessary, then we need to be prepared to justify how those things add value to the work. Not creative value; I mean actual dollars-and-cents value to the client.

And it can't be just because you need those things to win Lions and Pencils and the like. The tougher times get for our clients, the less significance those awards hold.

We also need to be willing to compromise. If a client asks, "Why do we have to use a high-dollar director and production company? Can't we just shoot it on video in my living room using my family as cast?" we need to be prepared to defend our creative vision -- what we know is right for the future of the brand. But we also have to at least consider that the answer might just be "Yes."

Innovation comes in handy here too. Seeking out up-and-coming (read: inexpensive) talent helps. And don't overlook what you already have -- one of our production staff, it turns out, is a very good product-shot photographer. So we shot a client's catalog in-house, delivering a great end-product and saving a good deal of cash.

It's not an either-or proposition, of course. There will always be products or services that don't need any more than a video camera and a concept cooked up by the client's nephew. You know, the one everyone says is so clever.

I don't really believe that our future lies only in infomercials or advertorials of questionable quality or taste. But I do believe that it's fair for our clients to challenge us to continue exploring ways to make the best use of their money, even if it means sometimes checking our creative egos.

And it's certainly reasonable -- incumbent, maybe -- for us to continue to challenge ourselves to create work that can wow both consumers and awards show judges without busting the client's marketing budget.

10 Comments

By lynnyoder | New York, NY February 6, 2009 03:32:28 pm:

Infomercials are my favorite form of television - I have always attributed it to my morbid curiosity to discover products that no one needs, as well as the feeling that if I'm going to waste my time, I might as well waste it as effectively as possible. Like the Snuggie, the Magic Bullet is impressive. It can make salsa and single-serving smoothies with the press of a button and easy clean-up, too!

Permalink

By Byrdthestampede | CASSELBERRY, FL February 6, 2009 03:47:38 pm:

One thing I'm generally glad about in the current recession - the market will naturally sort these things out. Do we have to have the celebrity ad or can we just get... you know, a really talented guy to make the pitch? Reducing costs is optimal from any standpoint, but it also simply allows the cream to rise to the top. It becomes harder and harder to justify creative decisions that don't immediately add something. Take "Burn Notice" on USA. Lower-budget, but totally justified by the characters. Spies who don't want attention don't blow things up (special effects) or shoot people (stuntmen). The result is a product that is cheap but effective. The key comes from combining the "creative vision" with watching the wallet to make the best combination possible.

Permalink

By Tom Martin | NEW ORLEANS, LA February 6, 2009 04:10:43 pm:

Nice post Eric.

I think you hit the nail on the head with "we need to be prepared to defend our creative vision -- what we know is right for the future of the brand. But we also have to at least consider that the answer might just be "Yes."

At the end of the day, the goal is to sell things or change minds. And if you need big budgets to do that, then you ought to be able to make a business case.

And if you don't need big budgets to do that - you shouldn't be asking for them in the first place.

Good for you -- for pointing out.

@TomMartin

Permalink

By Bob_Knorpp_@thebeancast | Greensboro, NC February 6, 2009 05:37:05 pm:

Can we just be clear here on our terminology.

The ShamWow and the Snuggie spots are NOT infomercials. At least not the ones we're talking about. Infomercials are generally program length and run in sedentary time periods when people are less likely to switch away.

These spots are simply direct TV commercials. The only reason the word "infomercial" is being used here is to imply that the spots are somehow inferior. After all, there is essentially no difference between GEICO spots and ShamWow spots, except that one has higher production and creative values.

But all this aside, I think we need to pay attention to the underlying issue here. Reactionism is always a product of radicalism. If we want to avoid reactionary responses that lead to purely promotional plays, we need to be incorporating the ROI needs of our clients into our branding executions.

We need to always be building a brand every time we go out, but we also need to be selling something in the process. And radical image building is not the way to get there.

Permalink

By nicalsam | austin, TX February 7, 2009 10:47:59 am:

if you really think about it everyone laughs hardest at the snuggie spots, therefore they must be good spots. Besides they really keep you warm. Do you still have your red one eric?

Permalink

By HarryWebber.com | LOS ANGELES, CA February 8, 2009 01:46:01 am:

Eric,

Your points are all well taken. You are not a creative person. (although you share the name of a great Y&R Copywriter and author of "How To Pick Up Chicks, Eric Webber.) But you are a member of the audience. As such, certain sensitivities do come into play. Like the little voice that said to me, "Damn, I work in a loft in downtown LA. I want one of those suckers right now." I never copied the number down, but I let it be known that if someone wanted to make me happy this Father's Day, "Snuggies" were worth tracking down.

I started in this business designing album cover's for America's Toughest Client. Tough, because he had one rule. "My records are so hot you could stuff them in paper sacks and they would still leap off the shelf." It was an uphill sale to convince Berry Gordy, Jr. that "The Supremes" album covers had to be shot by Richard Avedon.

What we, as image advisors seem to have forgotten is that compelling products are their own best salesmen. Production values do not add to perceptual values with a product like "Snuggies".

But by the same token, Bank of America doing a cast of thousands megabudget 60sec. opus to itself after sucking up billions and billions and billions of taxpayer dollars with no strings attached;odious. I have no confidence in either the C-Level of that company or the capacity of their advertising advisors to allow that to run.

This is a different world. People who think are reading institutions on a whole new level. Everybody who thinks understands what is about to happen. People who think only have one question on their mind right now. Which companies will survive this? Brand Life and Death. Who do I trust to help me get through this?

At the same time major brands are getting hung up on micro-discussions about Facebook vs LinkedIn and believing they are on top of SM.

You are not a Creative, Eric. Thank your blessings. "The Creatives" are all dead. They just haven't fallen down yet. The world has moved on. These issues have suddenly become too important to be left in the hands of the incapable. Madison Avenue is ill-equipped to bring about Economic Recovery in America. Our business model hasn't changed since the invention of television. Advertising is stuck in gear.

That you are not a creative allows you to see what you see. The point is not whether we are prepared to defend our creative vision. The point is if our vision is creative at all, or just self indulgent and self-serving.

I've been doing this job for a long time. I've had eight spots on the Super Bowl. This year was an embarrassment. I put my clients
on change.gov. That's Thinking America's Super Bowl.

If ever Advertising needed a "Come To Jesus" Meeting about its Vision as an industry and it's very sustainability as business. Now is the time, Nancy Hill. http://MadisonAveNew.com

Permalink

By nickkinports | Chicago, IL February 9, 2009 09:31:15 am:

I watched a New York 1 spot several weeks ago about the company who sells Snuggie, ShamWow, and all those other silly - yet much discussed - products.

The company, based in New Jersey, was not the remarkable part of the story. What was remarkable was when NY1 went to the houses of customers to ask them how they felt about the products. One woman in particular, an attractive, late 20's Brooklyn woman, swore by every product the makers of Snuggie sell.

Superior product? Probably not. Superior advertising? No way. Superior customer service? Maybe, but that isn't the story here. Filling a void in consumers' lives during a time of overall hardship and the promise of an easier, more comfortable life for $19.99? Brilliant.

http://admaven.blogspot.com

http://www.twitter.com/admaven

Permalink

By agencynet | NEW YORK, NY February 9, 2009 11:11:48 am:

Eric,

You raise several excellent points in your column and I agree that agencies do need to justify production values and techniques as necessary elements of the communication idea. However, while it may be easy, in the era of YouTube, to point to the success of virals, Snuggies, home recordings and Ron Popeil and declare the death of production values, to do so would be overstating the case.

Production values exist to tell stories in compelling ways. The Blair Witch Project (with a budget of $22,000) was successful, not because movie production values somehow became irrelevant, but because the idea behind it was strong and was reinforced by the low production values. Similarly, the Snuggie isn't a success because its advertising is so brilliant, or that we live in a "post quality" age of communication, but rather because the Snuggie itself is a brilliantly simple idea: a purple cow in a sea of sameness.

This debate is currently taking place on our blog. Snuggie: A triumph of design or a triumph of marketing? Come join in. We'd love to get your point of view.
http://anidea.com/strategy/snuggie-a-triumph-of-design-or-a-triumph-of-marketing/

-Brian | NEW YORK, NY
http://www.agencynet.com

Permalink

By Stephen | NEW YORK, NY February 10, 2009 04:51:24 pm:

Eric--great post and thoughtful comments. It was the genesis of my own take on the subject, which you can check out at stevefeinberg.blogspot.com.

Permalink

By michaelgass | ALABASTER, AL February 11, 2009 02:34:22 pm:

Eric,

A timely post. Lots of clients are starting to question their ad budgets because of the downturn in the economy. Agencies do need to be ready for the questions that come.

An good read is a post written by S.A. Habib, the president of Locomotion Creative, Nashville. "In-house Creative: Are You Eroding Your Brand To Save A Buck?" The article is found at this link: http://tinyurl.com/67ghtg

Locomotion included the article on their blog as well as through their email newsletter. Preempting the inevitable question to be raised by their clients and prospective clients.

Michael Gass
www.fuelingnewbusiness.com

Permalink