The Future Of Pitching: Britain's Got Advertising.
Pitches and Boring ads - two of the advertising industry's greatest gripes. Could the solution come in the form of unmissable TV?
Two ever decreasing echoes that reverberate around adland are that 'the pitch process is broken' and we need to make 'entertainment not advertising.' What if we bundled both into a pair of high waisted trousers and solved our familiar 'Two No's" with three "big fat yeses?"
Bear with me.
Once upon a time, manufactured pop bands used to appear on our screens, in the charts and on our bedroom walls as perfectly formed and perfectly choreographed units of pop perfection.
All of the pre-launch for the pop was done behind closed doors. The call for entries, chemistry meetings with candidates, the long list, the shortlist and the final selection all took place behind a metaphorical curtain. With the winning team in place, the concept was then rehearsed and rehashed, the narrative re-written, the visual identity developed until finally the product and its story was polished enough for launch day, usually in the form of a short promo film, live events, some posters and PR.
Sound familiar?
Then one day at the turn of the century, two clients, Simons Cowell and Fuller decided to turn the whole thing inside out. They lifted the curtain to reveal the process behind the product. They invited the consumer in and gave them a ringside seat and an emperor-like thumb.
It was a revelation to see the cruelty and torture of the candidates as their, mostly misguided dreams were shot down by an all powerful panel. It was a cross between a car crash and a fairytale and the rubber necked audience couldn't get enough. By inviting the audience in on the journey they felt a sense of ownership. They became invested and connected to the candidates, the narrative and the product. An investment they carried to the tills and the bands to the top of the charts. This formula has worked for over two decades and spans geographies, genres and cultures.
As the echoes around adland call for a revamp of the pitch process and the agency town criers bellow for advertising to pull consumers in as entertainment, what if we took lessons from the music industry, lifted the lid and brought the consumer into the process?
That's right: 'Britain's Got Advertising.'
Imagine Honey Monster and Tony the Tiger, Churchill the nodding dog and Alexander the Meerkat as the judges. Just imagine Judges' Houses.
Research is done live, in real time. The audience voting with their voice in the studio as brand spokespeople/things and their agency counterparts roll onto the stage and demonstrate their wares, sing jingles and deploy catchphrases. Gary Lineker has brought some new snacks to peddle, his brother Wayne is in the audience - boos or golden buzzers? We decide! It would be a cross between the Apprentice, QVC and 'Please Don't Hug Me I'm scared.' It would be AMAZING.
Imagine the backstories. The Michelin Man trying to lose a few pounds whilst still burning rubber, the Duracell Bunny as the OG ADHD sur-thriver living her dream. We discover Barry Scott's house is actually a dump and see Monkey & Al still can't decide what products they want to flog.
Taking inspiration from the music version, the 'Lives' episodes would be the ultimate stage for product collaboration and brand partnerships. A chorus line of M&Ms sing 'Mahna Mahna' with the Muppets. The Laughing Cows' Milkshake brings everyone to the yard and Chester Cheeto lets Barry Scott remove his spots, all in the name of good old fashioned branded entertainment.
The best bit? There are no ads to skip. It's a Saturday night spectacular that is one long piece of branded content that has the audience coming back for more and more. An ad with brand recall that lives long into the supermarket aisles and keep the registers ringing. Our version of "The Strictly Curse" will double down on brand exposure with our intoxicated, erotically charged contestants as tabloid mainstays for the show's 52 week run. Yes, it lasts all year.
After all the fanfare, there can only be one winner and that's advertising. Let's innovate the pitch process, invite the audience in and make advertising truly entertaining. See you all on Saturday night.
* First published in Creative Review