Recently, one of the world’s most respected ad-men, Sir John Hegarty remarked that “TV is getting better but ads are getting worse”.
He should know. After all, he’s the guy responsible for classic campaigns for iconic brands such as Levis 501s, Haggen Daaz and Audi.
So what’s happened?
My theory is that one of the causes has its roots back in the dark days of the 1930s. The Nazis were responsible for many appalling things – but one that’s rarely pointed out is the corporate design manual.
The sinister 678 page Organizationsbuch der NSDAP included rules on the usage of swastikas, SS flashes, skull insignia, gothic typefaces etc – all the usual corporate identity paraphernalia that no self-respecting fascist death-cult can do without. (Surprisingly, it also features a very camp-looking SS officer on page 471.)
So the Nazis were addicted to corporate guidelines. Is it any surprise?
Rigid control is the enemy of creativity – and innovative creativity was something that the goose-steppers found supremely threatening. Their attempt to ridicule modern creative ideas backfired in 1937 when they mounted their Entartete Kunst (Exhibition of Degenerate Art) which exhibited modernist and avant-garde work. Sadly for them, millions thronged to this – unlike the largely-ignored Grosse deutsche Kunstausstellung (Great German Art Exhibition) which displayed party-approved work.
The more rigidly that creativity is controlled, the duller it becomes. Fact.
Now don’t get me wrong. Rules are necessary and every picture benefits from having a frame. But when it reaches the point where every picture’s content is prescribed (‘it must always include people, positivity, movement’ etc) and policed, the end product will invariably be yawn-worthy.
Today, corporate guidelines abound. Written by design agencies (many with no idea of what an advertising concept is or how responses can be stimulated), they rigidly dictate exactly what is shown and heard.
Granted, the result can be a coherent body of work. But it’ll also be bland with nothing standing out, disrupting or looking in anyway different from a million other corporate communications.
And isn’t that advertising what is supposed to do?
Des Columb
Creative Director