Adrian Trenholm

More anti-portfolio

August 17th, 2005

AdPulp picked up my previous post about Bessemer Venture Partner’s anti-portfolio , via Johnnie Moore .

It’s hard to imagine someone in advertising being this real. Can you imagine an ad agency showcasing their anti-portfolio? “Hey, look at all the truly stupid ads we’ve made!”

In the comments, I suggested a few anti-portfolio approaches for ad agencies.

1. “Pitches we didn’t win.” Showcase the ideas which clients didn’t like, so potential clients can compare the “failed” ad agency with the one that was appointed.

2. “Back to the drawing board.” Take a successful campaign, then show the truly awful ideas which were rejected in favour of the winner. Educates potential clients about the creative process.

3. “Ads which won awards but which didn’t shift any products.” Do them as case studies - educate the potential client that awards don’t always mean sales. Highlight what the agency and client learned from the failed campaign and how both do things differently - and better - now.

4. “2nd time lucky.” Cases studies of failed campaigns which the agency then tweaked or did over. Shows flexibility and responsiveness.

Meanwhile Johnnie sheds some light on how those truly stupid and often boring ads may have been created (Clairol’s Ever had a multiple organic experience? springs to mind here):

It’s my hunch that boring marketing is the result of boring meetings. I think strangulated internal conversations can only give rise to strangulated conversations with the marketplace. As time passes, I am less interested in discussing marketing strategies with people, and more concerned with what is happening to conversations in the moment. Let the strategy, such as it is, emerge from the engaging conversations… and let’s not expect it to work the other way around.

Take a look at what we’re being sold in most TV ads, with all the slippery argument by analogy. It’s very hard to believe a group of people got really pumped up by the idea of foisting this stuff on an unsuspecting world. And these days, if you dodge the lively conversation inside the business, someone on the outside is going to start it for you…

Conversely, I think it had to be a joyful, laughter-filled conversation which gave rise to Bessemer’s anti-portfolio . And that’s exactly the kind of conversation we “outsiders” are having at 173 Drury Lane .

Entry Filed under: Marketing