Creed

Column Head before gut: The feeling for creative advertising has been lost, says Alexander Jaggy.
In his book "Illuminati", the
American author Dan Brown tells the story of the physicist Leonardo
Vetra, who can create antimatter solely by accelerating energy
is able to produce. He creates something out of nothing. This
groundbreaking invention gives rise to a new theory of
the history of the earth's origins: The counter-effectiveness of faith and
Science.

The connection between the tangible and the intangible succeeds in
of communication are becoming increasingly rare. Pretests are more popular than ever
beforehand. In the decision-making process, the head often takes precedence over the gut.
The pure belief in creative advertising has been lost.

A campaign undergoes numerous endurance tests before it receives a
market research institute at all. First of all, the
creative team believe in the born idea, then the creative director,
then the consultation. Subsequently, it is supported on the customer side by
at least three hierarchical levels. If the idea has made it this far
survives, you can assume that: The briefing was fulfilled, the idea
understood. A pre-test should often show whether it also inspires. In
Finally, in individual interviews or focus groups, laypeople assess
the fate of the campaign. And therefore the quality of the advertising.

A test person receives around 100 francs for two hours' work. If
For so much money, they dare to simply say "Great campaign!".
say? Hardly. It is in the nature of things (and in the pressure of the
environment) that you will start to take on the role of the marketing professional.
slip. They talk about attentiveness, emotionality and
incentives to buy, whether you like it or not. What's more, if you have two
hours of questions about a campaign, you will see at the end
only problems. That is also completely human.

Pretests are particularly suitable for gathering input in strategic phases.
markets and brands. For the quality check of campaigns
They are inadequate because they do not reveal any learning processes. The
Test persons are guided by the existing situation. The assessment of the
work is therefore backward-looking and does not allow any conclusions to be drawn.
about the future. And that is a shame. Because that is exactly where the
campaign will take place.

This is one of the reasons why Volkswagen and Renault in Germany are in
have recently resorted to field trials. The bizarre
comic campaign for the VW Fox, for example, was initially only shown on MTV.
before it was presented to a wider public this year.
was made accessible. A similar approach was taken with the crash test film
for Renault, who carried out a test run on screen before the premiere.
had to complete the German cinemas.

Dan Brown further claims in his book that it is doubt,
that drive people into the church. In communication it is
exactly the other way around: the concerns drive the clients into the
Science. This is not generally reprehensible. Especially in the
market analysis and brand tracking, market research certainly has its
successes and often offers valuable insights and
good platforms for creative solutions. Things get tricky when you
tries to squeeze creativity into pie charts.

There are neither measuring instruments nor rules for emotions and charm.
This still requires intuition and a little faith in good
Advertising.

Alexander Jaggy is Managing Director Creation and partner at Jung von Matt/Limmat.