1) Although it’s been a trend for the last few years, I think we’re finally seeing the effects of “fragmented” advertising. When I say that, I mean ads that don’t necessarily follow the traditional campaign format. Good brands embrace this and are truly looking at the medium to deliver the message, not just blowing out an idea that may have worked in your TV spot. And as mobile gets even more sophisticated with ad-blockers and such, telling a compelling story is going to be even more important to breakthrough. It’s really questioning what a “campaign” is. There’s been this old-school idea that people will view every single piece of work and process it or be entertained in the same way, regardless of the medium. That’s really changed in 2017. What I see from a brand is different from TV to YouTube to Snapchat.
2) We’re only as good as our creative so we invested heavily in beefing up our creative resources. Over the last year C+K Content Lab, our in-house production studio, added new talent and technologies. From Editors, 3-D animators, illustrators to developers, we’re trying to solve for ever-shrinking client budgets while maintaining a high level of craft. Sometimes that means bringing it in-house. Our social work for RE/MAX is a prime example of that, it’s a culmination of our creative teams working with our Content Lab to produce great work.
3) It’s hard to choose but I think the work we’ve done for DISH has been pretty great in terms of visibility (a small shop working with a big client) and creativity. Finding the right voice for our “Spokelistener” was tough but we’ve finally been able to nail a proper campaign for them and it seems to be doing well. We’re really lucky to be working with Martin Granger, he’s hilarious, super collaborative and great with talent. Each round of spots gets better and better.
4) Hopefully, instead of campaigns being slotted into every single media placement, you’ll see more meaningful pieces of content in fewer places but on better platforms. People want to be educated or entertained, not shouted at for the next limited-time offer. The brands that do that well will stand out.
5) For the agency, I’d love to continue listening more and talking less. As an industry, we love to talk about ourselves. There’s this inward navel-gazing that leads to work that a client is hesitant to buy. I think there’s a bigger challenge in listening to what a client is looking for and then bringing them along the journey of getting them to a good idea. It requires making more, but that’s the DIY spirit of Camp+King. I also don’t want to discount the fact that listening requires like-minded clients, its essential to making great work. Speaking of great work, we’ll be kicking off 2018 with a new round of spots for RE/MAX, directed by the wonderful Autumn De Wilde via Anonymous Content. It’s a fun comparison of people, their perfect homes and the agents that find them.
