Our 8/20 lead story surveyed a mix of ad agency people who were asked to assess how 2010 has gone thus far. We recently received an additional response from Russ Lidstone, CEO of Euro RSCG, London.
Asked how his agency has had to change or adapt this year from a business standpoint and/or creatively, Lidstone related, “We see this as a truly exciting time in our industry–the opportunities to create narratives around brands have never been richer.
“From a business point of view we have continued on the path of evolution so that we can deliver our creative ideas across new and old channels–from TV to social media, print to PR.
“There has clearly been a shift in focus of client media spend, so our desire and need to be able to execute ideas in an ever changing landscape means that we are constantly looking at ways to evolve the technical competencies and skill sets of the agency plus look at new models of remuneration.
From a creative standpoint, pointed out Lidstone, “the challenge remains being able to develop creative business ideas–strong ideas that can be executed brilliantly across channels and that deliver a return for clients, be it Green Britain Day’ for EDF Energy, ‘Let’s Colour’ for Dulux, or ‘Live with Chivalry’ for Chivas Regal.
Still, continued Lidstone, the fundamentals behind great creative ideas remain the same–“competitiveness, relevance and truth plus a differentiating creative approach. This is why, as an agency, we’re investing more in strong strategic planning, channel strategy, digital and creative talent.”
Regarding what project has been most important for Euro RSCG, London, so far in 2010, Lidstone said there have been several across a range of clients. However, he cited as one of the most interesting the “Let’s Colour” global campaign for Dulux (AkzoNobel Decorative paints).
The campaign entailed transforming dull and gray spaces into more interesting surroundings via the color paints. The venues livened up were Virginia Primary School and Tower Hamlets in London, Aulnay sous Bois in Paris, Lapa in Rio de Janeiro, and Chandpole Chowki in Jodhpur, India. The initiative was grounded in the desire “to add color to people’s lives.”
Lidstone recalled, “We won the [Dulux] business at the back end of last year against some stiff competition, and did so with a global multi-platform idea under the campaign idea of ‘Let’s colour.’
“It consists of creating real community painting events in four markets (in the first instance); utilizing the social web to engage communities to participate; documenting the activity with documentaries [helmed by Andrew Lang whose credits include the lauded Sons of Cuba]; and disseminating content via our ‘Let’s colour’ blog, Facebook, Twitter and Orkut.”
Lidstone added that the events in India, the U.K., France and Brazil were also filmed by Adam Berg of Stink, London, as advertising content for use on television and online.
“The advertising and localized painting events have just started to run in different markets, but this is just the beginning of the project,” noted Lidstone. “We’re excited about the campaign because it is a great example of challenging communication conventions, as well as doing good in order to drive commercial advantage.”
Oscar Nominees Delve Into The Art Of Editing At ACE Session
You couldn’t miss Sean Baker at this past Sunday’s Oscar ceremony where he won for Best Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay and Editing on the strength of Anora. However, earlier that weekend he was in transit from the Cesar Awards in Paris and thus couldn’t attend the American Cinema Editors (ACE) 25th annual panel of Academy Award-nominated film editors held at the Regal LA Live Auditorium on Saturday (3/1) in Los Angeles. While the eventual Oscar winner in the editing category was missed by those who turned out for the ACE “Invisible Art, Visible Artists” session, three of Baker’s fellow nominees were on hand--Dávid Jancsó, HSE for The Brutalist; Nick Emerson for Conclave; and Myron Kerstein, ACE for Wicked. Additionally, Juliette Welfling, who couldn’t appear in person due to the Cesar Awards, was present via an earlier recorded video interview to discuss her work on Emilia Pérez. The interview was conducted by ACE president and editor Sabrina Plisco, ACE who also moderated the live panel discussion. Kerstein said that he was the beneficiary of brilliant and generous collaborators, citing, among others, director Jon M. Chu, cinematographer Alice Brooks, and visual effects supervisor Pablo Helman. The editor added it always helps to have stellar acting performances, noting that hearing Cynthia Erivo, for example, sing live was a revelation. Kerstein recalled meeting Chu some eight years ago on a “blind Skype date” and it was an instant “bromance”--which began on Crazy Rich Asians, and then continued on such projects as the streaming series Home Before Dark and the feature In The Heights. Kerstein observed that Chu is expert in providing collaborators with... Read More