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The “Holy Alliance”

The “Holy Alliance”. How “Suits” and “Creatives” Can Make Great Games Together Bing Gordon March 2004. “Size and Creativity is a Lethal Combination”. Advertising: 1/5 Ogilvy and Mather Motion picture: 2/8 Dreamworks, New Line Pop music: 1/5 Warners Videogames: 2/5

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The “Holy Alliance”

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  1. The “Holy Alliance” How “Suits” and “Creatives” Can Make Great Games Together Bing Gordon March 2004

  2. “Size and Creativity is a Lethal Combination” • Advertising: 1/5 • Ogilvy and Mather • Motion picture: 2/8 • Dreamworks, New Line • Pop music: 1/5 • Warners • Videogames: 2/5 • Nintendo, EA

  3. My Hero

  4. Because Ogilvy… • Business and creative success • Company builder • Master teacher

  5. Started late: 39 years • Expelled from Oxford • "for his indifference" • Social worker in Edinburgh • Chef's apprentice in Paris • Door-to-door salesman in England • Researcher for Gallup in America • British intelligence WW2

  6. American Express Ford Shell Barbie Dove Rolls-Royce Schweppes Hathaway Shirts Nokia Puerto Rico Ogilvy’s Brand-Building Success

  7. Or, What I learned from David OgilvyHow to Build an Effective Creative Company Bing Gordon Co-Founder Electronic Arts

  8. Ogilvy on company building I have come to the conclusion that the top man has one principle responsibility: to provide an atmosphere in which creative mavericks can do useful work. - David Ogilvy

  9. Ogilvy & Mather Share raw data Socialize Iterative strategy “Magic Lanterns” Empathy “Other” Ad Agency Communicate by memo Separate floors Approve strategy, then start creative Headhunting Alienation Teamwork is a habit

  10. The Ogilvy Philosophy

  11. The EA Values

  12. Ogilvy on culture Only first class business, and that in a first class way. I despise toadies who suck up to their bosses; they are generally the same people who bully their subordinates.

  13. Marketing Whines They’re “slipping”! They won’t show it to me. Retailers don’t get it. They won’t listen to the research. They don’t appreciate us. Development Whines Retailers won’t take risks. Not enough advertising! They use research too much. They don’t appreciate us. No whiners!

  14. Ogilvy on Mission Ogilvy & Mather does two things: We look after clients and we teach young advertising people.

  15. Master teaching: “Magic Lanterns” • By leaders. For all new employees. • "Ogilvy & Mather has created over 650 million dollars worth of travel advertising on behalf of our clients. Here is what we've learned." • Dozens of different "rules." • “Always make sure to show the food in motion." • But "Rules are for the obedience of fools. And the guidance of wise men."

  16. My favorite Magic Lantern How to compete with Procter and Gamble. • Provably 20% better. • Read their test markets. • Attack their test markets. • Be fast.

  17. 5 Ways to Tell if Your Company is Structured for Teamwork • “Shadow of the Leader” • Equal representation on top team. • Teamwork values “on the walls”. • Can people describe team roles? • Visual signs of appreciation.

  18. Ogilvy on Executives In most agencies, account executives outnumber the copywriters two to one. If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers as you had cows?

  19. Or, How Advertising Principles Translate to GamesHow to Succeed as an EA Marketer Bing Gordon Exec VP Marketing, Ret.

  20. “The relationship between a manufacturer and his advertising agency is almost as intimate as the relationship between a patient and his doctor.“ -David Ogilvy “Between marketing and studio people, too.” - Bing Gordon

  21. Marketing Team Customer mgmt. Channel mgmt. Marcom License acquisition Ship date Input: Category License Quality definers Development Team Category choice Design Quality execution License management Final date Input: Marcom Role definition

  22. Highest “marketing” leverage is quality. • Quality drives sales • +5% metacritic= +50-100% sales • Within category • Marketing adds leverage • License +0-30% • Marcom +0-30% • Ship date +-30% Source: 1996-1998 top 50 US hits. Bing

  23. Advertising is only a multiplier. • Paper Boy: “the only measurable sales spike from advertising.” • Toys R Us exec, Genesis era. • 2 biggest hits launched mostly by PR.

  24. 5 “Quality Definers” from Marketing • “This is the year of Real Physics.” • “T-Rex level needs to be early.” • “Freestyle is bigger than right analog control.” • “They want the interface to be Tamogotchi, not Mensa.” • “Designed by John Madden.”

  25. Chuck Yeager Flight Trainer • Forecast was: Not Top 20 • Added 1 day work • Improved plane shape in trail cam • Added Chuck taunts at failure • Payoff: EA’s first number 1

  26. Advertising people who ignore research are as dangerous as generals who ignore decodes of enemy signals. - David Ogilvy

  27. Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving. The most important word in the vocabulary of advertising is TEST. -David Ogilvy

  28. How to Succeed withConcept Testing 5 on 5 Pro Basketballwas top-rated concept in 1987. • “Very interesting” had 80% correlation with Top 20 best-sellers. Petswas the most requested feature on thesims.com in 2002.

  29. How to fail withoutPackage testing 1988, 90% of basketball gamers DID NOT pick up the sequel game package. Guess we should have tested.

  30. Communications testing On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. -David Ogilvy On the average, four times as many people remember the screenshots as read the body copy. - Bing G

  31. How to succeed withPrevisualization • In 1991, producers refused to put a consistent branding across Madden, NHL, Lakers…. until Don Transeth showed them T-shirts with the new logo: EASN. • In 2001, it was a lot easier.

  32. I once used the word OBSOLETE in a headline, only to discover that 43 per cent of housewives had no idea what it meant. In another headline, I used the word INEFFABLE, only to discover that I didn't know what it meant myself. -David Ogilvy

  33. Big ideas are usually simple ideas.

  34. It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night. -David Ogilvy Rolls Royce sales increased 50%.

  35. Ogilvy’s 5 Rules to Judge Big Ideas • Did it make me gasp when I first saw it? • Do I wish I had thought of it myself • Is it unique? • Does it fit the strategy to perfection? • Could it be used for 30 years?

  36. The Schweppes brand advertising creative brief was a short story. • http://www.ogilvy.co.uk/memorial/reel/schweppes.mov

  37. How to inspire your Developers • Immerse them in customers. • Show them the competition. • Take them to a movie. • Write a short story.

  38. When people aren’t having any fun, they seldom produce good advertising. Kill grimness with laughter. Encourage exuberance. Get rid of sad dogs who spread gloom. - David Ogilvy The first rule of brainstorming: outlaw “No.” - Bing Introduce “How.” - Rory Armes

  39. The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible. -David Ogilvy You can’t entertain ‘em if you’re not laughing when you make it. -Bing

  40. Are your development meetings fun?

  41. How to succeed as an(account executive) • Know more about the client’s business than he does. • Use his product. From “Confessions of an Advertising Man”, David Ogilvy

  42. Studio Praises Marketers who.. • “Feels like part of the studio…” • “Understands our customer…” • “Backs up with research data…” • “Gives and takes early input…” • “Works for our forecasts…” • “Honest communication…” • “Creative solutions on business issues…” • “Makes the game better…”

  43. What studios hate • “Doesn’t even play our game…” • “Doesn’t challenge our bad ideas…” • “Doesn’t know our competition…” • “Doesn’t show us ads/packages…” • “Doesn’t seek our input…” • “Surprise requests for demos/materials…” • “Tries to be the producer…”

  44. "Do not compete with your agency in the creative area. Why keep a dog and bark yourself? -David Ogilvy

  45. Example: Blue • NOT: “I really feel that your character would look better in a blue outfit…” • BUT: “74% of your customers tell us their favorite color is blue.”

  46. It didn’t work out… “That new marketing manager might be a cool cat, but it always felt like he was trying to make me his bitch.” - Anon.

  47. Or, How I Copywriters Learned to Work with MeMarried to the Mob Bing Chief Creative Officer

  48. If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative. -David Ogilvy What he said. - Bing

  49. In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. • David Ogilvy Treat your marketing team like “surrogate customers.” - Bing

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