26.5.08

What was the brief?



In this weeks The Apprentice, the Apprentice hopefuls were asked to design and direct a TV commercial and press ad for a new box of tissues. I don't know what the written brief was, if they received one, but the brief given to the Apprentices that the audience was allowed to hear was completely different to what Sir Alan seemed to want at the end of the day.

The brief at the beginning of the task was to sell a new brand of boxes using 'stories'. He said 'This task is all about you telling a story, by way of a TV advert. The product ... is tissues.' The voiceover man said 'Sir Alan wants the adverts to be mini dramas...' No talk of a hard-sell advert. The emphasis was definately on story-telling. The groups went away and produced their adverts.

The first group, went for the story-telling approach and was visually complete. Their presentation was convincing. However, as it was a new product, it was a little vague, and lacking emphasis on the name of the brand (these could have been any tissues). Also, they incorporated and paid for a celebrity to star in the advert, however, she is hardly seen, nor related, nor needed.

The second advert was cringeworthy. The design was bad, the story-telling boring. However, it would have felt at home on afternoon TV as it was in-your-face selling. The new brand was put across well, however tackily. Their presentation was terrible. He was reading from notes, stuttering and seemed unconvinced himself about his own product. I wouldn't buy from him.

Which group won?
The second.

Why? I wondered... They didn't meet the brief...

At the end of the programme the audience discover the real points that Sir Alan wanted to get across in these adverts. He wanted to emphasise the tissues anti-bacterial quality, and he wanted a hard, in your face sell. Therefore, yes, the second group met the brief ... But, this is not the brief the audience heard earlier, which was emphasising drama and storytelling.

If you are designing or advertising anything, the brief is your bible.



Really trying hard not to sound snobby but...
Let designers design... :-)

(not snobby, honest)

2 件のコメント:

匿名 さんのコメント...

If what he said was required was different at the end to the start, sounds more like a case of the customer not knowing what they want or not being able to articulate it well. Which is a problem that always comes up in IT.

I have to say I really admire designers and I'm fascinated by design. Mainly the more scientific and user-related parts like typefaces or colours having effects on viewers. I try doing design myself but I'm always making it up and I wish I had some formal-ish training to kind of "know" what is better. But I guess it's more about feeling it or something.
Interesting video, even if I think Sir Alan is a bit of a dick ;)

karekora さんのコメント...

haha, i agree about Sir Alan, but, he is good in this programme :) And if it was the case that he couldnt clearly state what he wanted out of the advert or wasn't sure himself, then I think he should've sacked himself... that might have made good TV too.. haha :)

Sounds like you should take a design course :) Go on, its fun! :)