{"id":18496,"date":"2024-06-17T10:02:47","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T09:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=18496"},"modified":"2024-11-11T10:10:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T10:10:15","slug":"charles-vallance-in-campaign-beware-the-blandwagon-2","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2024\/jun\/charles-vallance-in-campaign-beware-the-blandwagon-2","title":{"rendered":"Charles Vallance in Campaign: Just Do It"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lazyblock-text-full-width-Z1kfIyq wp-block-lazyblock-text-full-width\"><section class=\"fullwidth text-center\" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n    \n    \n    <p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There is a widespread lament within the ad village that our industry is beset by low morale, falling relevance, a broken business model and slipping standards.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These claims make headlines and may have some truth to them. But they are seldom backed up by concrete evidence. They tend to rely on assertion more than metrics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And the metrics, in my experience, tend to paint a different picture. For instance, notwithstanding a claimed decline in relevance, we&#8217;re doing surprisingly well as an exporter, with annual growth running at 17% (according to UKAEG). As industry business models go, things could be worse. And, despite the headlines grabbed by the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting, the employed base of the industry is growing rather than declining (2022 vs 2023 IPA Census).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As for slipping creative standards, well, this is inevitably a subjective call. But to those who call it, can I suggest they remedy the problem by producing work they can applaud rather than disparage? Sometimes physicians need to heal themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From the admittedly singular perspective of VCCP, I can confidently say that creative standards have never been higher. And I&#8217;m not just talking about the work we produce for our Clients. We are lucky enough to be part of a vibrant competitive set of a dozen or so agencies worldwide, all of whom keep us on our toes, all of whom keep us improving, all of whom are producing excellent work on often demanding pieces of business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the things that characterises this close competitive set, is that it tends not to run the industry down. Instead, it welcomes the opportunities presented by the cavalcade of new technologies, new platforms and the new creative vehicles now at our disposal. And where there is a problem, eg social mobility or the north\/south divide, the instinct is to try to find a solution &#8211; such as Upriser or our Stoke Academy (with plans to replicate in the US).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lazyblock-quote-full-width-KojLS wp-block-lazyblock-quote-full-width\">  <section class=\"fullwidth fullwidth--top-lg text-center\" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\n    <div class=\"container\">\n\n      <blockquote class=\"blockquote\">\n        Something all successful enterprises have in common is a clear north star. A profound grasp of why they exist, the agenda they are here to set and the creative vision they will accordingly deliver.\u00a0 \n        <cite>Charles Vallance, Founding Partner and Chairman, VCCP<\/cite>      <\/blockquote>\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lazyblock-text-full-width-6NJBn wp-block-lazyblock-text-full-width\"><section class=\"fullwidth text-center\" data-aos=\"fade-up\">\n  <div class=\"container\">\n    \n    \n    <p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Something all successful enterprises have in common is a clear north star. A profound grasp of why they exist, the agenda they are here to set and the creative vision they will accordingly deliver.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sometimes, before anything is produced, they write their manifesto, the goals they want to set and the vision they want to live up to. It&#8217;s a very useful discipline, not least because it acts as a record against which you can check future decisions and avoid possible compromises. It is also a declaration to all stakeholders of what you&#8217;re about and the values you uphold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Don&#8217;t worry, I&#8217;m not going to bore you with the one that Rooney, Ian, Adrian and I wrote when we started out (you can anyway find it on our website), but I was intrigued recently to see the original manifesto Phil Knight typed out in 1980 as he founded Nike.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What intrigues me isn&#8217;t the first couple of points, because you might expect them from a go-getting athletics brand (1, Our business is change. 2, We&#8217;re on offence. All of the time). The points I find most revealing have an almost universal relevance. They could apply to virtually any creative enterprise, not least because they are about the &#8216;how&#8217; more than the &#8216;what&#8217;. A kind of instruction guide for achieving exceptional results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As you might expect from a founder, they&#8217;re suitably obsessive and demanding &#8211; &#8216;Assume Nothing&#8217;. &#8216;Perfect results count &#8211; &#8211; not a perfect process&#8217;. &#8216;This is as much about battle as about business&#8217;. &#8216;Your job isn&#8217;t done until the (underlined) job is done&#8217;.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Two things, in particular, leap out under point 8, which lists the dangers the business will face. One of them is &#8216;Energy takers&#8217;. The other is &#8216;Knowing our weaknesses&#8217;.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I think the reason Nike&#8217;s founder highlights these twin dangers, is the damage they can do to the spirit of collective endeavour. It&#8217;s very easy to sap the energy of others by pointing out their weaknesses. But you won&#8217;t achieve very much by doing so. On the other hand, if you emphasise the strengths of those around you and nurture their potential, they may just find their greatness. It&#8217;s a lesson that the village\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">commentariat might do well to heed. <\/span><\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":67,"template":"","categories":[191],"class_list":["post-18496","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","category-agency-news"],"acf":{"author":{"ID":930,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2020-07-02 12:04:34","post_date_gmt":"2020-07-02 11:04:34","post_content":"","post_title":"Charles Vallance","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"charles-vallance","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-01-19 12:22:45","post_modified_gmt":"2026-01-19 12:22:45","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=people&#038;p=930","menu_order":0,"post_type":"people","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},"capability_ids":[],"client_id":"","hero_video":"","hero_image":{"ID":14650,"id":14650,"title":"Charles V website","filename":"Charles-V-website.png","filesize":2179106,"url":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website.png","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2022\/feb\/whats-the-point-of-the-proof-point\/attachment\/charles-v-website","alt":"","author":"57","description":"","caption":"","name":"charles-v-website","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":14649,"date":"2022-02-28 09:02:25","modified":"2022-02-28 09:02:25","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/png","type":"image","subtype":"png","icon":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1920,"height":1080,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-150x150.png","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-300x169.png","medium-width":300,"medium-height":169,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-768x432.png","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":360,"large":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-1024x576.png","large-width":640,"large-height":360,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-1536x864.png","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":864,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website.png","2048x2048-width":1920,"2048x2048-height":1080,"Header":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-1920x720.png","Header-width":1920,"Header-height":720,"Wide":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-1920x960.png","Wide-width":1920,"Wide-height":960,"Square":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-768x768.png","Square-width":768,"Square-height":768,"Tall":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-307x615.png","Tall-width":307,"Tall-height":615,"Mobile":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-768x960.png","Mobile-width":768,"Mobile-height":960,"Facebook":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-1200x630.png","Facebook-width":1200,"Facebook-height":630,"Grid-Item-Square":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-768x768.png","Grid-Item-Square-width":768,"Grid-Item-Square-height":768,"Grid-Item-Wide":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-768x384.png","Grid-Item-Wide-width":768,"Grid-Item-Wide-height":384,"Grid-Item-Tall":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website-307x615.png","Grid-Item-Tall-width":307,"Grid-Item-Tall-height":615}},"meta-title":"Just Do It - Charles Vallance in Campaign UK","meta-description":"It might be pushing 45 years old now, but Phil Knight's original manifesto for Nike still has a powerful relevance.","social-media-image":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-11-11-at-10.07.14\u202fAM.png","news_id":"191","related_content_title":"You may also like","relateditems":[{"relateditem":{"ID":17587,"post_author":"67","post_date":"2023-11-06 13:47:53","post_date_gmt":"2023-11-06 13:47:53","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eGreed and fear are often seen as the two driving forces behind capital markets. How \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ebullish are you about the gains to be made, or bearish about the losses?\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThese two opposing forces make for fantastic drama and fantastic movies from Wall \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eStreet, to Wolf of Wall Street to The Big Short, In reality, however, they only tell \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003etwo-thirds of the story. Because the third force is conformity. Despite being a rather \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eless cinematic ingredient, conformity is a precondition if greed is to build the bubbles \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ethat fear then punctures.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe events depicted in The Big Short illustrate this point perfectly. A small group of \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003econtrarian investors, led by Michael Burry, see the fundamental flaws and distortions \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003einherent in the US property bubble. These were driven in particular by the \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003esecuritisation of subprime mortgages.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eFor dramatic effect, this small group of contrarians are presented as absolute \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eoutliers. In fact, many people in financial markets were getting cold feet about \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003esubprime, as well as the Yen Carry Trade that fuelled it. \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eI vividly remember reading article after article in The Times and Financial Times \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003epredicting an imminent financial crisis in the months leading up to the crash. Irwin \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eStelzer, in particular, was uncannily prophetic throughout the spring and summer of \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e2008.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eSo why did so few act on these prominent warnings from prominent commentators? \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe answer comes from John Maynard Keynes, an economist who had a profound \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003egrasp of human psychology.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIn his General Theory (1936) he makes a startlingly counter-intuitive point; \\u0022Worldly \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ewisdom teaches that it is better for reputation to fail conventionally than to succeed \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eunconventionally\\u0022. In other words, the bankers and brokers who suspected the \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ecrunch was coming, failed to act due to inherent conformism. They didn't want to \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ebreak rank first. They were too orthodox to run the risk of succeeding unconventionally. There were notable exceptions, but the herd instinct largely \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eprevailed.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eWhy do I say all this? Because I think the same Keynesian principle applies to the \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eworld of marketing. We too can be prey to the fear of succeeding unconventionally. \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eBen Schott has written a brilliant article for Bloomberg titled Welcome to Your Bland \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eNew World, which highlights the peculiar tendency of start-up brands to imitate each \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eother. It's a very funny critique of the codes of 'blanding'.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe article was actually written back in 2020, so it is dispiriting to see a growing trend \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ewhere established brands appear to be getting on the blandwagon, adopting the \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003etropes and codes of blanding; dropping vowels for no apparent reason, acting \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eoxymoronically as VC-backed underdogs, and all looking increasingly similar with \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003emuted pastels and voguish typefaces.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIn General Theory, Keynes explains how following the herd normally ends in failure, a \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ecycle that continues to repeat itself due to the anaesthetic effects of failing \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003econventionally. On the other hand, the success stories, the contrarians, are likely to \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ebe regarded disapprovingly as oddballs and weirdos - dismissed as \\u0022eccentric, \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eunconventional and rash\\u0022 in the words of Keynes.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eWhy are we so stubbornly conventional when so many success stories involve \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003enon-conformity and idiosyncrasy? Is it the numbing effect of rule-bound cultures? Is it \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003egroupthink? Is it risk aversion?\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIt\u2019s probably a bit of all of these. But the main thing is an absence of individuality - the \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003esense of agency that comes from acting as an individual rather than a herd. \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThis explains why so many successful brands, ancient and modern, are either \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eeponymous, or synonymous with a single individual. Guinness, Disney, Walkers, \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eBarclays, Dyson, Cadbury, Heinz, Virgin, Chanel, McDonalds, Levi's, Microsoft, \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAmazon, Nike, Apple, easyJet are all good examples.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThese are brands with originality at their core, baked in due to the individual vision of \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003etheir founder. It's extraordinary how many have stood the test of time, how many still lead their markets by staying true to their founders' principles, by succeeding \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eunconventionally.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eWe work in an industry of practised systems. Jim Carroll (erstwhile Chairman of \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eBBH) warns of the effects of wind-tunnel marketing. Adrian Coleman (of this parish) \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003etalks of the dangers of optimising to vanilla. There are enough pressures to conform \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ealready, let\u2019s not start adding to them.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe more we understand how vitally important distinctiveness is to brand success, \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ethe more we should resist the temptation to polish off rough edges. To hone that \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003etypeface to uniformity. To dilute idiosyncrasy or normalise quirks.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eLet\u2019s brighten the winter nights ahead by daring to succeed unconventionally. Let's \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eresist the predictability of the wind tunnel, the inoffensiveness of vanilla. Let's listen to \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ethe odd one out. History suggests it's a risk worth taking.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"Z1kfIyq\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-Z1kfIyq\"} \/-->","post_title":"Charles Vallance in Campaign 'Beware The Blandwagon'","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"charles-vallance-in-campaign-beware-the-blandwagon","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-11-06 13:47:54","post_modified_gmt":"2023-11-06 13:47:54","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=17587","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"relateditem":{"ID":17889,"post_author":"64","post_date":"2024-03-12 15:27:05","post_date_gmt":"2024-03-12 15:27:05","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/video {\"video-id\":\"1025171668\",\"blockId\":\"qlmRI\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-video-qlmRI\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/two-column-text-quote-image {\"text-left\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003efaith\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, VCCP\u2019s AI creative agency, has launched new AI-enabled tools for their founding client,\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003e O2 \\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e- extending the practical use of Gen-AI in marketing communications beyond concepting into creating.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Bubl Generator\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e creates custom imagery of O2\u2019s brand character Bubl based on client prompts, so it can be used in channels where cost or time constraints previously limited its use. The second Gen-AI tool, \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Copy Checker\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, focuses on the tonal consistency of the brand\u2019s written marketing communications.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003efaith\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e has trained a Gen-AI model to create images of Bubl for external use by \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eO2\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e marketers, in line with brand guidelines and giving multiple options from the clients\u2019 prompts. This means that \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eO2\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e is able to use Bubl in scenarios which would have previously been prohibited by cost and time considerations, limiting its usage to appearances in more premium media such as AV, print and OOH campaigns.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003efaith\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e made a bespoke platform and UI for \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Bubl Generator\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e enabling simple prompts to create images of Bubl in any imaginable scenario. For example, if an O2 marketer needed a brand image of Bubl with a rugby ball, the model could generate one on request - allowing for quick, reactive work across channels including social, web, apps and internal comms.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Bubl Generator\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e is the product of multiple rounds of training for the AI to create high-quality usable images consistently. To enable this \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003efaith \\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eneeded a 3D model of Bubl so that the AI could be trained on poses of the blue robot that had not been seen before. Previously, Bubl had only been seen from the front, which limited its use. To remove these barriers and enable images to be generated of any potential scenario, further design work and modelling was necessary.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Copy Checker\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e allows O2\u2019s copywriters to simply paste in text to get detailed feedback and suggestions. This model was trained specifically on the brand\u2019s extensive tone-of-voice documentation and evaluates against specific metrics co-developed with the Head of Copy and Tone for Virgin Media O2, Oeil Jumratsilpa to ensure brand-compliant messaging. The tool was built to incorporate all of O2\u2019s guidelines and legal requirements, streamlining a complex process and ensuring quick, efficient and consistent results.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Bubl Generator\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e and \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003ci\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe Copy Checker\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/i\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e were created for \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eO2\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, founding clients of\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003e VCCP\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, and both demonstrate a practical, public-facing application of Gen-AI as part of the wider work\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003e faith\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e has been doing on behalf of clients including \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eVirgin Media O2\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e and \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eSage\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\u00a0\\u003c\/p\\u003e\",\"text-right\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ePreviously Gen-AI\u2019s usage in creative communications was limited to concepting and simple suggestive processes within agencies, such as storyboarding. This work represents a step forward in what is possible with Gen-AI for big clients and moves beyond previous industry applications.\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eSimon Valcarcel, Marketing Director at Virgin Media O2,\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e said: \u201cThe Bubl Generator and The Copy Checker are tangible results of our Gen-AI explorations with faith and how we might deploy the technology in our marketing. The models we\u2019ve developed together create consistent, high-quality distinctive brand assets and copy at speed - allowing us to work in ways which would not previously have been possible. It\u2019s exciting to keep learning by doing, as the GenAI space continues to evolve.\u201d\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eMorten Legarth \\u0026amp; Ben Hopkins, Creative Directors at faith and VCCP\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, added: \u201cGen-AI tools often lack the creative control and brand identity needed for production assets. This limits the practical usage of AI to concepting or simple background tasks - we wanted AI to do more of the heavy lifting and prove its worth in creative applications, this is what this work represents.\u201d\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eAlex Dalman, Managing Partner and Head of Social \\u0026amp; Innovation at VCCP\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, said: \u201cGen-AI doesn\u2019t understand your brand, it doesn\u2019t get your guidelines or your need for consistency - but we do. That\u2019s why we trained this model to understand what\u2019s important for our client O2, helping to build out their brand world and expand on what\u2019s both possible and achievable with the same budgets and same timescales.\u201d\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003efaith\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e was founded last year by \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eVCCP\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, the UK\u2019s leading creative agency, with faith that AI, used responsibly, will be an unparallelled accelerator of human creativity and imagination. With the belief that AI should only ever be used for good, \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003efaith\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e launched with a detailed generative AI policy based around four principles:\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003col\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eBe Transparent\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e when AI is being used\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eBe Authentic\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, fact-check AI-generated content\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eBe Compliant\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e and break no laws\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eBe Ethical\\u003c\/b\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003e, only use AI for good\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/li\\u003e\\n\\u003c\/ol\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"Z1mEzQP\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-two-column-text-quote-image-Z1mEzQP\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\",\"id\":17890,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Copy-Checker-5-1-1-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17890\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/quote-full-width {\"quote\":\"Gen-AI doesn\u2019t understand your brand, it doesn\u2019t get your guidelines or your need for consistency - but we do.\",\"quotee\":\"Alex Dalman, Managing Partner and Head of Social \\u0026amp; Innovation at VCCP\",\"blockId\":\"Z1LBWN6\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-quote-full-width-Z1LBWN6\"} \/-->","post_title":"AI creative agency faith launches custom Gen-AI models for O2","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"ai-creative-agency-faith-launches-custom-gen-ai-models-for-o2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-10-31 16:24:44","post_modified_gmt":"2024-10-31 16:24:44","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=work&#038;p=17889","menu_order":0,"post_type":"work","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"relateditem":{"ID":11990,"post_author":"11","post_date":"2019-08-28 15:29:00","post_date_gmt":"2019-08-28 14:29:00","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/video {\"video-id\":\"350978301\",\"blockId\":\"27d0OI\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-video-27d0OI\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/two-column-text-quote-image {\"text-right\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eTo celebrate its 50th anniversary, Airbus challenged us with the creation of a global, integrated campaign.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eBy drawing upon the full range of skills across the Good Relations team we delivered a fully integrated global campaign, with the entire Airbus business united under the strategic campaign narrative \\u2018Pioneering Progress\\u2019.\\u00a0\\u003cbr \\\/\\u003e\\u003cbr \\\/\\u003eThis narrative \\u2013 celebrating the passion, talent and pioneering spirit which drives everyone at Airbus to shape the future \\u2013 helped us to create fresh campaign content and storytelling angles, which brought to life the stories of people across the business, reaching new audiences around the world.\\u00a0\\u003cbr \\\/\\u003e\\u003cbr \\\/\\u003eThrough the development and launch of a distinctive campaign website we \\u2018unlocked\\u2019 50 stories of pioneering progress over 50 consecutive days, beginning on the day of the anniversary.\\u003cbr \\\/\\u003eEach story was crafted to provide compelling content across the full range of paid, shared and owned channels, capturing the essential elements of who Airbus is, what makes it different, its achievements, and the value the business brings to the world \\u2013 today and in the future.\\u003cbr \\\/\\u003e\\u003cbr \\\/\\u003eAll content was developed centrally within Good Relations, and drawing on the full range of the agency\\u2019s expertise, the campaign and its 50 stories were revealed and amplified globally \\u2013 through web, social, influencer and internal platforms - and in several languages by local market teams within Airbus.\\u003c\\\/p\\u003e\",\"quote\":\"We wanted to use this milestone as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the business.\",\"image\":\"%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22Carousel%20-%20600x600%20-%20Logo%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:11992,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=11992%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/Carousel-600x600-Logo.jpg%22%7D\",\"blockId\":\"E7swJ\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-two-column-text-quote-image-E7swJ\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/image-full-width {\"image\":\"%7B%22alt%22:%22%22,%22title%22:%22Airbus-50-day-17-hero-image-hub%20(14)%22,%22caption%22:%22%22,%22id%22:11993,%22link%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/?attachment_id=11993%22,%22url%22:%22https:\\\/\\\/www.vccp.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/08\\\/Airbus-50-day-17-hero-image-hub-14.jpg%22%7D\",\"blockId\":\"ZM8z3G\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-image-full-width-ZM8z3G\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width-bold {\"text\":\"We created engaging, \\u2018social first\\u2019 content with innovative formats including Facebook Instant Experiences and Influencer content, and implemented a holistic paid social strategy across all Airbus channels. \",\"blockId\":\"Z19tfDA\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-bold-Z19tfDA\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/two-column-side-by-side-text-inline-image-button {\"items\":\"%5B%7B%22text%22:%22%3Cp%3EOur%20strategy%20of%20unlocking%20content%20gradually,%20day-by-day,%20enabled%20us%20to%20engage%20multiple%20audiences%20over%20a%20nearly%202-month%20period.%C2%A0%3C\\\/p%3E%22%7D,%7B%22text%22:%22%3Cp%3EBy%20the%20end%20of%20day%2050,%20the%20campaign%20had%20generated%20a%20total%20of%20almost%20210,000%20website%20visits,%20a%20social%20reach%20of%20over%2041%20million,%20and%20almost%204.5%20million%20social%20engagements.%3C\\\/p%3E%22%7D%5D\",\"blockId\":\"Z1UJ8nj\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-two-column-side-by-side-text-inline-image-button-Z1UJ8nj\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/quote-full-width {\"quote\":\"Importantly for Airbus the campaign also generated channel growth of 166,034 new followers - 83% more growth than the previous 6 week period - and a 1,076% increase in positive comments across social channels.\",\"blockId\":\"Z139lqY\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-quote-full-width-Z139lqY\"} \/-->","post_title":"Celebrating 50 Years of 'Pioneering Progress'","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"celebrating-50-years-of-pioneering-progress","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2020-08-28 16:28:42","post_modified_gmt":"2020-08-28 15:28:42","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=work&#038;p=11990","menu_order":0,"post_type":"work","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}}],"hide_related_items":[],"visible_on_home_page":["1"],"websites_to_publish":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/18496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}