{"id":19125,"date":"2024-08-19T11:42:53","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T10:42:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=19125"},"modified":"2024-10-08T17:31:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T16:31:00","slug":"be-the-antidote","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/news\/2024\/aug\/be-the-antidote","title":{"rendered":"Charles Vallance in Campaign: Be the Antidote"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lazyblock-text-full-width-2fMp7l 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;\">The world is in many ways becoming more complex and difficult to navigate.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Social media means that our sources of authority are under threat, making it more difficult to sift fact from fiction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">On a more prosaic note, trying to watch a programme on TV can now require a delicate choreography between numerous pieces of hardware and an arcane set of password-protected streaming services. I know several households where the television interface has got so complicated that only one person understands it. And if they are out, the television remains stubbornly off, a surly, rectangular reminder of how complicated things have got.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The narrative that the world is becoming ever-more complex is, of course, an inherently pessimistic way of looking at things. It is understandable, and it is often accurate, but it doesn&#8217;t tell the whole story.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It doesn&#8217;t tell the whole story because of what might be called the Antidote Motive. This is the motive that means, as a species, we naturally resist dominant forces that threaten us with conformity. We see this in politics, where democracy tends to win out over tyranny, even though tyranny is able to defend itself far more brutally than democracy. And we also see it in consumer markets where the discrimination of the commercial electorate helps to ensure plural rather than monopolistic outcomes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Some of my favourite examples of the antidote motive involve naysayers who are proved wrong. For instance, when the synthesiser was invented, it was predicted that electronic music would kill acoustic music. In fact, it led to a revival of acoustic music and the emergence of whole new acoustic genres. Rather than one format dying, both electronic and acoustic music flourished.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Similarly, when the VCR started to gain mass adoption in the mid 70&#8217;s, this was seen by many as the death knell for cinema. In fact, it was the catalyst for a revival. Cinema-going had been in decline and was reinvigorated by a whole new generation of talent and titles (Star Wars, Jaws, ET, Raiders of the Lost Ark etc). Again, both formats flourished. The antidote motive prevented an over-dominance of either outcome.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lazyblock-quote-full-width-Zuu2t2 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        Simplicity sells, and our expectations of simplicity are raised with every innovation that makes life easier. Thus our tolerance for complexity diminishes as fast as our desire for its antidote grows. \n        <cite>Charles Vallance<\/cite>      <\/blockquote>\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/section><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"lazyblock-text-full-width-Z1CcI18 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;\">An example of naysaying from our own industry is the fashionable belief that it&#8217;s all &#8216;gone digital&#8217;. This has been the orthodox view since the launch of the iPhone, if not before. But the truth is that only about half of advertising has gone digital. And that half has been additive rather than substitutional. According to WARC Media, more ad money is spent globally on old school linear TV than it was five years ago (up from $156bn to $163bn in real terms). This growth is admittedly negligible when compared to the growth of global ad spend on Meta&#8217;s platforms (up from $84bn to $156bn), but a total sales value of $163bn still isn&#8217;t bad.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">To contradict and paraphrase The Buggles all in one go, video didn&#8217;t kill the movie star any more than digital killed TV. They have thrived and flourished together, The big news from the above data isn&#8217;t simply that Meta&#8217;s ad sales have grown by almost 100%. It&#8217;s also that we&#8217;re working in an industry which, in terms of total spend, has grown by over a third in five years.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">One of the reasons it has grown, is that strong brands understand the role they must play as antidotes. In a world that can seem more complex and more confusing by the day, there is one antidote that is valued more than any other. It is to be found at the heart of all the world&#8217;s leading brands. It is the remedy to complexity, and the answer to confusion. The antidote that most motivates consumers is their urge for simplicity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This is the motive that blew Nokia out of the water. This is the motive that revolutionised connectivity, shopping, banking, travel and music, not to mention our access to knowledge. Although in many ways we live in a more complex world, in many ways it is also simpler. It is simpler to call someone, simpler to buy a train ticket, simpler to pay a bill, simpler to listen to the radio, simpler to find out the capital of Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Simplicity sells, and our expectations of simplicity are raised with every innovation that makes life easier. Thus our tolerance for complexity diminishes as fast as our desire for its antidote grows.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">But the problem with simplicity is that it is a continuum rather than a finite state. What once was simple can soon become legacy. The freshest idea inevitably becomes conventional (if it&#8217;s a good one).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">That&#8217;s why the greatest brands never stand still, and why they tend to be the antidote to a need that is yet unmet. Nobody was asking for a buttonless phone. Until it was invented.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":64,"template":"","categories":[191],"class_list":["post-19125","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":["988"],"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":"Charles Vallance in Campaign 'Be the Antidote'","meta-description":"Charles Vallance in Campaign 'Be the Antidote'","social-media-image":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Charles-V-website.png","news_id":"191","related_content_title":"You may also like","relateditems":[{"relateditem":{"ID":18496,"post_author":"67","post_date":"2024-06-17 10:02:47","post_date_gmt":"2024-06-17 09:02:47","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThere 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\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThese 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\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAnd the metrics, in my experience, tend to paint a different picture. For instance, notwithstanding a claimed decline in relevance, we'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\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAs 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\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eFrom the admittedly singular perspective of VCCP, I can confidently say that creative standards have never been higher. And I'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\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eOne 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 - such as Upriser or our Stoke Academy (with plans to replicate in the US).\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"Z1kfIyq\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-Z1kfIyq\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/quote-full-width {\"quote\":\"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\",\"quotee\":\"Charles Vallance, Founding Partner and Chairman, VCCP\",\"blockId\":\"KojLS\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-quote-full-width-KojLS\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eSomething 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\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eSometimes, before anything is produced, they write their manifesto, the goals they want to set and the vision they want to live up to. It'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're about and the values you uphold.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eDon't worry, I'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\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eWhat intrigues me isn't the first couple of points, because you might expect them from a go-getting athletics brand (1, Our business is change. 2, We'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 'how' more than the 'what'. A kind of instruction guide for achieving exceptional results.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAs you might expect from a founder, they're suitably obsessive and demanding - 'Assume Nothing'. 'Perfect results count - - not a perfect process'. 'This is as much about battle as about business'. 'Your job isn't done until the (underlined) job is done'.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eTwo things, in particular, leap out under point 8, which lists the dangers the business will face. One of them is 'Energy takers'. The other is 'Knowing our weaknesses'.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eI think the reason Nike's founder highlights these twin dangers, is the damage they can do to the spirit of collective endeavour. It's very easy to sap the energy of others by pointing out their weaknesses. But you won'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's a lesson that the village\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003ecommentariat might do well to heed. \\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"6NJBn\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-6NJBn\"} \/-->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","post_title":"Charles Vallance in Campaign: Just Do It","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"charles-vallance-in-campaign-beware-the-blandwagon-2","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-11-11 10:10:15","post_modified_gmt":"2024-11-11 10:10:15","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=18496","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}},{"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":17326,"post_author":"57","post_date":"2023-09-04 11:07:15","post_date_gmt":"2023-09-04 10:07:15","post_content":"<!-- wp:lazyblock\/text-full-width {\"text\":\"\\u003ch4 style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003eFor his latest Campaign column, VCCP's Chairman and Founding Partner Charles Vallance asks if we are beginning to see light at the end of the permacrisis tunnel.\\u003c\/h4\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAre we beginning to see a chink of light at the end of the permacrisis tunnel?\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIt may be faint, and it may be flickering, but it looks like a slight glow is detectable. The last few weeks have seen a steady flow if not of exactly good news, then at least of less than exactly bad news.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eHeadline inflation fell from 7.9 percent in June to 6.8 percent in July. Still high. But lower, all the same. Even core inflation is beginning to subside, falling from 7.3 percent in May, to 6.9 percent in June and 6.8 percent in July.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eOn the demand side, wages grew by 7.8 percent in the April to June period, the highest annual growth rate since comparable records began in 2001, which means that wage inflation is now outstripping price inflation. According to GfK, savings confidence was at a 21-month high in June, which is perhaps not surprising given that, according to the Bank of England, household deposits stood at \u00a3340 billion, 23 percent higher than they were on the eve of the pandemic.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eIt is important, of course, that these positive statistics are seen in the context of more negative ones. For instance, after hitting a 50-year low, unemployment has edged up from 3.8 percent to 4.2 percent over recent months. Similarly, having climbed to a 17-month high in June, the GfK Consumer Confidence Index fell back by 6 points in July.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eMore importantly still, it is vital to understand that the effects of the cost of living crisis are very far from evenly distributed. Some groups in society have been less impacted, and have even been cushioned by what David Smith recently described in the Sunday Times as \\u0022involuntary savings\\u0022. In a segmentation study commissioned by VCCP, these groups are classified as 'Carefree Comfortables', representing 33 percent of the population. For other groups, the impact has been severe, and they have faced serious financial difficulties ever since the spike in inflation began nearly two years ago. In the same study, these groups are classified as 'Just Hanging On\u2019, representing 27 percent of the population and highlighting the polarised nature of the cost of living crisis and the severity of its effects across different social groupings.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eJust like the economic news, it is a mixed picture, with mixed signals. Some markets are doing very well, especially 'revenge spending' categories such as holidays, flights and live events. Other categories are struggling, particularly those that are affected by high interest rates, such as house sales and new car purchases.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThe big question, as we look ahead, is whether the recent trickle of good news will gain sufficient momentum for consumers to feel that the tide is turning, that they are nearing the end of the cost of living crisis. Renewed consumer confidence, coupled with high savings levels, falling inflation and rising wages could herald a bumper year for brands in 2024, certainly by comparison to the last three years.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eAccording to a recent survey by Citi Research, it would seem that the consensus within marketing departments is that we might well be turning the corner. They interviewed 175 CMO's in 5 countries and found that the anticipated change in marketing budgets over the next 12 months was +10.5 percent. The UK CMO's within the sample were even more bullish, expecting an 11.8 percent uplift, rising to 18.5 percent over the next 2-3 years.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eThese are encouraging findings because a brand is essentially a bet on the future. You invest in it now in order to maximise returns further down the line. If the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching, then the conclusion for CMO\u2019s is clear. Don\u2019t be too late in having the conversation with your CFO about the need to invest ahead of rather than behind the demand that is on the horizon.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp style=\\u0022text-align: left\\u0022\\u003e\\u003cspan style=\\u0022font-weight: 400\\u0022\\u003eBrand predisposition takes time to build, but it is long-lasting and can be efficiently maintained once secured in the minds of consumers. As we head into the recovery, the best shape for marketing budgets will be front loaded so as to anticipate demand. In the famous words of Willie John McBride, there can be advantages to \u201cgetting your retaliation in first\u201d.\u00a0\\u003c\/span\\u003e\\u003c\/p\\u003e\",\"blockId\":\"20DwPs\",\"blockUniqueClass\":\"lazyblock-text-full-width-20DwPs\"} \/-->","post_title":"Charles Vallance in Campaign 'Crisis Countdown'","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"charles-vallance-in-campaign-crisis-countdown","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-09-05 10:02:49","post_modified_gmt":"2023-09-05 09:02:49","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=17326","menu_order":0,"post_type":"news","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}}],"hide_related_items":[],"websites_to_publish":[],"visible_on_home_page":["1"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/19125","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\/64"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vccp.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}