_{Put the ‘co’ in advertising!}

_{Is there a place for co-design and co-production principles in commercial advertising practice?} 

_{After recently ordering myself a copy of ‘Goodvertising’ by Thomas Kolster, I've finally been motivated to write a blog post about my thoughts on the problems with commercial advertising and the way it operates, whilst I eagerly await the arrival of my shiny new book…}

_{After doing a short skint in a couple of ‘commercial advertising’ agencies post-graduation and working with ‘big’ (please note in this instance big is not always best) brands including Nokia, Nestle, Marmite and HSBC I was left a bit puzzled, and questioning the way that advertising fundamentally operates. What I couldn’t get my head around was how and why we rarely spoke to the audiences for which we were designing. On reflection half of my time, and the time of those I worked with was spent ‘re-designing’ ideas or ‘going back to the drawing board ‘ because the idea that got taken to the ‘focus group’ was deemed inappropriate for the audience it was intended.}

_{Firstly I have two fundamental problems with this way of working. One is the way many advertising agencies use leading focus groups to demonstrate that they have ‘listened’ to their consumer and ‘taken on board’ their feedback, only to return to the office to completely ignore it, justifying their dismissal of consumer comments as ‘the consumer is not a creative.’ Secondly is why any direct interaction with consumers was always left so late in the design and ideation process. My question at the end of it all was, surely if we spent less time working up mediocre ideas on mass and more time listening and involving our consumers in the ideation process, we would be left with more effectual outcomes, cheaper costs for the client and a quicker turn around time (occasionally debatable)? On reflection after now spending 18 months in social design, where most of my time is spent designing with not for, listening to consumers and reacting on their input, my question really should have been:}

_{Surely we should be putting some ‘co’ in advertising? Where collaboration exists between creative and consumer, not just creative and creative.}

_{Ok so here’s an example to illustrate my point. A brief came from a large health organisation (which I shall not name) to increase breast screening amongst older women. This type of socially orientated brief was unusual anyway and no one wanted to tackle it, let alone co-design a solution. Co-design being a term that when suggested, left a tumbleweed rolling across the office (metaphorically of course). I was assigned to the brief, along with two other guys, and we were given an hour to come up with as many ideas as possible, as they ‘wanted to get the boring brief done with.’}

_{The first problem with this was that, none of us where women and subsequently did not have breasts, nor did any of us have any previous experience of the topic. At this point, it felt obvious that we should go and chat to at least a small sample of the target audience demographic to create something meaningful and sustainable. This didn’t happen, instead one of the guys in the team rang his mum and asked what she would like, and what she would find useful. She said a roaming screening centre that would visit supermarkets and places of female interest.  OK so this was what I thought a good starting point, and at least we’d spoken to someone with more experience of the topic than we had (I have to point out however the blame here does not solely lie with the people I worked with, but the time restrictions and pressures from the mighty powers above and the agency ethos; quantity over quality).  However, the idea was deemed ‘too dull’ and not innovative enough to develop further and instead within the hour the team had signed off another idea involving smart phones and an outdoor cinema, an outcome which was signed off without the inclusion and feedback of any women yet alone the target demographic. Unsurprisingly, later the idea was then rejected by the client (who I happen to know are very familiar with co-design principles), due the agencies lack of consumer lead insight or input. The team then had to ‘go back to the drawing board’ and start again. Make of that what you will…}

_{This example sums up the ethos of assumption that centres around much of modern advertising and design practice - one of my biggest frustrations about the industry. In the example the agency were more concerned about securing ‘bigger and better’ clients (I’ll leave that for you to decide), than concentrating on creating an outcome that was meaningful and inline with audience needs and wants.}

_{I found that this wasn’t only true for any socially driven briefs, but for nearly all them. There was simply little or no audience consultation, and when it did come it was too little too late, a problem that could be prevented through occasional consumer engagement, a process which, although not ideal, could even be done from the comfort of an office space.}

_{Not to be one to chuck my penny in about the great rise of the Internet and social media over the past years (lord knows we’ve heard enough about it) but I do think in this instance it is relevant. It has created and facilitated a radical change in the relationship between, client, creative and consumer. For years advertising has been a one-way channel of communication, where we as consumers were passive in our receptivity of adverts. Apart from averting our eyes or changing the TV channel we have very little say in the types of advertising and marketing that is put in front of us.}

_{Creative folk and brands are now presented with opportunities of two-way channels of communication and open dialogue between client and creative, and consumers - one that is pretty difficult to ignore. Consumers now have the tools to become more empowered, and openly share their thoughts and opinions on campaigns, products and brands. I’m not saying by any stretch of the imagination that consumers were previously any more passive in their opinions on products and brands, as I’m sure Maggie in the 1960’s had just as much to say about her bottle of Jif as Sarah has today about her bottle of Cif; but simply that we now have the tools to be proactive in sharing them.}

_{Social media and the Internet have undoubtedly created significant opportunities to alter the way in which modern adverting agencies operate, encouraging a significant change in their structure.}

_{Previous dictation of advertising defined an agencies structure as hierarchical, a pyramid that placed clients at the top and consumers at the bottom, with agencies bridging the gap; a structure that has remained unchanged for over half a century. This prescribed structure meant little or no dialogue occurring between brands and their consumers. Interaction only occurred vertically within the top two sections of the pyramid and horizontally across the bottom section, where consumers were only able to voice their opinions to other consumers, creating little room for brand value, loyalty or improvement.}

_{Since leaving the agency I shouldn’t name, I have been working as a communication designer in the social design sector. Aside from its ethically driven motivations and generally lovely people, I think there are a few lessons that advertising can take from this relatively new sector of design if it wants to keep up.  As a social designer, these ‘new’ (although arguable) opportunities for two-way channels of communication between brands, ‘creatives’ and consumers are something that we embrace with open arms. I spend a large amount of my time listening, rather than dictating, to the needs and wants of our audiences, and designing with not for, in order to co-create meaningful and sustainable campaigns, services and brands.  Employing co-principles in the way that we work ensures that all our work is audience inclusive and results in them [audience] taking an invested self and collective interest.}  

_{What’s refreshing is the sector’s attempt at re-defining the hierarchical creative structure, where the consumer leads and assumption is obsolete. Unlike much of advertising practice, social design aims to encourage and facilitate interaction and communication between consumer, brand and creative, creating a much more flattened, sustainable and healthy interlocking structure, where the client has access to their consumer and visa versa. In this instance the agency becomes the specialist facilitator of this relationship, rather than a pretentious creator of, excuse my French, bull***t.}

_{Although I have no intention of returning to commercial advertising, I am really interested in transferrable lessons that can be taken from social design and design thinking and whether they can successfully be employed in commercial advertising culture.}

_{Can co-design and co-production principles be used to re-define advertising practice that has remained unchanged for decades and create a much more ethical and sustainable culture where the consumer feels valued and listened to? And are these principles financially and economically sustainable in such a fast paced industry? And for it to work successfully will the industry have to re-think its quantity over quality attitude, rather than simply dismiss it due to time restraints?}

_{Advertising is screaming out to be shaken up and I think co-vertising is most definitely a positive move forward!}