Innovations in Creative Production - An R3 Report

Innovation in

Creative Production An R3 White Paper

qwww DRIVING TRANSFORMATION FOR MARKETERS & THEIR AGENCIES

The New Normal of Producing Creative Work The impact of the global health pandemic on marketing and media spend and strategies has been far reaching, challenging marketers in all industries across the globe. Advertising investment is estimated to fall 8.1% ($49.6bn) worldwide this year, and a survey by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) showed that 57% of respondents intend to cut marketing spend during this period.

81% marketers from major multinationals are planning to defer campaigns.

While many large advertisers are postponing campaigns, 79% are still creating new ones in response to COVID-19. But how does one create new work in times quarantine, social distancing and work from home?

This white paper looks at how clients and agencies are finding innovative ways to produce work in absence of studios, photoshoots and usual production frenzy. The results have been sometimes humorous and surprising, and for creative risk-takers, always interesting. The successes among them give us serious food for thought for how production might be run in the future.

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Innovation in Creative Production

What Happens When Creative Production Goes Remote?

Getting a creative product ready to launch involves multiple steps. The process from idea to execution can involve a range of different people with different skills from different organizations, depending on the extent of the project, budget and other variables like launch date and number of markets.

Creative Production Process

Client Brief

Roles in Creative Production CLIENT Marketing Teams

Other Teams

AGENCY

OTHERS

Creative Teams

Other Teams

Film Director

Strategy Discussion

Third-Party Production

Research CMO

Business

Creative Lead

Planning and Insights

Brand Teams Global/ Regional

Research

Art Director

Data Scientist

Photographer

Consumer Insights

Copy Writer

Account Management

Videographer

Brand Teams In Market Specialist Teams Media, Digital, CRM, PR (as required)

Procurement

Graphic Designer

Casting Agent

Visualizer

Stylist

Arriving at Key Insights

Developing the Creative Concept

Coming Up with Ideas Across Different Channels Project Manager

Producing the Work

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Limitations of Remote Working A survey of more than 2,200 marketers conducted by Econsultancy and Marketing Week revealed that a majority of marketers (71% in the UK and 67% in the US) believe collaboration will suffer most in a remote working environment.

Marketers with more than £50 million in annual revenue, who made up 22% of the survey’s respondents, are most concerned about how remote working will impact various forms of collaboration and team working.

While working remotely can put pressure on both marketers and agency teams, creative teams in agencies who are used to brainstorming session and working as copy-art pairings may find the new approach most challenging. While Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype and other such telecommuting platforms have been instrumental in helping people work remotely, the shift for creative teams who are used to ‘war room’ ways of working will experience a steep learning curve.

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CASE STUDIES Apple “Creativity Goes On” Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab

The Idea: Bring together real footage of families, creators and celebrities around the

world, with each honing a skill, sharing a gift or finding a way to bring a new idea to life.

Apple commendably downplayed its products in favor of uplifting creative minds.

Execution: Fueled by user-created content, the first cut of the ad was developed largely over a weekend from footage found across diverse corners of the internet. The draft that emerged underwent only a few changes before becoming final. This ad was created in a whirlwind 2 weeks. About 70% of the footage originally mocked up in the first rough cut ended up making it into the final spot.

Snuggle “Laundry Room”

Agency: TBWA/Chiat/Day New York The Idea: The client approached the agency with a problem of excess media inventory to

use but no ad units to run. The agency turnaround was a simple 15-second spot which shared a powerful and relevant message: ‘Life is changing. Let’s find comfort together.’

The work perfectly captures the chaos of isolation while people work from home.

Execution: The ad was made in the director’s laundry room with his four boys and wife as actors and crew. The concept was created in no more then ten text messages. A quick iPhone-shot version was passed to the client who gave it the green light in around five working days. Due to working with non-professional ‘actors’, especially one’s own children and limited photography equipment, the ad needed fifty takes but was nailed in just four hours.

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PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Learning to Make Great Work With Less The effects of the pandemic will be far reaching on both the economy and ways of working. Offline media, agency services, and staff payroll will suffer most. These include reductions in ad spend, agencies running redundancy and furlough schemes, and cuts in the multiple layers of agency management and coordination, especially global and regional hubs, which some believe have led to bloating inside major holding groups. Even when we enter the New Normal, clients will want ‘scrappier’ production that is faster, agile and definitely more cost efficient.

In a study by remote specialists, We Are Rosie, it was reported that 1% of marketers want traditional office space in the future. The study, compiled from extensive research including in-depth interviews with around 250 marketers, found that 61% of traditional full-time advertising employees prefer a more flexible working arrangement.

This new world has become a great equalizer and brands and agencies that do no embrace the new ways of working may find it difficult to survive. But some old-world values like building a collaborative culture will never go away. Clients, agencies, production houses, media partners will all need to be work more closely together, despite being physically apart.

62%

of UK marketers

&

43%

NORTH AMERICAN MARKETERS

believe that “most ways of working will go back to the way they were, but there will be some changes

8%

of UK marketers

&

NORTH AMERICAN MARKETERS

believe that there will be “significant” long-term changes – or that the way they work will be “very different” Source: Econsultancy & MarketingWeek

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21%

Innovation in Creative Production

1) Technology will have a bigger seat • The new norm includes use of sterilized cameras, computer-generated imagery, virtual sets, artificial intelligence, and dynamic video engines for asset production.

• Video production is time consuming, expensive and complex. AI and Facial Mapping technology allows for efficient changes and facilitates accurate language, versioning/dubbing, personalizing actors’ messages to camera and even shooting talent once and changing the VO on demand.

• Use of automation tools in the workflow process also allows for efficient input from remote stakeholders in the production process.

2) More efficient processes • Fast-tracking content without extensive testing and vetting procedures.

• Creating work in real-time that allows clients to be part of the process, instead of the more common practice of work being sent back and forth for feedback and approvals.

• There is a need for brands to explore new partnerships e.g. Spotify has launched an invite-only pilot of its Ad Studio service which allows brands to create and manage audio campaigns themselves. It also has a tool that allows brands to upload a script, which Spotify will then turn into an audio ad within 48-hours.

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3) Larger impetus to find low-budget alternatives • Remote production such as animation, CGI, VFX can open up fresh ideas specifically for social content which has limited budgets.

• Emphasis on local shoots vs. far-flung locations that not only increase cost, but also involve travel, and thus unnecessary exposure.

4) Importance of where talent is located will reduce • Even after the travel sector opens up, people will travel less than before.

Agencies need to source ideas and production from where they think the best pockets of talent exist regardless of physical space. There will be more openness and need to work with talent from every corner of the globe. Where talent is located will become far less important that what they can contribute.

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