OPEN 2

TELL ME A STORY
Rob Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer,
Adshel
...
I think that the most often used phrase in our
industry these days is ‘the only certainty is
change.’ And while it may be an overworked
cliché, like all clichés it has only stood the
test of time by being rooted in more than
a little truth.
You only have to take a look around to
see that while the power to entertain, inform
and create genuinely long-lasting relationships
with consumers remains the same, the methods
of delivering the message have never seen so
much change.
The advertising industry does a lot
of things, from creating billboard posters to
snappy jingled TV spots, from aerial banners
to iPhone games. And yes, we do all these
things well. But greatness in advertising occurs
through one thing and, surprisingly, it is one of
the oldest occupations known to mankind: the
ability to create and distribute great stories.
Cast your mind back to some of the
best advertisements that have moved and
engaged you over the last year. Whether it’s the
ubiquitous (but very, very clever) Dumb ways
to die campaign (p. 126) from Metro Trains
Melbourne, or some of the extraordinary
Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising executions
by Clear Channel Outdoor in the United States
such as Mandela tribute (p. 121). They all have
one thing in common: a compelling, easily
identifiable and well-told story at their heart.
And to use another cliché, ‘things can
only get better.’ With change lies opportunity,
and the technological developments in digital
and mobile are offering unprecedented
opportunities for creativity in storytelling.
It would be easy to simply describe
what we do as no more than renting our
consumer relationships to third parties. But
in our modern media world, advertising in
all its forms goes much further than a simple
transaction of eyeballs.
What new technology has bought to our
industry is an explosion of new ways to offer
consumers even more value from advertising
through education and entertainment. And
OOH is at the forefront of this revolution,
having evolved almost beyond recognition from
one-dimensional billboards to the immersive
and interactive experiences consumers
enjoy today.
Rather than limiting ourselves to passive
brand engagement, we now have the tools and
insights to create campaigns that translate
directly to purchase. The arrival of digital
billboards, premium OOH sites and more
creative thinking are turning outdoor media
on its head.
Pushing the boundaries of possibility
to take things one step further is one of the joys
of working in our industry. The key to success
is grasping the rapidly emerging opportunities
so as to redefine our position as the most
cutting-edge and integrated medium available.
I have been working in OOH for more
years than I care to mention and never before
have I seen so many exciting and challenging
ideas erupting from our industry.
The limits to what is possible will only
be determined by how far we can push the
creative process. Take IBM, for instance.
In a giant leap, they have transformed
traditional posters in France into street
furniture, creating new ramps, seats
and shelters (pp. 114–115).
Nearer to home, commuters in Sydney’s
Martin Place were recently shocked and
amazed by real dollar bills, guarded by
impressive security, used to launch the
Hollywood blockbuster, The Wolf of Wall Street
(p. 86) – a superb demonstration of using
creativity to bring a strong narrative directly
to people on their daily commutes.
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