So. Brands, advertisers and everyone that is part of the advertising process/ chain of command needs to realize something. People, when left to their own devices, can sometimes be REALLY F-ING AWESOME. Need proof? Look at the videos below. Each one is about something different and has no real branding it. Each one is awesome, and has the potential to be used by a brand in a way that would not decrease the awesome at all. In fact, if done right, the addition of branding could make these better.
(yes you should watch each of these. I will wait for you to do so.)
NASA - The Frontier Is Everywhere
Streets Against The War
Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic - Smooth Criminal
(Did you watch them all? If not you really should!)
As previously stated, each of those were awesome. But, if a brand had tried to make something like that, 9 times out of 10 it would not be even as close to that level of awesome. Why? Because a lot of the time when companies make ads, they are scared. Scared of wasting money, scared of offending people, scared of doing something different that wont really help their business.
Those fears are not bad. They are reasonable concerns for a business, especially if it is a larger business that needs to appeal to a lot of people.
But here is what I have an issue with. There are people being awesome everywhere. Why not just pay to attach your brand to their awesome, and let that be it? Now, you should make sure that the awesome that you are working with suits your brand, because just trying to attach yourself to anything is a bad idea and will ultimately come off as fake. But once you have found the right person and work then just go with it. But it is that last part that gets brands in trouble: just go with it.
Brands and businesses are all about control, but it is that same control that can kill natural awesome. In this new world of social media, niche consumers, and "advertising being a conversation" the best thing a brand can resolve to do is to give up a little it of control.
Someone does something awesome for your brand for free because they love and believe in it (like the NASA vid), endorse it. Don't freak out that they are using an old logo or something. Someone created a perfect expression of your brand values in an unexpected way (the streets against war could be used for a nonprofit, or even as an endorsement for newspapers themselves), don't ignore that opportunity. Someone use your product in a way that shows it's best virtues by accident (like the Smooth Criminal cello video), ask if you can give them free equipment to do something like that again and endorsee the original video. Don't get upset because the product wasn't show "at the correct viewing angel".
If brands gave up a little bit of control and found the right kind of natural awesome, I truly believe the wold could be a slightly better place. Don't believe me? Below is an example of a company (Pixar) partnering with someone who is naturally awesome (The youtube remix artist Pogo) so that even more awesome could come into being.
Toyz Noize (Pixar Remix)
