SAATCHI & SAATCHI AUCKLAND CREATES THE WRITE STUFF
May 8 2006, 1:17 pm | | 80 Comments
Saatchi & Saatchi NZ has put to air a new spot for The Write Group promoting the writing of letters rather than a phone call to woo the girl.
ECD: Mike ‘O Sullivan
CD: Toby Talbot
Creative Team: Steve Back, Toby Talbot, Dave Bowman and Lorenz Perry
Agency Producers: Liz Rosby, Susannah Phillips
Director: Glenn Robson
Production Comopany: Kaleidoscope
Animators: Paul Carter, Troy cartmer
Post Producer: Rachael Trillo
80 Comments
Looks pretty. Nice piece of creativity. But go do some work for some real clients please. You do have some don’t you?
This is got nothing to do with this ad.I’m a junior creative and I can’t get a job. Any advice?
Find your nearest Tattoo parlour. Do a fucking amazingly funny and witty magazine and TV campaign for them and then pitch it to Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland.Where ya from?
Life’s heaps easier at saatchi nz than it was at clems melbourne, obviously.that’s five creatives and two agency producers all getting paid to work on a 60second scam.beats doing the hard yards on real clients hey.
I’m from Melbourne. I’ve tried most places in Melbourne, running out of options. I’ve been student finalist at MADC 2005 and 2006 and won bronze at Summit International awards.
I’m from Melbourne. I’ve tried most places in Melbourne, running out of options. I’ve been student finalist at MADC 2005 and 2006 and won bronze at Summit International awards.
Don’t they have any real clients?
See this ad kid. This is what we call a scam ad. You’re a junior/student trying to break into the industry so do lots of these, scam ads that is. Just find clients who you reckon you can do something cool for and go scrape it together. This is quite acceptable behaviour for someone at your level.
12:10 PM perhaps it’s that irritating habit of repeating yourself?Nah, persistence if you really want it. The you too can waste time at saatchi’s writing dribble like this ad.
To junior creative…Do you have a book? Forget the scam ads, just get about 10-12 solid and campaignable ideas together, about 3 executions for each. Make sure you have one for a bank, car, communications giant, alcohol etc.Then approach the head hunters (back of AdNews) Gerri Dibsdall is by far the best. If she likes your shit she’ll set up interviews on the spot so make sure it’s tight, oh, and different to all the AWARD School crap.Good luck.
Thank you very much to all for the advice. I will do that. Thanks again.
Wouldn’t the bloke still have gotten dumped if he’d written a letter?Not to mention the probable sexual harrassment suit once he’d put it in writing.
That ad is the most beautifully polished turd I have ever seen. Seriously, it’s mesmerising. Hats off to the animators. But what’s it selling?
Yeah, write it in a letter. Coz if the girl you’re after doesn’t want to know you, and won’t talk to over the phone a letter is sure to change her mind. Not…Best example of polished shit I’ve seen in a while….
Great minds…..
Dear 1.20pm, I like your thinking. Let’s meet up. Don’t call though, write me a letter.From 1.19pm
nice graphic. shame about the farce.i’ve forgotten what it’s about already.
somethings not write here.
Forget the phone call. Forget the letter. Get texting. Regards,Shane K. Juan.
Love the art direction. Very cool. But don’t get what the hell it’s got to do with letter writing. Maybe end-line should have been “Needlework, you berk.”
Maybe the fact that you haven’t heard of the client is the reason why they are advertising?
Same. Yeah Same.Someone at the door? Yeah same.I think it’s genius.
Um, who said it was a scam?Brief. Budget. Production. Media.That’s not a scam.
It’s probably a scam product.
I don’t go after girls that can read. They see straight through me.
FYI, the Write Group is a legitimate client. They’re Wellington based (as am I) and promote the power of Plain English. Look up their website if you don’t believe me. This ad is so obviously not a scam. That animation must have taken ages to do; the production values are amazing. Scam ads look like scam ads. The fact that you haven’t heard of this client before doesn’t make it a scam client. Just a client who needs to advertise so people know they exist. And judging by the response, it’s working.And while I’m at it, I think it’s hilarious how Australian creatives knock Saatchi Auckland when they do cool work like this for small clients. It SO smacks of sour grapes. Look at the work they do for their big clients like Toyota, DB Breweries and Telecom. It’s fucking good. Cut them some slack!
7.17pm if Saatchi & Saatchi Auckland have Telecom as their client, isn’t a conflict of interest to tell people to write letters instead of using the telephone? Or is this ad just a scam and not really expected to change consumer behaviour? Just a thought.
That’s just what the hottest talent in Australasia spend his time doing. Nuff said…
Dear 7:25pm, they also have NZ Post as a client in Wellington. And they have done for years. But that doesn’t seem to bother either Telecom or NZ Post. Is conflict of interest the best you can do mate? Tragic. You must be a suit. Or worse. With a phrase like ‘change consumer behaviour’ you might even be…………….. a planner!
This is a big step up for Saatchi NZ. Finally an ad that is not street art. Who knows, maybe soon they will be doing good work for significant clients to.
Come on 7.45pm. Let’s see what you’ve done lately. Don’t tell me, a proper ad (read boring) for a big client (ditto). Nuff said.
Dear 9:03pm, have you seen Saatchi Auckland’s RAV4 ad on the latest Shots reel? And the Yaris ad on the Shots reel from the month before? Yeah, really scammy street art that is. And who’s the client? Toyota. Never heard of them. Twat! Do us all of us a favour, try a new angle.
Ouch! Got ‘im middle stump, 9:13.
Anyone seen the jetblue ads from JWT in nyc that have been on adcritic for a few months now?
why didn’t it show letter writing rather than the downfalls of phone calls? A young guy who has never written a letter wouldn’t know why it is better. All he is getting told is sometimes phone calls don’t go down that well. the romance and the power of the written word is not explained at all. ultimately they have used spoken words to convey a message that written words are better. it looks nice but what a waste of fucking time. why didn’t you save the technique for something worth while.
Great work but ‘promote the power of Plain English’ I think not.
The Mike O scam machine starts up again. Mike, maybe you should rekindle your relationship with the ice courier company or the bug jeans company to make more award winning scams. Tinning or Bradley wouldn’t have wasted their time doing this sort of crud.
“Dear 7:25pm, they also have NZ Post as a client in Wellington. And they have done for years. But that doesn’t seem to bother either Telecom or NZ Post. Is conflict of interest the best you can do mate? “Despite your dismisal of this line of enquiry,there are significant issues to examine here.Telecom NZ has on air a campaign to encourage increased traffic from your fixed line to a nominated Telecom mobile.The ads show couples making repeated,casual,mildly unfocused phone calls.The out take is with this arrangement you no longer have to be so cost conscious on the phone;and remember New Zealand has some of the highest fixed line to mobile call costs in the OECD. Simply put,Telecom NZ does everything it can to increase call traffic.It is it’s reason d’ete and Saatchi’s on the one hand have made a series of ads to support this.On the other hand Saatchi’s have made an ad for the Write Group that cautions against this kind of telephone use. There is a conflict here. It is not manadory or necessary to undermine the intent and profitability of one client by doing work for another,yet in the above instances,Saatchi’s Auckland clearly have. I now question the script;was it merely an idea that supported a beautiful execution or was the “creative” integral and necessary to the client’s position? I think not the latter.I think,Toby,this is a scam.
It’s all about that ‘same, yeah same’ line. That’s a fucking classic.
This scam vs no scam argument is a waste of time. I’m with 4.36. Scams normally happen in cheap mediums like posters. Surely the prod’n values on this ad say ‘no scam’I think it’s funny.
7.53 – I think that you are a moron.If you think that Telecom New Zealand is only focused on telephone calls then you are living in the past.The idea behing the Telecom ad for making phone calls is that you can nominate a mobile phone number and your home number and call as many times as you want between those phones.Clearly, some sort of relationship is required beforehand.The Write Group spot simply points out that cold calling someone and asking them out on a date can sometimes be tricky. Especially when you don’t have the quick wit to respond and hold an intelligent conversation.Putting it in writing can sometimes be beneficial.That’s it. Simple as that. The Write Group want to encourage people to write more. Perhaps it should have been made more obvious for you?Or perhaps you would like a rationale supplied everytime you see an ad?Do you really care? Does it matter that much to you?Are you spending all your time worried about what other people are up to?Do you want to suck on my boob while I rock you back and forth and comfort you like a small child?Do you want me to break my foot off in your arse?
I’ve heard of them too, but only when i saw the ad on telly last week.I think it’s funny, but maybe it’s just a Kiwi thing. Aussies like their humour processed by research groups don’t they? Maybe that’s why it’s getting mixed responses…Maybe Middleditch should have shot it, then people would have given it the appropriate “industry approved” nod.
Yes, but what about Band of Brothers, Reardo? Return it. Return it now.
7:53 responds to 8:25I must protest the name calling and heated nature of your reply (Do you want to suck on my boob while I rock you back and forth and comfort you like a small child?Do you want me to break my foot off in your arse?) You read as though you have something to defend.Perhaps I have hit a nerve.Your Anonymity is in doubt after your demonstrable knowledge of the intent of Saatchi’s work;perhaps it would be more honest to sign your responses in future.Further,you have failed to disabuse me of my belief that there is a clear conflict of interest in the execution of Saatchi’s work for Telecom NZ and the Write Group.”The idea behing (sic) the Telecom ad for making phone calls is that you can nominate a mobile phone number and your home number and call as many times as you want between those phones” Perhaps that was the intention (your intention,I believe),but the out take is that it is now more affordable to talk unrestrictedly (within certain parameters),and that this is a desriable and natural situation that we would all indulge in if the price was right.Telecom’s limitations and charges on fixed line to mobile phones have been much questioned and discussed in New Zealand (especially this past week);there is attention being paid by the NZ Government on the deleterious effects this has.Your defense of the special nature of the afore-mentioned Telecom ads is valid only because of their price fixing nature.And they still want us to use the phone as much as possibleTelecom NZ through the Saatch’s ads are encouraging non-quick witted calling.The Write Group ad advocates against this;but it needn’t.I believe the creative work from Saatchi’s here does not communicate the services provided by its client.The Write Group’s web sit states….”Write Group Limited (Write), established in 1989, specialises in helping organisations and individuals to write more effectively. Whether it’s legal, scientific, government, technical, research, customer service, sales, or web content writing, we have the experience you need”You have stated….”Simple as that. The Write Group want to encourage people to write more” It does not.It wants to help “organisations and individuals to write more effectively”.I understood the Write Group to be a good service to help in organising ideas for better communication;that should be the mainspring of the creative,it nearly is but it does miss the mark.How then does Saatchi’s Auckland continue to defend this “dont call,write instead” execution for the Write Group while servicing Telecom NZ?I reiterate; a very nice execution of an idea ill suited to its client’s purposes and that unnecessarily undermines a fellow-agency stable-mate.Scam.But,beautifully executed.
Will Telecom be quaking in their boots about their customers shunning their phones and writing letters? I think not 7.53.What a pointless, fickle, nit-pickingly small argument.
9:41″Will Telecom be quaking in their boots about their customers shunning their phones and writing letters? I think not 7.53″If Telecom NZ customers do shun their phones then there WILL be boot quaking.More boot quaking,considering their current rough journey.If this ad with its current out-take of phone less,write more had any real traction it would certainly be a source of discomfort of Telecom NZ.”What a pointless, fickle, nit-pickingly small argument.”Not at all nit-picking;it is testament to the very low public profile of the Write Group ad that Saatchi’s can get away with their conflict of interests.And that makes it…a scam.
9.35 – You sound sad. Do you need a hug?
Yeah, 9.35, you do sound sad!Ha ha. You really are hung up on this.Do you work at Saatchi’s and are the only person with your name not on it?
I think 9.35 used to work at Saatchi’s.
9.35 = sad, bitter old man.
Ha Ha. That is too funny how worked up people get over other people’s work.9.35 does sound sad.
10:03/10:04/10:05/10:06/10:07/10:11Toby,didn’t I asked you to sign your correspondence?
Nah, sorry boyz, it’s crap crap crap.It must have loked good on the storyboard.Rubbish. Not a patch on the stuff Len used to do.
Agreed total scam, crap.
hey sus!! love your work.little brother from australia
Dear 12:31,”Gerri Dibsdall is by far the best”???!!!?!!??Are you living in 1986?
“Not a patch on the stuff Len used to do.”Agree. Wish he still did interesting stuff these days
2:20, you’ve got a point. Gerri was great back in the 80’s.The 1880’s. Who are the good headhunters these days?
is it just me or is toby talbot on every ad that comes out of new zealand let alone auckland…..i work in new zealand and i find this puzzling when saatchis have such a big shop why this occurs…in smaller agencies everyone chips in…but in a massive agency…i don’t think so….please set me straight.surely not every ad????/seems weird that’s all and maybe a little opportunistic??points anyone?
742 to be exact
5:35Ask Toby ya self.He’s always on here defending himself.
Do I detect a little tall poppy syndrome creeping in here?
Toby is brilliant at developing great ideas. He works with teams to make ads better either through good humour, or with a well written line. I’d say his name has been left off ideas more often than he deserves.
Toby is fun to play with and his mummy bakes nice cupcakes. He is good at hopscotch and skipping. I like to colour-in with Toby and my other friends. I hope Toby can come and stay over at my place this weekend. We will have fun making play-doh shapes.
Isnt a “little tall poppy” just an average poppy? One that doesn’t stand out?
If you need a recruiter talk to these guys: +61292474755.
10:10Nice work. Don’t forget to credit Toby on the play-doh shapes.
dear 7.59thats his job.he is a cd.cd’s don’t need credit for improving a line.doh.
It’s pick on Toby time. Funny that, what with the new creative rankings being just out and all.
I picked on him BEFORE he was famous.I’m a trend setter me.
Toby is my friend. Please don’t pick on him because he sometimes feels sad about it. I went to his house one day and his dog was there and we took it for a walk and it was nice. His dog is friendly, because he is always happy when Toby comes home to pat him. His dog has nice soft fur too but funny breath.
i fucked toby’s dog in the mouth and he still got a credit.it did have nice soft fur though.
Is that what the funny breath was from?
I farted once and said ‘shit that stinks’. Toby made me change the line to ‘Whew, that’s stinky’ and then said it was ‘our’ fart.
scam shmam….how bout those animators? Phew. Talk about feel the lurrve in advertising.SignedA.Nun(SPCA Watchdog)
woof
A few facts to consider:Toby Talbot spent six months making that ad. He wrote the script. Lorenz Pery, Steve Back and Talbot came up with the knitting idea. Dave Bowman was the voice of Kevin and got a credit for his amazing performance.It took four animators five months to create.It’s no scam.Toby does not put his name on ads that he doesn’t do. He’s very principled about that kind of thing.He’s the #1 creative in the region and undoudtedly one of the nicest.
lynchy is a kissup & does not appear to have read the comments of his constituents too damn carefully.
Lynchy,did our mate Toby cry on your shoulder or did you write that out of the kindness of your heart?NO ONE doubts the validity of Toby’s work,his acumen,focus,judgement.Thirst Fighters.
What is the Write Group selling and how are they funded?Five months in production and the services of a top agency doesn’t come cheap. So how did they afford the ad at all, and what do they hope to achieve?Perhaps the agency and production company ‘invested’ in the ad for the awards that will be heaped upon the ad. Let’s face it, that’s all that matters in Adland.