D&AD President lecture at URBIS: Tony Davidson
URBIS: Manchester five-floor city culture exhibition space architecture by Ian Simpson
Having arrived early we had the chance to explore the architecture of Urbis (the rest of the building was out of bounds due to the D&AD President Lecture). As we turned a corner approaching the Urbis entrance, the striking 35 metre inclining glass veneer came into view.
From one particular angle the combination of lines from Urbis and its deep metallic backdrop, comprising of varying hues of clouded sky and tower blocks create an imposing piece of architecture.
After a short wait and some confusion as to who we actually were (we must have blaggers written above our heads) we were ushered into the conference room where, after a tongue-in-cheek introduction from Simon Waterfall, co-founder of Poke and newly appointed D&AD President, the creative genious that is Tony Davidson walked on stage.
The brains behind such monsters of advertising as Honda ‘The Power of Dreams‘ and Levi’s ‘Flat Eric‘, Tony Davidson helped push forward many campaigns to revive the fortunes of Wieden+Kennedy. As Executive Director Tony has seen many developments within the advertising world and the slogan for this event ‘Walk in Stupid‘ sums up Weiden+Kennedy’s throwing away of formulas and the constant revaluation of ideas.
His slide-show presentation was a great insight into the thought process for advertising that many viewers will fail to pick up on: every frame of an advert has to be fine-tuned to the point of exhaustion.
HONDA Power of Dreams: Hate Something/Change Somthing/Grrr [Wieden+Kennedy - D&AD Advertising Award 2005]
Tony discussed the theory behind the various ad campaigns pointing out the need for getting under the skin of the company, which in turn dictates how the project should be executed. Content is king and must not be superseded by aesthetics, innovation comes from within this content, and content comes from the businesses you are representing. To capture the essence of what a company is, and more to the point what they as people represent is essential.
One example of this way of thinking is the ‘Hate Something Change Something’ Honda ad – the concept of which came from the engines creator (Kenichi Nagahiro) expressing his hate of Diesel engines. The only way he would create the engine was to completely reinvent it – hence the eventual stucture of the ad, hate in this case bringing positive change.
Throwing away of formulas was one of the main focuses of the talk – to use what means are neccessary, and not sticking to the same tired formats. Does an ad have to be slotted into that prime time spot? Would the budget not better suit a viral campaign – or should word of mouth take charge?
What is encouraging about Tony Davison’s is his belief in people. From his talk, and our conversation after his unerring belief in the potential of the new wave of amateur creatives is immediately apparent.
Some of the best viral campaigns of the web have come from this hardcore of advertising novices:
Hands – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger [DAFT PUNK] 2,488,067 views on YouTube
Here It Goes Again – Treadmill Dance Routine [OK GO] 22,023,148 views on YouTube
Tony is so confident of their abilities that he looks to them as the future of advertising, to bring web creatives to projects allowing them the means to enhance their ideas.
URBIS: Set in Cathedral Gardens, Manchester
Before we left I was handed the gargantuan D&AD Annual 2007, this year designed by Fabrica which came enclosed in something reminiscent of a pizza box. I was relieved to find an extremely well crafted book inside which Evoke will be reviewing at a later date: although judging by the sheer size of the thing this may take some time!
As we left for the long journey home, who should we see walking out the door but Badly Drawn Boy – apparently a secret gig was gathering some interest in our crowd.
We never did manage to blag those tickets…
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D&AD is a great place for creatives to learn and experience the design and advertising industry, and has lots to offer its members whether you are a student or professional.
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