THE PHILIPPINES, FEBRUARY 2012: That’s what Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific chief creative officer Paul Heath said in an intimate roundtable discussion on February 16 during his visit to the Philippines.
"The most creative campaigns are the most effective," says Heath. Creativity spells conversion since in the digital age, consumers will most likely to be drawn to these kinds of campaigns, which will become viral. He went on by giving examples of its more creative campaign that have gone viral such as the "Blackberry Boys" TVC and Huggies TVC in Hong Kong.
Heath pointed out an example of the viral phenomenon in the Philippines with Ogilvy & Mather Philippines’ campaign for Dove’s deodorant for men, Dove Men + Care Deodorant. The video campaign titled "Real Men Surprise their Dates", which was launched on the Internet just in time for Valentine’s Day, has a group of men suddenly serenading "I Want it That Way" by the Backstreet Boys to their women in a restaurant. The video went viral and earned 600,000 views in just 3 days.
With the digital space becoming more and more influential to consumers, the question on whether traditional media, such as print, outdoor and television, can still catch up to the fast pacing of digital looms.
"I think that traditional media owners do need to watch out because what we are seeing is a radical reinvention and shift on how people are receiving and communicating," says Heath on the effects of digital platform on traditional media. However, he explains that traditional media, television for example, will still be present. "I think television is still extremely important but the ways we begin to use it will be slightly different," explains Heath.
He further explains that with the change that has come, more options for advertising and marketing have sprung.
"There is no great killer app, what you get is increasing choice," says Heath.
Heath believes that it’s not about the question of whether digital is better than non-digital media but on "the ability to use each medium for what’s it’s really good at."
