"In order to create great display advertising, you first have to create great advertising."
Yes indeed. At SXSW, Google, which is no longer keeping it a secret that it's in advertising, released its latest experiment: Project Re:Brief. What exactly is it trying to do? It gathered the creative minds behind some of the most famous ads of our time, and is challenging them to adapt those ads to the digital world. The minds behind Avis, Volvo, Coke, and Alka-Seltzer will have a chance to put tools way beyond their imaginations to the test. And Doug Pray, the director behind the documentary Art & Copy, is getting it all on video. Take a look at the intro piece.
That should get AdLand's attention. Only two campaigns in Project Re:Brief have been revealed. First, Volvo plans to create a tablet app for consumers to follow the story of a Volvo owner. The article says that it plans to use Google Maps so the consumer can follow the car in real-time. The other one is Coca-Cola, where the brand will place interactive vending machines in certain places. The vending machines will give out free cans of Coke to random consumers, and the consumer will be able to send a text message saying "thank you" back to the company.
How will AdLand receive the digital giant toying with our advertising legends? Based on the intro vid, we should be excited. Right now, the digital world hasn't really changed, and the creative in it isn't all that good. Seeing what these minds can do with it could give our industry a breath of creativity it needs.
Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.
"In order to create great display advertising, you first have to create great advertising."
