Goodby Gets It

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A still from gettheglass.com, the latest, digital installment in the "Got Milk?" campaign by Goodby Silverstein

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It's not always about creating a campaign that has web, TV, print etc. It's about having an in-depth knowledge of the tools available to you and making the smartest decisions based on the particular communication objectives of the campaign."

And, of course, it's about working with good people. As well as Barbarian, Goodby has collaborated with a number of digital production houses, such as London's unit9: is the process analogous to working with a TV production company on a commercial, or is it totally different?

"We work in a way that is similar to the traditional broadcast paradigm," McGinness says. "We concept and design in-house and then work closely with the appropriate company to bring the work to life."

Given that these companies are so "creative" in themselves, do you still need creatives in the agency? Couldn't you just farm out briefs to the likes of Barbarian? "We control the brand DNA. The brand tonality and voice all needs to come from one place. That includes how we conceptually speak to our consumer," argues McGinness. "If we outsourced the way we speak to our consumers, then we would be irrelevant."

There has been much debate about whether "the big idea", so long the staple of the ad industry, is still relevant in the digital age, when lots of little ideas can quickly be disseminated. In this area, at least, McGinness reveals himself to be something of a traditionalist: "It's still about the big idea: The big idea being the brand voice of the campaign," he maintains. "In some cases the thread of a campaign can be really explicit which is usually the case with a narrative. Other times, we'll create different expressions of that brand voice. The goal is to always have it feel like it's coming from the same strategic place."

And what of that other industry favourite, "user-generated content"? "UGC has become a bit of a trend in recent history. UGC as we know it will run its course if it hasn't already, but the idea of user engagement and intimate involvement in brand expressions hasn't. As an industry we need to evolve and invite users to participate in a unique way rather than relying on tired tricks."

Another way in which the industry needs to evolve is in the way it speaks to consumers. At Creative Review's Click conference last year, Palmer stressed that, thanks to the web, companies cannot get away with bad behaviour anymore: is Goodby pushing clients to be more honest and straightforward with consumers?

"Ben is right. Today's consumer has a much more sophisticated bullshit meter. We need to pull people into our communication in a meaningful way. We have to be relevant and provide content that is desirable. The days of blasting consumers with unwanted crap are over. The trick is to create something that people will appreciate."

"As a consumer myself," McGinness continues, "I avoid advertising as much as possible. I'm tired of it, I only pay attention at times because I'm in the industry. In the future, the premise will be the same as it's always been only now the work has to be much better, which is good news for everyone."

Provided by Creative Review—The World's Leading Monthly Magazine for Visual Communication