Trident

Listerine. We had this idea for Listerine. It's a dentist's worse nightmare and it was like a T.V. ad they were going to do. We had this dentist who was having this nightmare about this huge bottle of Listerine and it was kind of like ... there's a scene in Spellbound where ... I think it's Clark Gable, is he dreaming? He's dreaming and there's this dream sequence and it's done by Salvador Dali and sort of sneaked influences from that and we made it cinematic. We had this sort of little dentist running away from this huge bottle of Listerine. We made a really nice cinematic down here in K-posts. Got all the drawings done and the video over the top of it and ... I don't know what happened. I think we just didn't research ... it didn't go down very well for whatever reason. It's quite old. Quite a while ago and I don't remember why. Is that important to know why? [158]
I remember taking that to the client at Cadbury and they seemed to like the idea. They bought the idea. That ... after research I don't know if it went to our own research but they started over analyzing the idea and all it ever was, was a metaphor and when you start having to justify a man in a huge red leotard, or whatever, it all sort of falls apart really. I remember that one dying a death over over-analyzation. [159]
At the start it seemed okay. It seemed like lots of freedom. But then I think when it got to the crunch, when the guy had to start explaining it to his bosses that freedom was taken away quite drastically. Once they start trying to justify and over analyze the metaphor it was just quite clear that they were never really going to let us do the kind of ad we wanted to do. [195],[196]
At the start it seemed okay. It seemed like lots of freedom. But then I think when it got to the crunch, when the guy had to start explaining it to his bosses that freedom was taken away quite drastically. Once they start trying to justify and over analyze the metaphor it was just quite clear that they were never really going to let us do the kind of ad we wanted to do. Although, that was quite late in the stage. That was quite late in the day. We just had to ... I'd just rather not make something like that and just do another idea, whether it be us or someone else in the department. It's always better just to ... if you can't do it how you want to do it, it's always better to just try and think of something else rather than to flog a dead horse. [163],[161],[162],[160]
if you can't do it how you want to do it, it's always better to just try and think of something else rather than to flog a dead horse. PROJECT ID [197]
I don't know if you remember it. It was this black poet guy and it was sort of mastication for the nation was the idea. It was this guy who was just sort of spreading the word, really. I mean, it was, I don't know who said it was racist. It never really was. That was never the intent [198]
I don't know if you remember it. It was this black poet guy and it was sort of mastication for the nation was the idea. It was this guy who was just sort of spreading the word, really. I mean, it was, I don't know who said it was racist. It never really was. That was never the intent. [164]
But, it was misconstrued like that I think. That was a bit of a flop as well. It sort of ended up a bad launch for a new product in this country, really. [199],[165]
ve probably got it somewhere. I can't actually remember the proposition. It was all about the taste. Because it's got great ... it's got a really long lasting taste compared to normal chewing gum and some quite crazy flavors as well really. Like vanilla mint and strawberry lime, you know? Total new territory for the gum world, because they'd always just been mint and spearmint and maybe Juicy Fruit. [200]
I think both were, budget and time, we're fine. They had quite a reasonable budget because it was a launch. The times were fine as well. I think we had quite a lot of time for development and research. In both cases, that was fine I think. [166],[167]
Phil somebody. He, after we wrote out the scripts he had a few points, which we went away and addressed some of them, but then some of them just simply weren't addressable because it's just a metaphor really at the end of the day and you can't justify everything. [202]
hat's what made it different to any other competitor. It started off all right. But once it got researched and they tried to justify ... we sort of started to have arguments with the client. [201]
I remember there was an American client called Phil ... Phil somebody. He, after we wrote out the scripts he had a few points, which we went away and addressed some of them, but then some of them just simply weren't addressable because it's just a metaphor really at the end of the day and you can't justify everything. [168]
It was fine. It was fine, at first. We had a good relationship with the client. We went to present all our own stuff along with the account team. The account teams pretty good as well. It's always good to present your own stuff. Although, its kind of nice to have them as support as well in the room. The client seems to really like it. They are creative to the whole idea. The metaphors for the taste, it was all about the taste really. That's what made it different to any other competitor. It started off all right. But once it got researched and they tried to justify ... we sort of started to have arguments with the client. Not directly I think, by then. I think we probably answered a few of their questions. I remember there was an American client called Phil ... Phil somebody. He, after we wrote out the scripts he had a few points, which we went away and addressed some of them, but then some of them just simply weren't addressable because it's just a metaphor really at the end of the day and you can't justify everything. [170],[171],[169]
Well, yeah. No, they're all ... it was just a round table like this and then a conference call. So we're always working as a team [203]
Well, yeah. No, they're all ... it was just a round table like this and then a conference call. So we're always working as a team.[crosstalk 00:45:20] [172]
We went over there and they'd come here and we went there. Then just towards the end of it when we simply couldn't justify any more, we just said look, it's just a metaphor about taste and that's all it's ever going to be. I think we just said look, we shot down ... I think we should do this idea. [204]
Yeah. We met with them. I got ... they've got offices somewhere up ... I don't know where it is actually. It's not far ... it's like a train journey away. We went over there and they'd come here and we went there. Then just towards the end of it when we simply couldn't justify any more, we just said look, it's just a metaphor about taste and that's all it's ever going to be. I think we just said look, we shot down ... I think we should do this idea. [173],[174]
Again, I think it started off really well but then when it gets down to arguing about stupid things, individual details about a script, it does start to get a bit annoying and ... in that case I suppose it's the client asking for these things although, you start to get in the way of your own team because they're delivering the message to you. They're the messengers. [205],[206],[178],[176],[177],[175]
I don't know actually. I think I remember talking to James about saying I don't think we should do this idea because if they're going to over analyze and justify it, it's the type of idea that you can't really do that with. [179]
It's not really the idea that they bought, originally. I think we probably tried to argue our way out of it by saying something like that. You bought an idea and you're trying to turn it into something that it never will be. [207],[182],[180],[208],[181]
I think it's just best to do another idea and I suppose once you can't answer their questions after research, once you can't ... once he needs questions answered so he can go to his boss and turn the answers but if he can no longer do that I suppose it's a call for you to see if you should have another idea. Don't know if we actually made the decision but I suppose we must have said to Greg and Mike, our creative directors at the time that we should be doing this and we should be doing that right there. At that time they probably would have shared that with the account team and then someone would have to tell the client really. Probably put it in such a way that it was a mutual decision between client and agency ... it's in everyone's best interest to do another idea that's going to be good for launching a new product. [185],[186],[184]
Probably put it in such a way that it was a mutual decision between client and agency ... it's in everyone's best interest to do another idea that's going to be good for launching a new product. [183]
From that point we were off the project and they would have put someone else on it. So very rare to actually have a go on it again because you've had maybe a bad experience with the whole thing. Sort of ... might charge your judgment. [209],[188],[187]
It was good really. I mean, they were of the same opinion that the client is over justifying ... over analyzing it and trying to justify it. It was never ... we never really had arguments with them. Though we're always quite a close team, really. That seemed to be fine. Still is. [190],[189]
It's just when the account teams come to you with these questions that you have to answer, although it's ... they're just the messengers really. You start to get a bit annoyed with them, for the account people. Sometimes you just need an account person to deal with them things with the clients. You just don't know what to tell them ... tell them why we should do it like that rather than just saying yes to everything and feeding that back to us. [193],[194]
Really supportive. We've quite a good team on that one. [191]
Really supportive. We've quite a good team on that one. It's just when the account teams come to you with these questions that you have to answer, although it's ... they're just the messengers really. You start to get a bit annoyed with them, for the account people. Sometimes you just need an account person to deal with them things with the clients. You just don't know what to tell them ... tell them why we should do it like that rather than just saying yes to everything and feeding that back to us. [192]
You start to get a bit annoyed with them, for the account people. Sometimes you just need an account person to deal with them things with the clients. You just don't know what to tell them ... tell them why we should do it like that rather than just saying yes to everything and feeding that back to us. [210],[211]
Reference Tags
[158] Overconfidence bias,[159] Premature idea evaluation,[195] Alignment,[196] Trust,[163] Believes one has a hopeful path,[161] Insufficient Feedback,[162] Micromanaging,[160] Trust,[197] Believes one has a hopeful path,[198] Anecdotal fallacy,[164] Peak-end rule,[199] Communication issues,[165] Peak-end rule,[200] Lack of real innovation mandate,[166] Appropriate resources,[167] Balanced workload pressure,[202] Perfectionism,[201] Alignment,[168] Man blaming man,[170] Insufficient Feedback,[171] Premature idea evaluation,[169] Trust,[203] Collaborative-Creative Disposition,[172] Communicating ideas across domains,[204] Alignment,[173] Insufficient Feedback,[174] Premature idea evaluation,[205] Alignment,[206] Communication issues,[178] Insufficient Feedback,[176] Lack of organizational encouragement,[177] Premature idea evaluation,[175] Yielding conflict about ideas,[179] Forceful conflict about ideas,[207] Anecdotal fallacy,[182] Forceful conflict about ideas,[180] Insufficient Feedback,[208] Pessimism bias,[181] Premature idea evaluation,[185] Insufficient Feedback,[186] Premature idea evaluation,[184] Yielding conflict about ideas,[183] Compromising conflict about ideas,[209] Anecdotal fallacy,[188] Dismissive,[187] Irreconcilable differences,[190] Insufficient Feedback,[189] Premature idea evaluation,[193] Communication issues,[194] Insufficient Feedback,[191] Trust,[192] Empathetic disposition,[210] Communication issues,[211] Reactance