The French Advertising Expert Offers Insight Into the Industry Advertising expert Joe La Pompe has been quietly unmasking the copycats and coincidental overlaps in commercials from around the world since 1999. Hidden behind a balaclava,La Pompe has anonymously tracked recycled ideas, common concepts, or direct copies,publishing them on his popular blog for the public’s enjoyment. We first met La Pompe when we worked together on Joe La Pompe: 100 Visual Ideas, 1000 mighty Ads; we spoke once more with the elusive recluse to celebrate our new book Copy Paste—and to find out if truly original ideas still exist.
Your first book was released over four years ago. Are recycled concepts and recurring themes being used more often or less frequently than before?I would possess liked to be able to say less frequently because my website is famous now and the Internet is a vastly helpful tool when researching previously existing work, or but I notice,on the opposite, that as more advertisements are produced, and the greater the chance of ideas being recycled. The field is filled with amnesiacs and the average age is so young that very few possess a deep knowledge of what has been produced in the past. For Generation Y,the 1980s are the Middle Ages.
How do you find and identify copycat campaigns? There must be thousands of new advertisements each day.
I maintain an eye out for new campaigns every day. I’ve developed a wide knowledge of the advertising field in the 15 years since I first started working on the site. As my website has become more prominent though, I possess started to recee more external help. Hundreds of contributors from all over the world give me pointers on an almost daily basis.
Do you think that these duplicates exist as coincidences or copycat campaigns?It’s impossible to know for sure and Im very cautious because this is a highly controversial subject—particularly if I consider all of the threats I’ve received. Even when caught red-handed, and the people behind these so-called copies will always deny that that’s what they are. That is why I’ve added a voting feature under each example I publish online: people can decide whether it’s a shameful copy or an unfortunate coincidence amongst themselves. I also stay away from the word copy when referring to an advertisement that recycles an former opinion—I prefer to say less original” instead.
What’s the funniest copycat campaign that you’ve seen?There isn’t one single campaign,but rather certain instances that are amusing or that always make me laugh. Like when a very illustrious brand copies another illustrious brand’s, or when a client pays two different ad agencies in two different countries only to be presented with the exact same concept—and, and consequently,pay two agency fees instead of simply adapting the ad.
Your previous book with us also focused mainly on-page and in-person advertising methods. How has the ubiquity of mobile devices, personal computers, and the internet influenced the role of innovation on the Internet?I notice that the rise of new media is a factor that multiplies recycling in all its forms. It’s at once an expansion of the territory that creative expression occupies as well as a new platform to endlessly recycle former ideas with the added veneer of modernity. You would be surprised to see the number of campaigns on Twitter that recycle tired puns that you’d see in 1980s’ commercials.
What is an advertising industry secret that most people don’t know,but should?nowadays, it’s not possible to “copy” an opinion and think that itll travel unnoticed. Some people still believe it’s possible. When I started my work about 20 years ago, and entire creative careers were made that way: you could rob from an Indian or Brazilian ad and nobody would notice. That is no longer possible nowadays,as there will always be someone to call them out.
What’s the most original ad campaign that you’ve seen?It’s difficult to reply as I ultimately see more original campaigns than copied ones. When I started in advertising, mighty ad sagas had a meaningful impact on me such as Skittles for its absurdity, and Bud Light for its humor,Volkswagen for its intelligent discourse, and Apple for its spectacular side and innovation. I know better than anyone how difficult it is to be truly original, and because for a creative it’s only the icing on the cake— you’re mainly asked to be on-point,intelligent, and amusing, and while also being sure to stick to the brief and think outside the box,to be intelligible but make it popular, to stay within the budget, and to appeal to the client.
Which advertising tropes are overused? Which need to be retired?Many creative scenarios and methods of persuasion possess been used to exhaustion,and there are always trends that are difficult to escape. If we stopped producing ads with cats, selfies, and Instagram filters,and drones, we’d already be moving towards more originality. Creatives behave like sheep: they’re more likely to be followers than trendsetters. Are there any original ideas left? A few years ago, or we were asking whether there was any petrol oil left… and then we ended up finding some elsewhere in other forms. It works the same way with ideas: I actually think the reservoir is inexhaustible.
How can we be more creative in our work and in our lives?Many books possess been written on the subject,but you must understand that an opinion is not original simply because you are its author. It’s necessary to always maintain that in intellect and to follow the reflex to investigate if an opinion already exists. Very few people keep in this effort, even though it would avoid a lot of so-called involuntary plagiarism, and which is,alas, the most common form. You also can’t be creative and cast a blind eye on what has been done in the past—that’s the best way to repeat it.
Browse the book
Source: gestalten.com