Welcome

For months now I have been looking at adverts and branding with a critical eye. Whether it is the latest ad campaign from the highest spending advertisers such as Procter & Gamble or Unilever, or the front of the local corner shop, if it is an example of using creativity to attract consumers then I am interested. So this blog will include comment on recent news in the sector, profiles on different brands and a look at recent ads - retracing the steps of the brief to uncover the likely thought processes behind the concept and strategy and considering to what extent the ad might or might not deliver the returns that the client had planned.

By now you might be wondering what on earth the Matchstick Blog has to do with advertising and branding, I know I would be. I wanted a name that incorporated both the strategic and creative sides of the industry. On one hand I was considering a name relating to an iceberg as this is often used to pictorially represent the creative brief; and on the other I was envisaging a spark as a good image to suggest how an idea is born within agencies and then becomes widespread when it is revealed to the public in an ad.

For those unfamiliar with the iceberg image, it is a way of showing that the final execution - i.e. what is above the surface - is only a small percentage of the advertising process. Other elements include identifying the Business Idea, the Competition, the Target Market, the Proposition/Benefit, the Tone of Voice and the Advertising Idea. This is my matchstick. The execution is the head of the match, the part that stands out and gives the match its purpose. The stick then represents these other processes, the ones that, to the iceberg, are beneath the surface.

As for the creative side, the flame produced by the match is the idea that is born within an agency and which can catch on and spread like wildfire in the hearts and minds of consumers once it is out in the open.

Any disagreements, please comment! Thanks for reading.