Application Edinburgh Napier

MSc Creative Advertising

COPY TEST
 Choose an ad you think is brilliant and tell us why in less than 250 words. 

What was Leonardo da Vinci doing at the moment he proclaimed: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication?” Was he trying to solve another Sudoku puzzle for champions or was he merely struggling with the answer to the question: “What makes an ad brilliant?” It is the simplicity and relevance of the message that turns the ad into a masterpiece to be remembered long after the outline of the missing picture of Mona Lisa on the living room’s wall is repainted. It is the simple, single-minded, creatively executed ad that grabs the attention and sticks into the memory of the public like a kid sticks his face in the window of the oven door while waiting for the cake to be done.

An example of a simple, creatively executed ad is the commercial titled For Everyone, done by McCann-Erickson for Coca-Cola in Argentina and released in March 2003. McCann-Erickson developed a sentimental yet humorous campaign that touches the emotional inner fibers of people. The commercial features a series of images of Coca-Cola products and symbols in different combinations. Each image is paired with a phrase that connects the image to the one it represents. By displaying in a simple manner all the many different ways the Coca-Cola bottle can transform into any type of being in the human spectrum, the commercial makes us feel we are all part of one group, one family – the Coca-Cola family. Thus, the campaign builds a strong emotional connection and brings the brand closer to the consumer.  

 Persuade us to try something you are passionate about. 

Have you ever experienced the phenomenon called shopping? Have you ever ventured on a journey to another planet? If you fall into the category of a woman who has at least once made her way to the local store for a purpose different from that of satisfying a food or hygienic need – the answer is yes! But time passed, MacFish came back and you realized that it had been a while since you last experienced the sensation of weightlessness every self-respecting woman is looking for.  Nowadays, the shopping experience is equivalent to visiting a shrine and there performing rites. You feel complete and in harmony with the environment. All your senses shut down and you find yourself in a state of trance. If you are in a need of a life-enhancing experience where “priceless” is the norm, your credit card is the one-way ticket. Step outside of your bathtub, comfort zone, or whatever you are currently occupying and let yourself see what it means to be in a place where order, harmony, and beauty dwell supreme. This is today’s most pleasurable, life-enhancing solution to the problem of your husband’s clothes scattered throughout the whole house.
 
You live on Mars and have recently arrived on Earth.  Write a letter to a friend at home describing life here. 

Dear Harry,

Remember when I mentioned to you about my intention to take a peek into the lives of the creatures residing on the bluish sphere blocking our view of the shining dot. So, I got here a couple of (as they call them) ‘days’ ago. Everything is so out-of-the-way here and yet it is rather curious the sort of life they have! 

These creatures have multiple holes on the surface of their bodies. One particular hole allows them to increase the size of their orbits. As a result, they start looking like round inflatable rubber bags. What they want, as I found out, is to rise in the atmosphere, travel the vastness of space, and eventually, come and invade our planet.

It turns out that some of them have already visited our home. They have taken some of our soil, brought it back to their own planet, and wrapped it in a small package for immediate ‘consumption’. When they place the piece of soil in their main hole, they start acting as if the rubber bag has just been burst. The Mars Bar, as they call it, causes jumpy and erratic movements. Frequent vibrations in the middle area of the so-called person remind him that the area has contracted and needs to be enlarged.  

Another remarkable thing is that these creatures forget to function when they face the rectangular black machine. Only when the image of the Mars Bar appears on the machine, do they start moving anxiously in their nests.

First, congratulations on getting to the interview stage of the applications process for entry to our MSc Creative Advertising. Entry to the programme is highly competitive and a large number of applicants don’t make it to this stage, so well done."

So what do we want to know? Obviously we’ll need to be convinced about your motivation and suitability for the programme

What does it mean to be suitable for a program whose emphasis lies in unconventional, out-of-Pandora's-box thinking? Remember - in the world of advertising, only the fittest survive! To fit into the fittest category, you need to be:

Rule #1: Be Incurably Curious – yeah, yeah but not that type of curiosity you are familiar with. I talk about curiosity that actually bothers you. It makes you question whether you are walking on your life path by yourself or there is someone else, leaning on you and successfully keeping up with your pace. And your inseparable buddy insists on playing Trivial Pursuit all the time. Though the questions asked come neither from the general knowledge nor from the popular culture - they come from the sacred brain realms of a two-year old just fed, bathed, powdered, clothed, and rested kid who wants to be the next millionaire.

Rule #2: You read a lot – and you know what pet the little prince had; you know how brave the old world was and why girls get dragoon tattoos.

You need to have knowledge of a wide range of issues; knowledge is basic to good creative thinking. Nevertheless, this knowledge must be digested because only digested knowledge emerges into new combinations and relationships

Rule #3: You can imagine unimaginable things but most importantly you can imagine yourself in the shoes of someone else. In other words, you are full of empathy, compassion, and understanding for others!

Even though, I am completely aware of the powerful qualities of the number three, I am not going to stop here. It might even bring us more luck if we take into consideration more than three necessary prerequisites to creative thinking.

Rule #4: Be sober and mingle with drunk people - get inspiration from them as the best ideas come out of a bottle of whiskey and a head of a whiskey-lover

Rule #5: Be unique in everything – in how you hold your toothbrush, in where you store your coffee, in what you do to have fun, in what you say to have your whims fulfilled; in literally everything you think, say, and do.

We want to know what your ideas about advertising are. Not just passing thoughts but worked-out ideas based on your reflections on the advertising you’ve seen, and, of course, we expect you to be a consumer of advertising on a large scale.

Advertising can have different objectives. It may aim to inform people on product/ service characteristics (provide news and useful information of interest to the consumer); it may aim to build up the brand’s image;

Idea # 1: Advertising needs to be simple – the ad’s central idea needs to grab you attention and stick into your memory. Think small when thinking about ad simplicity:

Idea #2: Advertising needs to be Memorable and what makes it memorable is relevance and surprise

Many would agree that currently, in this commercial clutter, there is a slightly unhealthy trend towards getting noticed at the expense of relevance.

Point 1 and 2 could be summarized by the following sequence of events:

Relevance → Attention →Interest → Perception → Remembering

Idea #3: Advertising needs to “dramatize the consequences of issues” (professor Kopcha); it needs to make you LOL

Point 2 and 3 could be summarized in the statement: “production of relevant and dramatic ideas”

Idea #4: Advertising needs not be the conventional type of advertising in order to work and be effective

Idea #5: Advertising needs to touch your emotions

Idea #6: Good advertising needs to challenge your perceptions and believes: It needs to make you think; it needs to be thought-provoking

In summary:

So we expect you to know about the Scottish advertising industry, the major agencies, the key players, and to have a viewpoint on their work.

We also expect you to have a broader view of advertising as an industry, and so we would suggest that you also find out about some London agencies:

The big advertising agencies are the ones that develop high impact campaigns testing the boundaries of the acceptable in advertising.

Bill Bernbach was the one who revolutionized the ad world with his rule-breaking work for a number of brands including Volkswagen Beetle  (DDB)

• M&C Saatchi

Brutal simplicity of thought

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

The moment you take a simple, universal, recognizable truth and connect it with a specific product or customer-related characteristic, you build a strong connection between the brand and the idea. Then you build the association that also triggers strong feelings, amusement or entertainment.

Let me use one of the latest Volkswagen Commercials (not done by M&C Saatchi though) in order to exemplify my point.

The truth: guys are nervous, insecure, hesitant, and in doubt the moment they have to face their girlfriends and propose to them. Their brain turns into a time machine that does not take into consideration the price of a gas per barrel. This is one of the most important steps one man could ever take. How many of the already married or considering marriage guys can relate themselves to the main character in the ad? Many! I do assure you – many! Compared to that – how easy it is for a man in his early 30s to make the decision to indulge himself in buying a new car? Incredibly easier! Or how much easier it is to drive your new, incredibly comfortable car “until you find the courage”?

• BBH

Has the reputation of a producer of stylish advertising. And it is well-deserved, indeed! Think of its latest campaign for AXE, called Angels:

It is elegant and stylish – great execution!