JOE meets…the advertising minds behind Shave or Dye, NFL UK and more

These lads have a pretty slick CV when it comes to advertising, and they spill the beans on all the secrets.

By Adrian Collins

Robert McBride and Eamonn O'Boyle have a pretty decent CV when it comes to advertising, working with Today FM's Shave or Dye campaign, NFL UK, 7up, Nike, Time magazine, UPC....it's a pretty long list that we don't have time to go into here, but the point is these lads know their stuff.

But they didn't have that conventional a road here, as Robert got a degree in Mathematics before becoming a copywriter and meeting up with Eamonn, who himself had spent several years working as an illustrator and designer in Hong Kong.

Here's a sample of their work with the lads at the National Football League:

JOE: It can be a little spooky sometimes how much marketing knows about our behaviour, be honest, how much time do you spend studying us?

Eamonn: Yes I completely agree! It's not something we personally spend a great deal of time on. Obviously it's important to research the target audience, be familiar with their likes and interests but we don't let that become a constraint or a burden. It is not essential to tick every single box. What is important is that we make some emotional connection with the viewer.

Rob: Unless you're Googling weird stuff, you've nothing to worry about. I think it's important for us to know who we’re talking to and how they normally behave but it’s not like we spend hours watching CCTV footage or trawling through your e-mails.

JOE: Viral campaigns are the new hottest trend, what makes them different?

E: Viral campaigns allow creatives to push the boundaries without having to worry about buying media or battling for specific time slots. By its very nature, viral campaigns operate on the fringes of what is perceived to be normal advertising. This gives creatives license to explore alternative routes which brands might not have initially considered.

The likes of Red Bull and Old Spice have invested a considerable amount of time and money into this medium and it has handsomely paid off for them. Having said that many brands now feel compelled to jump on the band wagon and 'make a viral' not understanding that it is the audience who decides whether or not a campaign 'goes' viral.

R: Also, That people want to share them and can choose to watch them. Also, that you can film a man dressed as a cat licking the screen and it will get approved.

 

JOE: Are viral campaigns more difficult to design than a conventional one?

R: I think as soon as you admit to making something specifically to go viral, it would be watched by about two people.

Saying that, if your video includes cats or people acting weird, you’re probably onto a winner. If you can get a cat to act weird, you’re sorted.

JOE: A lot of marketing campaigns can annoy people, sometimes on purpose, how effective is that?

R: I refute all claims that we would annoy people on purpose. I’m not really a fan of that style of advertising, although I do love a good jingle. Some advertising can be pretty annoying. But if you can relate to it, you'll remember it

JOE: With new media and technology, there's a lot of different types of advertising that you can delve into, what are the challenges of designing marketing for mobile, apps, online content etc.

E: The importance of people with a background in technology is growing and growing, especially those who are also creative. I think if you can learn to code, you have a fantastic opportunity in advertising or almost any industry. ]

Equally, if you come from a background that doesn’t necessarily lead straight into advertising, it’s a pretty diverse industry to get into and you can use your background to your advantage. We’ve come from backgrounds in mathematics and illustration, and after doing our Postgrad course with the IAPI, we draw on skills from both our initial degrees and the skills we learned in our postgrad course to come up with solutions.

JOE: Is there any difference between how effective subtle marketing and marketing that's overtly obvious?

R: I guess they are both just tools you can use; some messages are suited to the obvious whereas some are better put across more subtly. I don’t think you could advertise Cillit Bang in the style of Guinness.

It's a lot more about making the message suit the brand, and for subtle marketing and marketing that's overtly obvious, as with all brands, it’s important just to look back and see what works and how you can take those learnings to challenge new campaigns and start thinking new creative areas for the brand.

JOE: And the obligatory sporting question: were you guys American Football fans before working with the guys at NFL UK?

R:We're both huge NFL fans, Eamonn follows the Giants and I'm a Detroit Lions fan. Working on NFL UK was fantastic, although the closest we've got to attending a Super Bowl is watching the match in Sinnotts.

I was over in Wembley for the Patriots against the Rams last year, they whip you into such a frenzy by the time the match starts, anything could happen and you'd be into it.

The main challenge of NFL in the UK is the same as soccer in the States, there are so many other sports to compete against and, as people might not have followed the sport for long, they don't support a particular team.

E: Getting people to follow a particular team enhances their enjoyment of any sport so it's great that the Jacksonville Jaguars are coming to London for the next four years, they have the potential to become London's team.

You couldn't work with a better brand than the NFL, the look and feel of the whole sport is so cinematic, everything feels like it is on a huge scale. Trying to put across the excitement and drama of the playoffs was a real challenge but was definitely worth it.

If you want some more information on getting involved in advertising and the IAPI postgrad course, check out their website here