• by April 25, 2005

By Paul Woolmington

Some marketers have a unique personality  a blend of verve and vision. They become known for their iconoclastic brand statements and are consistent over time in creating great advertising that expresses their essence. Such marketers have a confident understanding of their brand and personality, and have given incredible latitude to the agency partners they've worked with to produce outstanding advertising. Volkswagen, dating back to Bill Bernbach's work in the 1950s, is a great example.

Volkswagen created a legacy of great advertising. Remember the original "think small" ad? Let's not forget that this ad was created for an environment where a single print insertion would reach a huge swath of the population. In those days, the message was most important and the media was obvious. There was little fragmentation and not much choice.

Fast-forward to the most recent decade and think about brands that embody a savvy media personality, which is to say that they're self-assured and confident, but moreover, they have a visceral understanding that any point of contact with a consumer can be a medium. They understand that the way something is said is as important, if not more important, than what is said.

So who are the brands that I envy and would love to work for? One example would be the Mini Cooper. Yes we've all heard and seen the incredible campaign here in the United States where it's broken many firsts. One particular favorite was the Mini piggy-backing on a suv to exemplify its size, an updated version of "think small."

Virgin is another example of a brand with a larger-than-life personality, not to mention a larger-than-life leader, Sir Richard Branson who has defined the maverick personality of the brand. Branson's cheeky personality flows through all Virgin products. Virgin always has a great idea that's intrinsic to the brand, and the brand's personality drives the way it speaks to its consumers.

For example, in Australia, Ark created a campaign for Virgin Money that centered around the theme of plastic surgery. The plastic referred to credit cards and the effort played off the disaffection with unpopular credit card fees and clauses. The agency contrasted the before and after effects of Virgin Money's plastic surgery. Creative and media placements showed a fat man and an ugly guy looking the same before and after, but after the "surgery," all the characters in the campaign were smiling. The headlines read: "Remove unsightly annual fees" and "Liposuction for interest rate."

rkcr/y&r, London, created a series of anti-British Airways ads to launch Virgin's in-flight massage service. The most memorable ad was a poster placed outside ba's headquarters with the message: "British Airways don't give a shiatsu." The ads spoke volumes for Virgin's audacity and the challenger nature of its proposition.

A campaign now running for Virgin Mobile Canada by Lowe Roche, Toronto, spoofs all the gobbledy-gook in wireless carrier contracts. It tries to debunk the myth that you need to read all the fine print, complicated tariffs, and price ranges. One execution features decals on the floor at major train stations  literally printouts of all the gobbledy-gook. The copy makes the point that Virgin doesn't spam people; it offers a simple sign-up with rates and tariffs upfront.

Another example of Virgin's sheer bravado is a recent idea from Crispin, Porter + Bogusky's campaign for Virgin Atlantic. Crispin sold in a media idea based on its own research that when male business executives are away from home and check in to a hotel room, they access an adult entertain- ment channel. The ads spoofed the 1970s adult movie genre. Crispin partnered with LodgeNet Entertainment, a distributor of in-room video entertainment, to run the ads. I would have loved to have been in the meeting where this campaign was sold!

If you have clients like Mini or Virgin (to name just two overflowing with personality) and you cannot do outstanding work, you might as well shoot yourself! On a more serious note: Never forget the brand's roots and personality; maintain continuous relevance; never get stale; and build emotional ties with the consumer. The way that you go to market in media-neutral ways is as important, if not more important as the consumer-controlled environment takes hold.

Paul Woolmington is president-CEO, founder, and chief chef of The Media Kitchen. (pwoolmington@mediakitchen.tv)