CAREERS: Burnett aims to boost creativity in Asia

<p>Leo Burnett has run its first standards-setting workshop - the 7+ </p><p>creative processes review - in Asia-Pacific as part of the network's </p><p>drive to boost creative and strategic standards in the region. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Creatives from around the region, including Singapore, Bangkok and Hong </p><p>Kong, converged on Burnett's Sydney offices for the week-long session </p><p>that also highlighted award-winning output produced by the company </p><p>worldwide. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Each quarter, Burnett offices submit their advertising output to a </p><p>Global Product Committee (GPC) that assesses creative on on a scale of </p><p>one to 10. The first four scores range from appalling to cliche, said </p><p>Burnett's vice-chairman and chief creative officer Michael Conrad, who </p><p>conducted the regional session. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Instead, the offices attempt to reach a mark of seven to 10; </p><p>respectively excellence in craft, new standard in category, new standard </p><p>in advertising and best in the world, bar none. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Conrad told the attendees that the 7+ review had arisen because of the </p><p>need to "find commonality" of standards worldwide for the agency. He </p><p>added that simply achieving a level like five, innovative strategy, was </p><p>not enough without complementary attributes that would really make the </p><p>work distinctive. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"An innovative strategy alone will not carry the day. You need a six - a </p><p>fresh idea. But even a fresh idea will be lost if you don't have a </p><p>seven. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"By concentrating on 7+ we can move forward - the first one is hard to </p><p>produce but then it gets better and better," Conrad said, adding: "I </p><p>hope that 7+ will make creative staff probe and think deeper. We need it </p><p>- is our bar." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Sydney workshop attendees were also advised to examine all options </p><p>when creating a campaign and not just think about a television campaign </p><p>first. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Conrad highlighted a poster campaign in the US for Noxema skin cream in </p><p>restaurant restrooms, with the slogan: "It's not the lighting - next </p><p>time Noxema". He also pointed to Heinz ketchup bottle labels which </p><p>display the line, "Meatloaf's best friend". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Burnett regional creative director Linda Locke and national planning </p><p>director for Australia, Philip Sheldon, said the GPC process had been </p><p>running for five years and that the network had discovered a correlation </p><p>between high-scoring advertising and award winners at a national and </p><p>international level. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>They said this sidestepped a potential downside of the 7+ workshop - </p><p>that of offices creating work merely to satisfy the GPC. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Conrad added that studies have even shown there was a strong correlation </p><p>between ads which won awards and those deemed to be effective in driving </p><p>sales for clients. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>