The Big Think: Heaven Knows We’re Miserable Now

Ben Peckett
Group creative director at Amplify

In a world that increasingly feels take, take, take and all about consuming more, maybe it’s time for us to take stock. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if brands took a little less time to sell to us and a bit more time to connect with us? Gymshark did it brilliantly with its Deload Barbershop in 2022. Now imagine if that had been an all out commitment to permanent spaces designed to counter the gloom rather than just a week long pop up.

Advertising isn’t and shouldn’t be here to solve the world’s (or the individual’s) problems. Let’s take inspiration from the recent Waitrose ‘whodunnit?’, and Uber One’s Brian Cox Goes To College ad, and aim to make work that stands out and raises a smile. Our work should brighten someone’s day. So let’s give someone a reason to watch a 30 second spot in a Corrie ad break rather than making a brew, or get them to double-take that billboard double-entendre from the bus, or convincing them to spend 30 minutes immersed in an experience designed to wrap a better-feeling world around them.

Let’s be entertaining. Maybe if we set out with that ambition from the off, we’d all feel a little less doomy.

To read the full article, visit Little Black Book.