In the context of having just launched a poignant, taboo-busting campaign that encourages people to rethink their perspective on death, Cocogun co-founder and MD Chiquita King reflects on how we need to make ideas that matter, rather than work that simply adds to the great content landfill.
In a world where we’re bombarded every day with thousands of pieces of content, information and brand messages, how do we truly cut through the noise? How do we recognise those special opportunities to say something of deep significance, and say it in a way that truly lands. Instead of contributing to content landfill? I only want to make the former. And I’ve been reflecting on this over the course of a recent project. But also, in a way, over the last few decades. Here are my reflections on making ideas that matter.
Personal experiences help prepare you.
When my dad passed away 18 months ago, I wasn’t ready. None of us were. We hadn’t had the conversations we needed to have. There was much left unsaid. He died as I was boarding a plane to head ‘home’. We ran out of time.
It left me with too many thoughts I had to resolve on my own. I wondered if there was a better way. Fast forward to November last year, we were invited to submit a proposal alongside seven other agencies for a palliative care project. And I thought to myself, if I had received this brief before Dad passed away, his death and our experience of that event would have been entirely different.
Listen to your gut.
Our proposal was shaped by what I believed would be worthy of the brief. It challenged the outputs of what was being asked for and projected a vision that was more about outcomes.
The cycle of life is a universal truth. It’s one thing that binds us no matter our race, religion or geography. An inherent unity within our diverse human tapestry. Illustrative storytelling is a universal language. And humankind has used illustration to share stories for thousands of years. Stories that speak to everyone no matter your dialect or disposition.
An important and deliberate decision from the outset was selling animation as a strategic choice. As a way for the story to resonate broadly with people’s humanity rather than people getting hung up on the look of specific talent. It’s a world where we can weave our message through breathtaking art-styles, endearing characters, and purposeful symbolism. Where we can soften the rawness of reality. Inviting our audience to take a step back, and immerse themselves in pure, unbound storytelling.
Understand the opportunity in front of you.
When I briefed our creative team, I opened the meeting by saying, this is not a creative brief. This is a life brief. If you grasp the opportunity within it, we can make something really special that will help people think about death differently.
I remember, a few days after the briefing, Jimmy Williams, one of our amazing Senior Art Directors said to me “CK, I get what you mean, when I was reflecting on the brief, it suddenly occurred to me that without death, life is meaningless.”
Partnership is what makes it possible.
The night before we presented the creative response, I called our incredible client, the CEO of Palliative Care Queensland, Louise O’ Neill to say that we had seven scripts on the table but would only be presenting one.
It was a bold decision but I told her that only one would be worthy of the job to be done. She backed us instantly. If we had presented any of the other options, we would never have made this story and it would not have been as special.
That conversation was years in the making. Lou knew us to be a team of people that don’t take things for granted. She knows us to be considered, passionate and deliberate creative thinkers that strive for the best outcome. This work is a testament to her belief and trust in us as an agency as much as it is reflective of the talent that resides within Cocogun.
The bottom line is that truly powerful work never gets anywhere near seeing the light of day without trust-based partnerships with bold, ambitious clients and their teams.
Fight to give people a reason to pay attention.
Easier said than done. One of the best advertising books I’ve ever read is, The Art of the Idea, by John Hunt. Every page is gold but one truth that resonated abundantly is the understanding that we’re the transporter of ideas. Ideas are fragile. And anyone in this business that is worth their salt understands the immense responsibility we have in transporting them from one building to the next and from boardroom to boardroom.
More often than not, great ideas never see the light of day because we don’t provide enough safe passage in their infancy as they navigate the world of complex stakeholder management.
The emotional rollercoaster of this project was mammoth because of the subject matter. There was a delicate balance of needing to cut through without being insensitive. I’ve found that through my career the toughest conversations are won by elevating the shared ambition. The only way we managed to keep this idea intact was by reminding everyone of who the most important stakeholder was – the community who would benefit from learning more about palliative care.
Creativity and conviction are inseparable.
At the end of the production process, there were still questions as to whether death had been portrayed appropriately, whether the choice of music would resonate and whether this mixed race family would be relatable…
We believed in every decision we painstakingly made throughout the process. And each one was validated when we got the results from the robust consumer testing conducted by Liz Farquharson from HoopGroup. Liz was blown away by the results and levels of engagement. She said, “These were very high impact and engagement scores. They indicated that the creative resonated strongly, with 8/10 agreeing the ad was a great way to highlight a difficult topic. And importantly, it was impactful for the audience with 76% saying it made them feel like death was something to be feared less.” It made me think about how important conviction is when it comes down to making an idea that matters versus just making stuff.
It’s not enough to hire the best people, you must make space for their voice.
Over the last six months, I observed our team make calls that elevated the craft, time and time again. For that, I’m so grateful. It proves that everyone has a role to play in making an idea matter and you have to make space at the right intervals for them to do so.
Ideas should serve people.
The genesis of this story began with a ‘consumer’ workshop to help inform the brief.
It was in these sessions where I got to know each individual and what they deemed to be important at a point in life where palliative care support and services can make all the difference. Their collective stories and experiences – some good, some not so much – all contributed to the creative proposition. Through this engagement the need became abundantly clear and it’s probably the most important note to end my reflections.
A great idea is one that’s relevant, useful and memorable. And most of all, it should serve people. When it does that, it has the greatest chance of being work that truly matters. Rather than more noise pollution and creative litter.
