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The Year in Review: Anthony Gardiner

Creative ideas increasingly need to be media ideas—and specifically social media ideas. And OMD recognised this earlier this year by hiring social strategist, self-proclaimed ‘askhole’, opinionated mofo, treasure hunt lover and enthusiastic supporter of the Herne Bay Local Anthony Gardiner. So get these opinions down ‘ya gullet. 

1) Favourite campaign that isn’t yours

I Fucking Love Science. Almost two million fans and consistently having an engagement rate over 100 percent week on week. This is leading the pack and is doing so with a subject that many would have found challenging to deal with. It’s kind of a campaign. Kind of.

2) Favourite campaign that is yours

Memphis Meltdown. Great collaborative project working with other agencies, and with a client that trusted its social media audience, and had fun with them. 

3) Least favourite campaign 

Anything that involves QR codes. Or any TVC that asks me to go and “watch more of the story on YouTube.” Honourable mention to anything that uses Pluk. I want the ads to finish. I don’t want to watch more ads. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should.

4) Best brand

The individual consumer. They are continuing to wrest the power away from people like me. Good on them. They ultimately pay all of our wages so they should hold the power. I hope the rise continues.

5) Best stoush 

Apple vs. Samsung was good (purely because of Apple’s amazing court-ordered non-apology), but my favourite stoush on social media this year was Tau Henare vs. Trevor Mallard on Twitter. Those guys acted like eight year olds. It was gold. Most of us spectators were hoping for them to arrange to meet on parliament/school grounds at 3:30 the next day to re-enact their 2007 punch up.

6) Heroes

Linds Redding, for his beautiful, heartfelt reflection that resonated so deeply with so many people. He reminded us to keep our lives balanced, and to not take this whole marketing/advertising thing too seriously. R.I P.  

7) Villains

Hell Pizza’s management. The inappropriate competition winner was bad, but far worse was the way the managers hung their community manager out to dry. It showed really weak character to blame a subordinate for a mistake that spoke more about the company culture than any individual’s decision making process. As the phrase goes “If you want to know what a man’s like, look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” Then to try to wash it all by giving money to Rape Crisis (when they were in a real financial bind and did not really have much choice in the matter) just made me feel sick.

8) Most memorable marketing moment

When the Kony project worked so well that the guy who was responsible for it had a malnutrition-induced bout of public nudity and masturbation. Always be prepared for success.

9) A few predictions for 2013

Consumers will claim back their data. They will demand a ROI for the time and information they invest in a company. The consumer will only be happy to give this data to those who use it to provide a real-world utility, something that actually benefits the consumer in a tangible way.

Micropayment systems will make paywalls viable from a consumer’s point of view, without the need to pay for year-long subscriptions.

On demand media services will ask for social graph logins to increase the relevancy of the ads served, and therefore the price they charge advertisers.

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