AUTHORS OF EVERYDAY LIFE. ARE THE “ANONYMOUS” CREATORS OF TV ADS GETTING THE RECOGNITION THEY DESERVE?

28. 2. 2024 | 15 min read The word "author" automatically creates a kind of aura of uniqueness around itself. However, this romantic notion is not so relevant today - an author is not just some guru who creates a work of art that future generations will learn about through textbooks. Today, virtually anyone can be an author. This is especially evident in the world of television advertising, where big names are the desired but rarer exception. Of course, the so-called auteurs offer a databank of examples of good practice, and it is appropriate to return to them, but it is not appropriate to think that the creative team of an advertising agency performs a diametrically different activity. So what is it really like with authorship and auteurism in TV advertising? How do you turn an ad into a work of authorship? In terms of craft authorship, television advertising is a discipline similar to film or television series. It differs, of course, in the subject matter and the purpose for which it is created, but the creator must go through a de facto comparable process. As a result, a television advertisement communicates its main message in the same way as any other work. And, logically, there are three main channels of communication.

MILAN ŠTEINDLER, THE ICON OF CZECH PROVOCATIVE ADVERTISING

6. 6. 2023 | 5 min read The Czech humorist was born in Prague in 1957. He is a well-known comedian who firstly became famous mainly for his acting roles. You may know him for example from the films Kopytem sem, kopytem tam, Vrát se do hrobu, Díky za každé nové ráno or from the series Česká soda. He is also a co-founder of the Sklep Theatre. However, he is also no stranger to the world of advertising - he works as a screenwriter and director. He studied directing at FAMU in Prague. However, during his studies he already worked at the Barrandov Film Studios as an assistant director. He has many successful TV commercials to his credit. For example, he is behind the spots for Fidorka or the campaigns for the CLEVER brand, where he presents effective scientific experiments. He is also the author of the children series Z deníku žáka 3.B aneb Edudant a Francimor. His work is characterized by a humorous touch and tends towards recession and light provocation. FIDORKA AND MISCHIEF Milan Šteindler has directed several spots for the Fidorka brand. Despite the fact that, as usual, they were mainly based on exaggeration and humour, these were not among the most provocative and were accepted by the Czech audience - both laymen and professional - without protest, unlike other films from Šteindler's workshop. This series of spots was created in cooperation with the Havas Prague agency and appeared on television in 2008.

IVAN ZACHARIÁŠ, THE CZECH WHO CONQUERED THE WORLD WITH HIS ADVERTISING

25. 5. 2023 | 5 min read Ivan Zachariáš is one of the most successful Czechs in the world of advertising. He has created ads for major world-renowned companies including Stella Artois, Land Rover and Adidas. He is also the director for jingles for the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary. He has also worked on feature films, including the drama Pustina (Wasteland), the series Bez vědomí (The Sleepers) and the feature film Konec světa (The End of the World). A good commercial can be done for any product Ivan Zachariáš has been inclined to filming and directing since his student days. He graduated from the Department of Documentary Filmmaking at FAMU in Prague and some of his short films have achieved considerable success. For example, Mulit, a 2003 parody of Bollywood films, is part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

DAN WIEDEN – THE CREATIVE MIND BEHIND THE BIGGEST BRANDS

21. 4. 2023 | 8 min read What comes to mind when you hear the slogan “Just do it”? Or “The man your man could smell like”? Nike and Old Spice - the brands that are inherently associated with them certainly spring to mind. But what was the path to their creation and who is behind the unique identity of these brands? We’re introducing Dan Wieden, the creative mind behind them.

ADVERTISING AS A DREAM FACTORY: CLAUDE C. HOPKINS, FOUNDER OF MODERN ADVERTISING

9. 4. 2023 | 9 min read Claude C. Hopkins is known as the man who laid the foundations of modern advertising. And quite literally - the book with the same title is probably his most important work. He worked as an advertising creator and copywriter in the first half of the 20th century, when television was still in its infancy. The boom in TV spots came in the 1950s and the 1960s, after the death of Hopkins, who lived from 1866 to 1932. So he did not experience the world of television advertising, but his ideas and techniques, based on scientific methods, testing and measurement of effectiveness, gave advertising a completely new direction and generally provided the theoretical basis for successful advertising. He is also regarded as one of the professionals who have made the greatest contribution to the field of copywriting. "ADVERTISING MUST BE DONE SCIENTIFICALLY" Claude C. Hopkins, during his time in advertising, applied advanced methods such as tracking the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and testing. In this article, we'll introduce the key methods and techniques described in his books, and show specific examples of campaigns he created - so what was the strategy behind the most successful campaigns for Schlitz Beer, for example, and others? We will reveal the ways in which he has enriched the rules of successful copywriting. In the conclusion of the article, we will also summarize what important takes we can apply to current advertising and marketing practice and how to use his ideas effectively for successful sales. HE COULD HAVE BEEN A LAWYER, BUT HIS PASSION WAS THE BUSINESS WORLD Claude C. Hopkins was a prominent American advertising creative, marketer and copywriter who was born in 1866 in Hillsdale, Michigan. After studying law, he decided to pursue advertising and entered the world of agencies. He worked his way up to a senior position at Lord & Thomas advertising and his talents helped the company to considerable success. During his career, Hopkins has created successful advertising campaigns for many companies including Bissell Carpet Sweeper, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and Pepsodent Toothpaste. He is considered one of the pioneers in modern advertising, who sought to combine creative elements with scientific methods and data to create effective advertising campaigns. His approach to advertising has become the basis for many of today's marketing techniques and strategies. HOW TO MAKE A GOOD COPY? TEST AND CALL TO ACTION! Hopkins is rightly considered one of the most influential copywriters in history. His writing is the subject of his work My Life in Advertising. Many of the copywriting techniques described here are timeless and effective to this day. One of his key methods was the use of facts and evidence. Hopkins believed that if you provide customers with enough persuasive arguments, relevant facts and statistics, they are more likely to eventually make a buying decision. Let's look at some specific examples of practices that have influenced the way marketing strategies are shaped today:

THE FATHER OF ADVERTISING DAVID OGILVY

30. 3. 2023 | 11 min read There’s probably no one in the advertising world who hasn’t heard of David Ogilvy. How did he make commercial communications history? And what is his contribution to the world of advertising?

THE KING OF CONTROVERSY OLIVIERO TOSCANI

9. 3. 2023 | 9 min read The series of advertising creators, which we are presenting to mark the sixth anniversary of AKTV, presents important authors in the advertising sphere. Today, you will read about an inspiring creative who was not afraid to break boundaries and enriched the advertising field with many non-advertising topics. It’s Oliviero Toscani.

THE GREATS OF TELEVISION ADVERTISING OR HOW LEGENDS MADE AND BROKE THE RULES

28. 2. 2023 | 7 min read Many factors influence the world of television advertising. Whether it is the evolution of society, the era, technological possibilities or the specific mentality of consumers in different countries, the human factor is also inevitable. The way in which media promotion is done is also influenced by the creators.