Brand Managers: Take a step back!

I was a brand manager once. Admittedly a long time ago now. I was very passionate about my brands.  So I understand that it's hard to have real perspective when you are so close to something day in, day out.

 That's why you need to have agency partners and advisors that challenge you and aren't just yes-men. It's why you need to listen, and think beyond your brand bubble once in a while. Go crazy, think about a category perspective, think about where that category fits in the WHOLE busy life of the people who buy your products. It will help your approach to comms, search, your business overall and hopefully avoid creative clangers like this one.

I am sure the brand manager signed off this poster creative with a thought along the lines of "wow, my products look great in that ad".  Just as well I knew that GHD make hair straighteners as had I seen this poster at a tube station not a million miles from some of the more colourful parts of Soho, and not known that, I might have thought they were advertising something entirely different.  I'll leave that open to your own interpretation.

Ok, I admit I might be being a touch harsh, it was part of a tunnel takeover and there were multiple executions, most of which did feature head/hairshots but....