Waiting waiting waiting for the bus. Where’s the bus?

So it took a group of US students to decide that waiting for a bus is a little like waiting for life.

Arriving at a bus stop in any first world country, on average, consumes about 20 minutes of valuable time, each time (waiting). For a moment consider if each of these individuals who use a bus service and rely upon it could save 15 minutes every trip! A group of US students decided to change it.

What they did is they tapped into the bus companies GPS tracking system, linked it to a website whereby you can pick up the information from your mobile and or laptop, and can immediately tell, down to one square meter, where in the city your bus is. So instead of standing at a bus stop, you could have another coffee, do an extra bit of work, spend an extra 15 minutes with a loved one or basically use your 15 minutes more effectively. Logical really.

Where is the brand?

But where is the brand that bought this to the consumer? Where is the brand that in the future will own this platform? This is about innovation based on a real need from a consumer. Why do we as an industry consistently wait for our consumers to create the platform that we as marketers and advertisers so easily could have created? In South Africa Outsurance is probably the brand that would be on top of this.

Reading 10 magazine I stumbled across an article on the Secret Gallery Inc. (What a fabulous name!). This is actually a model agency based in New York and reading through an interview with Daniel Peddle, who is a director at the Secret Gallery, something stood out for me when he was asked “why are we seeing more ethnic girls on the catwalks?”

Daniel responded with “It’s the reality of the market place and reflective of the global village. These faces make that point.” How amazing is it that for at least the last 15 years, South African marketing and advertising has been so conscious of the “ethnic girl”? Talk about how the first world can miss a bus. How amazing is it that we are still criticised as an industry for not being as responsive and as ethnically aligned as we should be or could be?

I am of the opinion that the advertising industry in South Africa is well advanced and well on its way to recognising, understanding and creating communication that represents the diverse society in which we live, work and market to. Still a lot has to be done in the developed markets to understand this process, but more specifically, these developed markets have a lot to learn from our local industry. After all I think we do represent a global village.

In the same article, Mr Peddle makes the following statement when asked about the icy blonde girl. “We have seen a desire for fantastic fairy tale-liked faces. They have refined elegance - all of these faces do, but they are also in sync with the desire that culture has right now - fantasy”. I find the idea of fantasy really compelling in a world which is completely and utterly consumed by the global financial crisis that we seem to read about every day of our lives.

Fantasy – what a great consumer escape.

But talking about models in the slow, sneaky and mysterious way that trends move, capital-b bodies creep into vogue. “We have just gone through a baaaaaad period” says James Scully. Who is a cast director for fashion shows, and the like. “Some photographers are even sending back girls who aren’t 18 yet. Because they want some life experience. Some of the confidence from having lived life as a woman”. Rumour has it re-touches have even been called upon to add a little imperfection where it is missing.

Now how amazing is that.

Less of the perfect, more of the you. We are real after all, and as much as the brands and products we represent aspire to being perfect, maybe the time has come to show a little imperfection and to create a little solidarity with a human race that is anything but perfect.

A note from the author, Mike Frampton.

In my personal opinion I believe that the time has come for the new, the changed and everything we haven’t seen before but will ultimately influence and change our industry. I would like to know all of the things that individuals and companies within our industry are innovating, what they believe in and how they are contributing to fundamental brand growth.

This is an invitation to all of you out there that have something distinctive and different to share with the world. This is a platform for you to communicate and advertise to a new marketer what you have to offer that is distinctive and fundamentally different. Bring it on.

This is a platform equally for you to agree and or disagree and or contribute to what should be fundamental to the industry in developing all that is new and all that is change.