SUBSCRIBE|SUBMIT NEWS|CONTACT US|ADVERTISE & RATES| SOUTH AFRICA

Subscribe

free to biz newsletters

Bizcommunity.com - Daily Marketing & Media news
Marketing & Media
Advertising forums

Categories

Partners

Special sections

Lifestyle

Archives

In the news

Enquire about a company press office

MTN: Go Get Original

14 Jun 2007 20:4029 commentsBizLike
Most Tedious Network MTN seems to be getting away with the fact that their latest campaign is ripped off from all over the place - are we really so comatose that we don't care?
MTN has always been the 'other' network - not as sucky as Vodacom, but nowhere as fresh as Cell C. I guess they're looking to differentiate because their new series of ads definitely stands out. There's the 'go fall in love' one, the 'go start something one', the one with the guys on the treadmills, the one with the giant post-it note man walking through the city... The problem is that they're positioning themselves as fresh while using ripped off material. Right away anyone with MTV knows that the treadmill footage is lifted entirely from the Ok Go video 'Here It Goes Again'. Perhaps they got the rights to it [I hope], but it feels half-hearted to just slap your tired brand onto a great music video, hoping like hell for a positive association. And then what about that so-creative post-it man? He's been around on YouTube for a loooong time now - originally conceived as a jaw-droppingly creative installation by a couple of students, and now stolen by MTN in a sad effort to seem current. Not only does this feel patronising from them as a brand [as if we don't consume the same media as their agency...], but it also minimises any genuinely good work that's part of the same campaign. I liked a couple of the other ads a lot, but my perception now is that if I scratch the surface and research just a little, I'll find they're not new ideas either.
Forum created by quarkum
 
More options
BizLikeAdd to my favouritesSend to a friendPrint
< Back
I like it-
Personally I like the ads. The question is whether there really is anything new in advertising? As for the Cell C ads I've been impressed by maybe one or two. I'm not in advertising but isn't that what it's about? Apart from creating fresh ideas also being able to spot something that works and using it to your (monetary)advantage.
It's the same with boybands. Lots of people (claim to) hate them, it's bubblegum pop, the songs are syrupy and yet they make millions. Kudos to them who can make the millions off seemingly "tired old material". If I, and most other people, had the chance to become millionaires doing it I/we probably would. Posted on 15 Jun 2007 15:15
LikeReplyReport
Pidgin Pete
Tell them so.-
Plagiarism is not acceptable, regardless of guise. Posted on 18 Jun 2007 08:07
LikeReplyReport
Litrouk
MTN try hard(er) campaign!-
Love the artsy flavour and the visual effects....even tho it is ALL STOLEN. The best part about this ad campaign is the versatily of it. When MTN are over and done with it, they could sell it to VW or Black Cat Peanut Butter.....all they need to do is change the logo at the end of the ad.
I think that MTN may just be the founders of Stock TV advertising! And this campaign is definitely royalty free.

Other than that innovative move.....
The ads say nothing about MTN or their brand....."go start something".....how about a riot against MTN for blatant ripping off of artists work? A pathetic attempt at building their brand...or whatever they were trying to build.
MTN -5
Vodacom 8

Round 2! Posted on 18 Jun 2007 13:55
LikeReplyReport
fricOnature
awww ...come on !-
look through any magazine local and international and tell me if there are any "original" concepts for perfumes and deos or if there are any original concepts in hair product ads !!! i have seen a beverage ad of a woman who is at odds as to what to wear with her boyfriend impatiently hooting so that she ends up going out in her undies...go to this link -www.metacafe.com/user/5158053/jack482/?logout=1 - 45k . check the one that has the title "she wears nothing" and then tell me that re-inventing the wheel started with MTN Posted on 18 Jun 2007 14:48
LikeReplyReport
awww ...come on ! by fricOnature-
All that fricOnature is confirming is that the SA ad industry is still blatantly ripping off overseas work. Posted on 19 Jun 2007 13:11
LikeReplyReport
peace out
you're so missing the point-
The way I see it, MTN is all about celebrating the power of the individual to do the amazing. I am involved in the agency that does the MTN stuff, and also in particular the sticky-man ad which upsets you so much, and am writing this purely in my personal capacity. (the views expressed here do not reflect the official position of the agency, nor the client. This is just me:

Not for a second are we denying that we used the youtube clip as a reference. We're not saying "look how clever we are". We're saying "look how clever they are". It's the ABC of brand association. We're saying "We're with the cool kids".

Concerning OK Go. How can you say we "lifted" it when we bought the freaking music video from them and used their track with it? Don't you think if we were trying to hide our sources we would have gone to more trouble. It's the old Honda "chain reaction" ad debate again. The creatives saw the chain reaction as an installation at an art exhibition. They put their client's car at the end. Big deal. It still won a grand prix at Cannes. If you're not into the commercialisation of art, you shouldn't be in advertising.

And that's exactly what we think OK GO did. They made art out of six treadmills and some seriously hot choreography. It kicks ass. So, some of the stuff we thought of ourselves, and other things we picked up out there. And because it's all about celebrating all the clever people out there, we're carrying on in that direction.

We're currently producing an ad with an american music video director for a song by a local band. Guess what, we saw his clip on youtube! And what's even worse, we got hold of him through myspace. What a rip-off! Boo! But it's still going to be an awesome music video. And we might even make an ad out of it.

PS. If you see any clips about ordinary people doing amazing things, please send them to us and we might credit you as one of the creatives. Peace. Posted on 19 Jun 2007 11:59
LikeReplyReport
Artsy MTN-
Sounds like you're more obsessed with being cool and using cool stuff that other people have created. Please explain to me what the campaign does for your client. Or better yet.....are the sales figures as memorable as what the ugly meerkat did for Vodacom?? Guess you wouldn't know because it seems that advertising is all about art, not about business. Maybe MTN should sell acid with their air time so we can all be one big happy-clappy-creative-go-lucky-family. That is what you are selling isn't it?? Posted on 19 Jun 2007 13:19
LikeReplyReport
Ok go-
If you were really so open and honest about using other artists work then you would credit them with their name somewhere wouldn't you? Just because you buy a painting for cash in an art gallery, doesn't mean it's kosher to rub the name off. Obviously half the population aren't going to know it's Ok go.....they think you came up with the idea stupid! Posted on 19 Jun 2007 13:24
LikeReplyReport
Blind bru-
If you say that the objective of your campaign is to say that you hang with the cool kids, people creating amazing art, then please, for the sake of integrity, credit these artists, the creators of "the pieces of art" you are putting your logo at the end of. Every creative knows how much it sucks, when in a brainstorm, you come up with a great idea or design and your creative director takes all the credit and picks up what should be your award. Now, you are putting your client into that position. It portrays MTN to be a brand that cannot be original and takes praise for other peoples work. Not so cool, is it?
BMW did it properly when they created a beautiful ad, associating themselves with dutch artist Theo Jansen's wind sculptures. But unlike you guys they featured the artist crediting him with HIS ideas.
Make a plan, re-edit the ads and credit your sources, don't just take credit. It's blind. Posted on 19 Jun 2007 23:04
LikeReplyReport
Yes-
Seconded. And for that matter, thirded and fourth'ed. Couldn't agree more. Posted on 21 Jun 2007 21:20
LikeReplyReport
lovely
Fresh-
i think the new MTN add's are great. i don't really care about the brand, but their add's are fresh and caught my attention. isnt that the whole point to advertising, enticing certain feelings out of people?
well done MTN! Posted on 19 Jun 2007 12:18
LikeReplyReport
Fresh by lovely-
You just proved a point.....advertising is to make people feel things, not sell products. Perhaps someone should inform the client service people to brush up on their selling of feeling skills. and we've had it wrong all these years! Posted on 19 Jun 2007 13:28
LikeReplyReport
Well...-
it's great - but it aint got nothing to do with mtn.

i don't c how it benefits the brand - did anyone see the fathers day one? That was just f****** stupid. Sometimes art directors (don't u just love em) would rather go with a fashionable idea rather than one that would better suit the brand (long-term)

brandman Posted on 20 Jun 2007 15:41
LikeReplyReport
Go get stuffed-
Appropriation of ideas, design and art for commercial purposes is not new. If you're not going to invent something, then improve something ( you pretty much duplicated rather than reinvented ). If you're gonna steal something, then change the context, turn an old used bucket into a beautiful contemporary light like Heath. If you wanted to poach creative credit and call it 'cool' then go get lost. Posted on 21 Jun 2007 21:52
LikeReplyReport
Dlamini
Go-
Do something better...there are so many jealous people in this industry, it's sickening! Learn from those who are doing better work than you, take inspiration, and don't let your jealousy hold you back. Big up Metropolitan Republic, it's the first ever MTN ad that's got me smiling. Posted on 22 Jun 2007 16:09
LikeReplyReport
Go-You just don't get it do you-
Dlamini what is your definition of better work in this industry? Pretty pictures or hard-core business sales? Commercial art drives business.....has it done so in this case, or does it just have people smiling and clapping their hands?

The use of the word 'jealous' is a childish comeback for valuable points that the rest of the arguments/discussions on this forum have. How about some intelligent rationale behind the reasoning for the campaign, seeing as you support it so much. Better yet, has anyone asked MTN's markteing department? Posted on 25 Jun 2007 11:12
LikeReplyReport
Go-You just don't get it do you-
Dlamini what is your definition of better work in this industry? Pretty pictures or hard-core business sales? Commercial art drives business.....has it done so in this case, or does it just have people smiling and clapping their hands?

The use of the word 'jealous' is a childish comeback for valuable points that the rest of the arguments/discussions on this forum have. How about some intelligent rationale behind the reasoning for the campaign, seeing as you support it so much.

Part of putting up work in the public eye is having the maturity to accept and deal with critisism...and hopefully to learn something from it. I still don't see anyone responsible from the campaign offering their insight into the matter....because perhaps, there was none to start off with. Posted on 25 Jun 2007 11:12
LikeReplyReport
IG ENTERPRISES
amazing work_good to see SA finally doing whet the big US brands are doing-
great adverts.

in the US the work is all about finding talent and joining up with the public.

thank you MTN Posted on 25 Jun 2007 13:15
LikeReplyReport
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW-
I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT Posted on 25 Jun 2007 13:17
LikeReplyReport
LOVELY WORK-
GO Posted on 25 Jun 2007 13:18
LikeReplyReport
I AM LEAVING vODACOM ,because of the new marketing-
terry Posted on 25 Jun 2007 13:20
LikeReplyReport
quarkum
Oooooooh dodgy-
So suddenly there are three wildly enthusiastic comments about the ads, all in a row, all in caps, all a minute or two apart.....?!

Anyone else smell a furry nose-twitching rodent [and I don't mean a meerkat]? So embarrassing. If you're going to cheat and seed a thread with fake comments, at least make half an effort not to be transparent. Posted on 25 Jun 2007 15:45
LikeReplyReport
Sinds
C'mon now!-
MTN is not a BtB organisation. Who are they advertising to? definitely not a business corporation, but an avearage consumer (prospect/customer) who sometimes don't base their preferences on the creative specs of an ad. You need to first determine what the purpose of the communication is; Is it a brand awareness campaign, or informatitive, product display,etc. In this case MTN has launhed, communiated features, you name it, this is a brand re-inforcement campaign to celebrate MTN as an established brand. let' just have fun, advertising is a multi-facet & liberated industry, don't be so serious. Posted on 25 Jun 2007 13:28
LikeReplyReport
Love the art-
I love the music, the art, the images. Pity it doesn't make me want to convert to MTN. The clap hands ad would have been great for a charity organisation. Would have really motivated people to stand up and do something. In the mean time MTN, credit the artists work that you are using, else it is stealing isn't it......even if you paid for it. Posted on 25 Jun 2007 13:36
LikeReplyReport
its betta then it was-
whateva mtn is doing - its a whole lot betta then what they were doing. and prob a whole lot betta then what most agencies are doing with their brands.

i agree it doesn't deserve gold awards- cause its not original/conceptual but is there anyone who'd rather want 'put you hands up' back? Posted on 6 Jul 2007 16:44
LikeReplyReport
Melanie
Cool-
Not everybody spends their life looking at U-Tube or checking out MTV. However, when the Mtn ads come on, my four-year-old twins, and the rest of the family, stop to watch. And that ultimately is - I guess - what advertising is about. You want to get your product out there, you want people to remember what the ad was selling - and to entertain them too. These are ads that you don't get tired of watching, and that's the important thing. Also, if you steal from one source, it's plagiarism. Stealing from many is research.... Posted on 29 Jun 2007 13:11
LikeReplyReport
Re: cool-
Note to self: the next time a thieve breaks into my home and steals my goods, its not stealing....it's research. Wake up stupid. Committing a wrong several times over doesn't make it a right. Go back to school. Posted on 2 Jul 2007 16:54
LikeReplyReport
Johnny D
To avoid crticism, say nothing, do nothing, being nothing. I LOVE IT. Like to see a lot more.-
Everybody talks about it all the time. That is advertising. Posted on 17 Jul 2007 11:52
LikeReplyReport
KPHONIC
MTN SUCK!!!-
the problem is that this is not an actual campaign, unless you realize that the last five MTN adds were stolen from the net. They have nothing in common, it's says noting about the brand or products, there is no similarity in style feel not even a catch phrase. If your going to use youtube for inspiration, the least you can do is spent 5 minutes to try and tie it all together. The fact that they were incapable of finding something to tie it all together actually just proves that the company doing the ads for mtn doesn't have the capacity for creative thinking. Besides, the originals were 10 times better when I saw them for the first time...because they were ORIGINAL!!! Posted on 23 Jul 2007 10:50
LikeReplyReport
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This Message Board accepts no liability of legal consequences that arise from the Message Boards (e.g. libel, slander, or other such crimes). All posted messages are the sole property of their respective authors. The maintainer does retain the right to remove any message posts for whatever reasons. People that post messages to this forum are not to libel/slander nor in any other way depict a company, entity, individual(s), or service in a false light; should they do so, the legal consequences are theirs alone. Bizcommunity.com will disclose authors' IP addresses to authorities if compelled to do so by a court of law.
Advertise & RatesMy AccountSubmit job ad
Contact UsSubscribeList company
Submit newsCreate profileSubmit event
Contribute articleMy CVSubmit gallery
Press office signupRecruiter signupMore...
Follow us:

Top stories

Afrikaans advertising slipping towards mediocrity?[Andrea le Sueur]
Frankie's vs Woolies: score one to the little guy[Willem Steenkamp]
Restructuring looms at TopTV as CEO steps down
SABC, AIRCO sign distribution agreement for broadcast
More Top stories news...

Contributors

Industry news

More industry news...

Community activity

  • Maria Pombo ESL Teacher at Hanlim Seoil Language School created a profile
    1 hours, 24 minutes ago
  • George Wakaria Business owner at Accoladebiz Co. Limited created a profile
    2 hours, 54 minutes ago
  • Oren Dayan Head of Marketing Division at UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND created a profile
    6 hours, 52 minutes ago
  • Julie Dawne Willis Administative Assistant at Lee Nailand Designs created a profile
    9 hours, 21 minutes ago
  • Makhosazana Modise Cash book Clerk at Legal Aid SA created a profile
    9 hours, 35 minutes ago
  • mosole Ramasodi Director at rea cherish created a profile
    9 hours, 45 minutes ago
  • khanyisa ngewu Business Development Manager at SMG Africa created a profile
    10 hours, 14 minutes ago
  • Eamonn Newell Director at Billington Cartmell Ltd. created a profile
    12 hours, 58 minutes ago
  • zameka faith nhose created a profile
    13 hours, 23 minutes ago
  • Lapologa Kgosiemang Quality officer at BP created a profile
    14 hours, 35 minutes ago
  • Jade Abbott Project Assistant at cellsmart created a profile
    14 hours, 39 minutes ago
  • Thuto Chilwane Telemarketer at College Campus created a profile
    15 hours, 44 minutes ago
  • Garikai Nhongo Sales Director at Afri-Tech Group created a profile
    16 hours, 26 minutes ago
  • Steven Viviers Independent Consultant created a profile
    16 hours, 37 minutes ago
  • Raeesa Jada Journalist created a profile
    16 hours, 42 minutes ago
  • Lutho LP Poswa created a profile
    16 hours, 48 minutes ago
  • ARCHIE SMITH National Sales Manager at Wicount (Group Buying) created a profile
    16 hours, 57 minutes ago
  • Emelda Khumalo Events Co-ordinator at Parc created a profile
    17 hours, minutes ago
  • Matthew Baker Senior Web Developer (PHP/Flash/Jquery/Design) created a profile
    17 hours, 2 minutes ago
  • Andre de Wet Copywriter created a profile
    18 hours, minutes ago
  • Bertus Schoeman Social Media and Website Content Manager at M-Net created a profile
    18 hours, 9 minutes ago
  • karabo segone call centre agent created a profile
    18 hours, 22 minutes ago
  • Nthabiseng Mhlambi ADMININSTRATOR at Boaz Consulting created a profile
    18 hours, 41 minutes ago
  • Nicole Ferger Accounts Executive at RedStar Communication created a profile
    18 hours, 47 minutes ago
  • Hein Kaiser Director at RedStar created a profile
    18 hours, 59 minutes ago
More activity|Industry wall|My newsfeed


Subscribe

Receive free email newsletter

Make us your homepageAdd us to your favoritesRSS feedGet biz on your phone

Invite

Tell a friend about us

CONTACT US | ABOUT US | SEND US NEWS | ADVERTISING RATES | | +27 (0)21 680 3500 | +27 (0)11 612 3003

ADSL & Web hosting proudly provided by Afrihost. All rights reserved. © 2012. Bizcommunity.com, its sponsors, contributors and advertisers disclaim all liability for any loss, damage, injury or expense that might arise from the use of, or reliance upon, the services contained herein. Privacy policy, Terms of Use, PAIA.