Spark Foundry's Eric Levin on the New Creative Revolution

Jane Cavalier amp160How would you characterize today39s advertising environmentEric Levinamp160 The changes I39ve seen over the last couple of years have been nothing short of seismic amp160It really has to do with what consumers are looking for and has a lot to do with the tech layers that are involved amp160Everybody has been talking for a long time about how data plays a role and should be one of the first steps to creativity amp160We39ve certainly seen a massive evolution in how we39re able to gather information and turn it into something actionable amp160I think that has evolved to the point where we have real targeted ways to interact with consumers and now need to be able to deliver something that speaks as though it39s part of a larger narrativeCavalier amp160People talk about the merging of creative and media in this new worldamp160 What does that meanLevinamp160 There39s an entirely new direction you need to take in order to be able to create the things that actually achieve results amp160It used to be that creative led everything amp160Now media really should be the AOR since we understand audience better than anybody else amp160The idea of creative living in one area and media living on the other just doesn39t make sense anymore amp160But it39s not as simple as sitting somebody on the media side next to somebody on the creative side amp160Our creatives work handinhand with the media team every step of the way and leverage media to develop amazing creative workCavalier amp160Spark Foundry was created to address the new worldamp160 How is it different from a typical content or digital agencyLevinamp160 We transformed Mediavestamp160 Spark into Spark Foundry this past summer because we felt we had to do a better job for clients amp160We saw so much bloat and so many wasted opportunities amp160We tore everything down amp160We merged traditional media and digital functions into one operation recognizing that it39s all media to the consumer amp160We organized around four operational pillars to enable broad creative collaboration with partners and the integration of insight from consumers technology media data and media assetsCavalier amp160What is your creative development process like Levin amp160Our brief doesn39t look like a creative brief because I39m not making commercialsamp160 It isn39t a media brief because let39s be honest media briefs don39t really ask for the big idea amp160My team is made up of creatives who understand media which is an anomalyamp160 The big idea always sits at the center and we leverage massive media spends to bring it to life amp160We collaborate with media partners who are willing to work with us in totally different ways because they understand the need to attract an audience amp160We aim to inform and entertain and be less intrusive amp160It takes somebody who understands this new world to be able to do thatAlso we39re engaged with clients right up front amp160Instead of living on the outside and told to sprinkle content dust on a plan to make it better we are briefed with the agency day one amp160To be honest with you sometimes our content becomes all of the creative for a particular campaign amp160We39re doing that more and moreCavalier amp160Can you share an example of a campaign you39ve doneLevin amp160John Frieda was a challenger brand line that always produced a TV commercial and built everything around it amp160We took a different approach amp160We worked with iHeartMedia and Vox Media to create a new campaign where we brought to life over 400 pieces of new creativeamp160 iHeartMedia helped us secure Tinashe who became the name and face of the campaign amp160The asset library included 15s 30s and long form documentaries amp160Additionally we had a ton of social content and experiential events amp160We39ve done this for many additional clients including AFLAC where we built a powerful campaign with DisneyABC as described in a recent MediaVillage Podcast with AFLAC CMOamp160Gail GallupoCavalier amp160So as part of your process media companies work with you to come up with ideas and apply the campaign to their assetsLevinamp160 Yes There is a lot of creative talent out there amp160Places like Univision BuzzFeed AE Networks Discovery Communicationsamp160and NPR bring a lot of imagination and creativity to the table amp160There are any number of partners like Funny or Die Vox and Courageous from Turneramp160who have incredible content studios themselves so we work creatortocreator and use the investments in those places to create things that have much more meaning to their audiencesCavalier amp160How do you see clients reacting to the new advertising worldLevinamp160 Clients are so smart and good at recognizing what39s happening in their industry amp160They39re the ones coming to us and saying there39s got to be a different way amp160We know their pain points amp160We know consumers are tuning them out 30 plus percent of people have ad blockers they fast forward they time shift everything amp160We know how to answer that questionCavalier amp160Why is the transition of media to a strategic driver so powerfulLevin amp160Media is the largest line item on any marketer39s budget amp160If you39re really just using that to plug in preexisting assets that people are already tuning out what good is that going to do amp160If consumers39 attention is shifting away and blocking out traditional means of communication then how are we actually going to break throughCavalier amp160You started in the movie businessamp160 Do you think your early work in entertainment gave you insight into this new worldLevin amp160I39m not wedded to the Mad Men model of advertising in which the 30 spot reigned in an era of network television dominance amp160I see how work needs to be part of the larger narrative amp160Our work delivers real results for clients but not in the same way that Mad Men advertising does amp160Our creative fits and enriches in all of the places it exists amp160It informs entertains and allows for interaction amp160To me this is the most logical answer to what consumers want today and is the evolution of advertising This something that we collectively at Spark Foundry and even at Publicis believe to be the future of creativeClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Spark Foundry's Eric Levin on the New Creative Revolution

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Jane Cavalier

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