Where's The Beef?

I spent the weekend in a class the certifies me as a "CBJ" (Certified Barbeque Judge), which is mostly a matter of paying a fee and learning a few rules about barbeque contest. The substance of the class consited of eating a lot (about 2 pounds, total) of barbequed meat to practice judging, then compare notes with others in the class and with practiced judges.

The weekend before, I spent at The ADDYs (formerly OMNIs) show watching a ton of winning ads from Kansas City agencies . . . and I've got to tell you, though there were several exceptions, for the most part, there was way more "beef" at the BBQ judging class than at the ADDYs.

Don't get me wrong--there was a lot of beautiful, eye-catching, and clever artwork, film, and photography . . . many georgeous ads that could attract attention from across a room crowded with other ads--a lot of good stuff to learn from. But for most of the winners, even after a closer look at the posted ads and watching them live during the show--it was difficult to tell exactly what they were selling or what the ad was trying to say about the product or service (other than--oh, look how arty/clever/design-y the agency we hired is). Overall, they lacked the beef of any ad--the message.

So really, all I'm saying is please, please, please, start your ad from the premise that you have something to say--listen to your clients first, find out what's great about their product and service, then say it loud and proud in the ad you create for them. Too many ads looked like they started from the premise, "Hey, let's make a cool ad that'll win an ADDY" instead.