Tyrone Reid, Staff ReporterFor decades, the Jamaican society has been somewhat in the shadow of our North American counterparts. In a sense, Jamaican society could be termed a chameleon which changes with North American trends, especially when it comes to entertainment.
However, according to an informal survey conducted by The Sunday Gleaner, that does not apply to television advertisements. While most of the commercials from our North American counterparts bring the message about the product, but in the same breath leave the viewer in stitches, the majority of local television advertisements leave much to be desired.
Previous generations were at the mercies of JBC (now TVJ) and CVM, before the introduction of cable television. With only two stations to choose from, the scenario was not pretty, especially with all the advertisements they aired which, appeared to shorten the programmes.
To make matters worse, they seemed to always pop up when the movie was about to climax or whenever something interesting was unravelling. According to a few avid television watchers, the only good thing about local commercials are that they facilitate bathroom breaks. Although these periodic interruptions pay the bills and keep the stations in operation, the 'couch potatoes' interviewed by The Sunday Gleaner still scoff at their existence. With the widescale introduction of cable programming came a wider variety of stations from which to choose - and some better commercials. One individual said: "With cable at my fingertips and the couch beneath me, the plan was to stay as far away as possible from the local stations and their back- a-wall commercials." Another interviewee said that at the outset, viewing North American commercials was a no-no. This was due to his large intake of local advertisements, which caused him to abhor the mere sight of a commercial. However, he was subsequently converted. "I then realised why I abhorred local advertisements the way I did, because they suck!" he said.
What may be tagged a 'commercial cult' has developed locally, but unfortunately it was not ignited by local commercials. This advertisement fever seems to be spreading without remedy, as enthused discussions about these knee-slapping commercials can be heard just about anywhere - from the open setting of the workplace to the confines of many homes. A devoted commercial watcher told The Sunday Gleaner that he enjoys watching these blurbs so much that he thinks that they should be screened in cinemas.
Quality
One cannot help but notice the difference in the quality of local advertisements, as opposed to those from overseas. Quality here refers not only to pictures and computer graphics but, most importantly, the concept of the commercials. It is a given that North America has Jamaica beaten when it comes to technological prowess and capital funding. Therefore, that would explain why foreign commercials are much better than locally made ones when it comes to acquiring and applying certain computer graphics to enhance the quality of the commercials.
According to Brian St. Juste, who is the president of the Jamaica Film and Video Producers Association and also managing director of Apex Productions Limited, which produces commercials, documentaries and other television programmes, while Jamaica may not be kingpins in the graphic department, we can compete with the big boys.
"In Jamaica, where we have reached right now, with the kind of creative and technical expertise as well as our physical resources, we are probably the Caribbean's powerhouse. We can match strides with some of the best advertisements over there," Mr. St. Juste said.
With that in mind, a few industry observers stated that the picture quality of local advertisements will never equal those from overseas, because those are shot on film, while Jamaican-made ads are recorded on tape. Then why not use film to enhance the quality? Two words - too expensive. Shooting on film is estimated to cost three to four times as much as shooting on tape.
Nevertheless, when it comes to the most important ingredient - the concept - some argue that the only reasonable explanation is that personnel employed by the advertising agencies abroad have more brain power than those of our local sales pitchers.
Twenty-seven-year-old Elizabeth Reid, who was a junior account executive and copywriter at two prominent local advertising agencies, begged to differ. She believes that the problem plaguing monotonous local commercials is twofold. In her mind, the predicament stems from other factors from both the agency and the client. She told The Sunday Gleaner that the problem of creativity and the lack thereof is in large part due to the clients and not the agencies. She noted that most times agencies pitch some very creative ideas which are shot down by the client. "Most clients believe that Jamaicans are not savvy enough to understand smart advertisements," she said.
The point made by Ms. Reid of clients shunning the advertising agencies' creative concepts was bolstered by Brian St. Juste as he too thinks the viewing population is not given much credit by the advertisers. "Sometimes agencies do come out with cutting-edge, creative material, but it is sometimes rejected by the clients for straightforward and ordinary, on the premise that it is too sophisticated for the market," stated Mr. St. Juste
He pointed out that this was a misconception. "While this would have been true 10 years ago that is not true today, since the inception of cable and people are exposed to more sophisticated advertising. So, therefore, the international advertisements have become the benchmark," he said.
Elizabeth added that another assault on the creativity of the concepts presented by the agencies to the clients is the many executives, on the side of the clients, that the notion has to travel through in order to be passed. By virtue of the 'feel up, feel up, no taste and buy' treatment, the final product that is presented to the public is a watered down version of what was actually conceptualised by the agency. She also argued that some clients are unwilling to pump any real funds into advertising their products, therefore what the commercial depicts is what their pocket can stretch to. However, there is another side of the coin, one which she never fails to examine. Ms. Reid pointed out that there are internal factors on the side of the advertisement agency that also dampen the creativity of the copywriters and anyone else who pitches ideas for advertisements.
Grey
According to Ms. Reid, most of heads of the advertisement agencies have gone grey and, as a result of such, ideas presented by the younger and more witty employees are stopped at the door. "It must be recognised that some of these agencies are run by people who are over the hill and they are set in their ways, therefore they stifle the creativity of the people they hire," she noted.
In addition, she mentioned that if the innovative ideas get past the creative directors, most of the times they will not get past the directors, who have the last word on the matter.
Andrew Rousseau, a director at CGR Communications Ltd., which has been in operation since 1974, did not totally disagree with Ms. Reid, but was quick to point out that it was not so at his establishment. "Well, it may apply to some agencies in the industry, but not to all. We are a young agency and I don't think we fall into the over the hill category. It's a creative business and you need to keep the ideas fresh. Continued renewal of staff is one way of doing it," he said.
Ratio theory
Mr. St. Juste introduced an interesting viewpoint to the discussion. In essence, he said that there are good advertisements in Jamaica, as well as there are bad advertisements that come from our North American counterparts. However, the difference between both countries is the ratio of good to bad. "First of all, I think that they are frying all the fishes in one oil here, because in Jamaica you have good, average and bottom of the pile advertisements, just as you do anywhere else. Unfortunately the good and average advertisements might not outweigh those that are bottom of the barrel," noted Mr. St. Juste.
In addition, he argued that the not so artistic commercials cost a fraction of the amount it costs to produce the top quality commercials. Therefore, the businesses with low budget commercials can spend more money on showcasing their product. Also, these low-budget commercials are usually the route taken by small businesses and they normally receive preferential rates and packages from our local television stations, thus they are more prevalent than more upscale ads. Mr. Rousseau stated that at times the advertising agencies are being wrongfully accused for low-quality advertisements, as they are sometimes bypassed by the clients for cheaper alternatives, such as videographers.
However, Mr. St. Juste is by no means dismayed, as he thinks that the local advertising industry can get the job done. He told The Sunday Gleaner that there are agencies in Jamaica which are more than capable and are capable of producing advertisements that are on a First World level. Speaking of high-quality, he made reference to several commercials that his company shot recently for several clients. They include the Bank of Nova Scotia, National Commercial Bank, Wray and Nephew and Cable and Wireless. In continuing to advocate the capability of the local industry, he pointed out that many locally made ads have won awards overseas. Among these, he noted, were the CLIO Awards, which he said are to advertising what the Grammy Awards are to music and the Academy Awards to film.
Name changed on request.
