On Wednesday, Matt Murphy, the group creative director and a partner at 72andSunny, spoke to delegates at the 2015 FutureFlash conference. The event is organized by the Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) and held in Muskoka. Murphy’s talk will centre on the If/Then concept – a term borrowed from coding. Marketing had a chance to ask Murphy what this computer command is all about, and how it applies to the advertising industry.
*Note: This interview has been edited and condensed
What is the If/Then concept?
At 72andSunny, I work on all the projects that we do for Google, and just through the nature of working on Google for the past three years, it’s brought me closer to code. And in code there’s a simple variable called If/Then. It’s a fixed logic that says, If this is the input, then this will be the output.
I’ve always liked that simple formula, because it’s very improv-oriented and it’s collaborative by nature. It made me think about making and doing in modern culture. My general approach to work is very much looking at the world as an experiment, and always asking what’s going on, what can we tap into, and taking a more “What if?” wide-eyed approach to dreaming and just wanting to try things. In modern culture everything is just competing for your attention. Too much messaging, too much clutter, too much technology in general all wanting our ten seconds of attention. It’s more the idea of embracing an idea for what it could become, as opposed to seeing it as a bunch of fixed assets that are just put out into the world. [It’s] a bit more of an experimental point of view, an experimental mind looking at it, to see what it could become.
It’s interesting that it’s a fixed logic concept. How do you find it gels with the freedom required to let creativity do what it can do?
If you’re comfortable with experimentation, and if you’re comfortable with collaboration, then it’s almost radically freeing.
There’s a ton of strategic insight that goes into knowing how to use openness and collaboration as a tool, but I think it’s more about just being respectful about what you put out into the world, it’s the idea that allowing it to change and grow over time in response to what culture does with it – it becomes more conversational and ultimately more exciting.
The general theme of FutureFlash is “tearing down the ad-industrial complex,” and tearing down the notion that advertising needs to fit into some sort of mould. It seems we’ve entered a whole new era of marketing – does that resonate with you?
Absolutely. No consumer wakes up and says, “I can’t wait to experience advertising today.” I think you have to be really respectful of people’s time and what you’re putting in front of them. I think people aren’t pre-disposed to hate advertising or messaging or ideas, it’s just that if the experience to them is delightful or provides comfort or utility or a bigger heart and soul, then I think they will open up to you and give you one or two minutes, a view, a share, a like.
72andSunny was named one of Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2015 – what are you doing differently?
I think we embrace culture to make brands matter in culture. I think our work aspires to create change in culture and belong there, as opposed to just making ads.
Advertising isn’t always seen in the most positive light by consumers, it can have the reputation of being intrusive or annoying, but you seem to have a positive view of brands and their potential impact.
Nothing we do is going to change someone’s mind to like something if a brand isn’t great to begin with. I think what we can try and do is be as honest as we can about the brand, the product, whatever is being served up. And I do think there is a potential for brands to be amazing and to be really beautiful.
We talk a lot about brand citizenship — how brands can actually matter in culture. How they can give back and not just make more marketing. Google is a good example of a brand that does a lot of brand citizenship because they want to make the world a better place. We work on many initiatives that help them work towards that mission. Google by a long shot is not the only brand that should be doing this, I think all brands can make the world a better place and be really successful at being a business, too.
