As long as nobody gets upset

But the truth is that three quarters of brands could vanish tomorrow and nobody would care.

Advertising, which not-even-that-long-ago was the most entertaining and interesting way for brands to show up, has become an enemy to be dodged at all costs. Nobody wants to see ads in their social feed or sit through 12 minutes of commercials during an hour of TV. People hit the skip button the moment they can, and many pay tens of euros a month never to see a single ad.

Why? Because companies too often choose safety over stirring emotion.

"If it doesn't sell, it isn't creative," David Ogilvy said in his day. And he was right. Good creative makes the tills ring.

But a brand's purpose isn't just to sell a product. Its purpose is to give the products it sells meaning, emotional value, that keeps the tills ringing even when times are hard or a competitor with superior product features comes along. A brand's most important job is to set its products apart from the rest.

The problem of distinctiveness is real for Finnish brands. Almost every brief repeats the same kind of goals: we need more attention, we need to push up top of mind so the brand doesn't lose out to competitors in people's perceptions. Something needs to be done. We fight over differences of a couple of percentage points from our competitors on a playing field where nobody really stands out.

Every now and then, a disruptor hits the market. A challenger brand, annoyingly often from Sweden, that shuffles the deck with a smaller media budget and a lot of courage. For a while it is watched with horror, even a little disdain, but soon the feeling turns into admiration.

Then people summon up their courage. They start exploring how we could be brave too. How could we do something like what they are doing?

But the closer we get to the finished work, the more courage turns into fear, and instead of opportunities all anyone sees are threats. People even talk about danger, although, honestly, there is nothing remotely dangerous about our work. The last remaining edges are sanded off by the time the idea is presented to the sales director, at the latest. As long as nobody gets upset.

And once again there's one more ad in the media that people want to skip the moment they can.

The dullness that comes from a lack of courage is the most effective way to kill a brand

Don't get me wrong. Dropping your trousers in Helsinki's Railway Square would be brave, and it would certainly get attention, but it would also be stupid.

Courage doesn't mean being garish or loud just to get noticed. It means daring to do things your own way. Not repeating old formulas simply because they feel familiar and safe.

Courage is an endurance sport. It takes effort and a willingness to fight for what's good, to argue for and against. To sell, first to yourself and then to others, something that can't necessarily be fully justified by reason.

I understand it's easier said than done. We live in an age of disclaimers, where even in coffee-break conversations people do their best to make sure nobody gets upset, or that they don't look like an idiot themselves. Nobody wants to understand the other side, and people are afraid of the backlash.

But needless disclaimers and conflict avoidance lead to a brand that stirs no emotion at all. And what stirs no emotion doesn't stand out. The worst thing for a brand is when neutral dominates the research results. It means the brand is a matter of indifference to its audience.

A brand shouldn't try to please everyone. It should make people feel something. Love, hate, inspiration or provocation are all better options than indifference.

Because indifference kills. It kills creativity, and then it kills brands.

For 90 years, we at SEK have left our mark on iconic Finnish brands. But above all, we have left our mark on Finnish hearts. We have stirred feelings, for and against.

Right now, it's time for all of us to take a good look in the mirror. We need more courage so that creativity doesn't die. We need love, hate, inspiration and provocation. Less neutral, more for or against. A sense of danger. Entertainment and moments of insight. Faith in our own brands.

If only someone would get upset.

Samuel Räikkönen
Samuel, Samu to his colleagues, is Lead Creative at SEK and was named Vuoden Susi (Wolf of the Year) in 2020. At the time of writing, he has been stirring emotions through brands, advertising and digital solutions for 18 years.

Originally published in Sektori, SEK's magazine.