Making A Movie

The topic of "direct response" vs. "branding" advertising came up during some meetings yesterday. The consensus is pretty obvious that some combination is necessary for virtually any campaign. I like the analogy of filmaking:

You've got the straightforward, memorable, quotable, easy-to-tell-others-about aspects like the script, locations, and the big special effects sequences.

But equally important is the intangible stuff -- the score, the camera angles, focus techniques, editing style...

Sure, you could do without the latter, but it will probably be pretty boring story (even if the actual dialog is amazingly written). This part (the atmosphere, for lack of a better term) is what makes a film stand out with fans and critics. But in the business world, its marketing equivalent tends to be overlooked or under-appreciated.

Branding and the overall "feel" of a campaign need to somehow pervade everything you do. It's almost impossible to attach an ROI to this type of thinking, though, and even harder to be quantify the impact it has on the success of the more tangible components.