‘Advertising is about changing the way people feel about each other!’ Maya Bogle on why advertising is not a dirty word
Ahead of The Drum's December issue we've been quizzing industry luminaries, including judges for The Drum Advertising Awards, about what they love about advertising – and why the word shouldn't be considered a badge of shame.
Maya Bogle, co-founder of Talenthouse
Here, we talk to Maya Bogle, co-founder of Talenthouse.
What ad made you realise this was the industry for you?
The Guardian's advertising, which focussed on looking at things from a different point of view. Where you saw a skinhead running towards a man that you thought he was going to mug and then the camera switched perspectives and you realised he was going to push him out of the way of danger.
It was an incredible demonstration of great work which makes you think differently. The whole point of that campaign was looking at things from a different point of view
What ad that you’ve been involved in that most exemplifies the power of good advertising?
This is quite an old campaign but one that I love - the "United Colors of Benetton". This wasn't just a great fashion campaign driving consumers in store but one that really made them think about how the world is literally filled with people of every colour, shape, size and gender orientation. It was a very progressive piece of advertising and several years before brands jumped on the LGBTQ+ gender diversity and race issues. A brilliant example of how a brand could work at unifying the world.
How do you explain what you do to a taxi driver, a hairdresser etc?
I work in the business of helping brands build beautiful marketing campaigns by connecting them to our global community of creatives that can help shape their communications with authentic, stunning creative work.
And what is your message to anyone who considers advertising a dirty word?
The word itself isn't dirty, but I think there is a lot of consumer mistrust around advertising; a lot of rejection of interruption forms of advertising. For anyone that wants to join our industry I would say that the craft of great advertising is all about the work. Sometimes I think the work is overlooked with the recent industry focus and sometimes obsession with AdTech.
It's brilliant when you've got a data layer on top, but for me great advertising is about the work that has the ability to change the way people feel about each other, change the way they feel about brands, change how people feel about popular culture. As an industry, we should be enormously proud because we have to power to do a huge amount of good.
The finalists for The Drum Advertising Awards have already been announced - so get your tickets here. To coincide with the awards, the December issue of The Drum magazine will be dedicated to debunking the idea that ‘advertising’ is a dirty word. If you’re not already a subscriber to The Drum, you can sign up here.