Book Notes: Hoopla
04.18.23 - “Hoopla” is a book that was written by Warren Berger about Crispin Porter Bogusky (CPB). The book, which was published in 2006, provides an in-depth look at the agency's history, culture, and approach to advertising. Berger spent several months interviewing CPB employees and observing the agency's work processes in order to write the book. "Hoopla" is considered a valuable resource for anyone interested in advertising, marketing, or creative industries, as it offers insights into the strategies and tactics used by one of the most successful and innovative advertising agencies of its time.
If you’ve ever worked in advertising or digital marketing you should be familiar with the agency’s accomplishments, so I won’t do a rehash on all their work/awards, but in 2006 at the time of the book’s publication, they were the hottest agency in advertising coming off top-notch campaigns for Burger King, Mini Cooper, Virgin Airlines, and TheTruth.com. It might be tempting to get caught up in the date of the book, or the fact CPB is no longer the powerhouse ad agency it once was. But make no mistake the takeaways are still very relevant today whether you’re an entrepreneur with years of experience or just starting out in the creative/content/marketing fields.
CPB defines "Hoopla" as a sense of excitement, energy, and enthusiasm that is generated by a great idea. According to the agency, Hoopla is not just about creating buzz or generating hype, but about tapping into people's emotions and creating a genuine connection between a brand and its audience. CPB believes that Hoopla is essential for creating successful advertising campaigns that resonate with consumers and drive business results. In short, hoopla is about creating a memorable and impactful brand experience that captures people's attention and inspires them to take action.
CPB defines as their seven elements or tools: mutation, invention, candor, mischief, connection, pragmatism, and momentum:
1. Mutation:
This element involves constantly evolving and adapting to changing circumstances, both in terms of the advertising industry and the wider world. CPB believes that staying ahead of the curve and being willing to take risks is essential for creating innovative and effective campaigns.
In a nutshell, it means that the old rules no longer apply when it comes to communicating effectively, building a brand, making something famous, or creating a cultural phenomenon of any type.
Example: A good example of this was an early campaign the agency created to raise contributions for a local homeless shelter in Miami. The shelter didn’t have enough money to pay for expensive TV commercials, so “we found ways to cheat a little and still get noticed,” says Bogusky. They did so by transforming ordinary shopping carts, trash dumpsters, and park benches into ad vehicles, putting signs with the word “closet” on the shopping carts, “bed” on the benches, and “kitchen” on the dumpsters; these one-word headlines were explained by a line of copy underneath: “When you’re homeless, the world looks different.” “It wasn’t just the coolest TV spot or the coolest billboard,” explains Lee Clow, ECD of TBWA/Chiat Day; “it was actually an idea, a media concept, and a way of delivering a message that was totally different than anything that’d been done in the business.”
2. Invention:
This element involves coming up with new ideas and approaches to advertising that haven't been seen before. CPB believes in challenging conventions and thinking outside the box to create campaigns that are truly unique and memorable.
Example:
As Virgin Atlantic Airways continued to meet with its new agency, the ideas just kept coming from CP+B – about 165 of them by one count, encompassing almost every aspect of the Virgin’s business. There was a tagline – “go, jet set, go!” – designed to bring back the glamour of jet-setting. There were ads designed to look like flight safety cards found in the pocket of an airplane seatback. There was an original comic strip created by the agency, called The Jet Set, as well as a glossy newsstand magazine for Virgin, called Jetrosexual. There was even an illustrated bedtime storybook, intended to lull passengers to sleep on the overnight flights. Beyond that, the agency had ideas about how to change uniforms of the flight attendants and thought it might be interesting to hire celebrities to work as “guest flight attendants”, and also to stage occasional “concert flights.” CP+B even concocted a plan to have Virgin’s pilots fly at a higher altitude – so the airline could claim it soars above the competition (which, it turned out, wasn’t feasible, but it was interesting nonetheless.) As Virgin’s advertising manager, Chris Rossi, commented at the time, “Most agencies hit you with one TV or print campaign, but these guys come at you from every direction.
3. Candor:
This element involves being honest and transparent with clients and consumers. CPB believes that authenticity is key to building trust and credibility, and that being straightforward and upfront about a brand's strengths and weaknesses is essential for creating effective campaigns.
To effectively “hype” something today, you must find a way to cut through “the hype.” Strange as it might seem in advertising, this necessitates telling the truth – or at least some interesting form of it. It is not as easy as it might sound, because advertisers, promoters, and publicists have, for decades, developed a habit of relying on over promising, over selling, and focusing on the sizzle instead of the steak. Bogusky points out, “There are truths to almost every product, and yet most advertisers shy away from those truths.” The tendency, he says, is to simply offer sales pitches that have little to do with the reality of a given brand or the actual experience of using a specific product.
Example:
When CP+B took on the MINI account, it was faced with the challenge of trying to sell a tiny car in a country that had become obsessed with oversized SUVs and Hummers. A less candid marketing approach might have sought to play down the size issue or put a phony spin on it (as in, “It’s not as small as it looks!”). Instead, CP+B did everything possible in the campaign to emphasize the car’s smallness, celebrating the fundamental truth of the product.
4. Mischief:
This element involves injecting humor, irreverence, and playfulness into advertising. CPB believes that creating campaigns that are entertaining and unexpected is essential for capturing people's attention and making them remember a brand.
Unlike conventional advertising, which is forever struggling to seem believable and not fake, the rules of Hoopla allow for farce, tricks, pranks, and all manner of mischief – as long as you eventually let people in on the fun.
Tricks, pranks, and playfully naughty behavior can keep people on the edge of their seats and therefore more engaged with the message. Though if you push too far or in the wrong direction, mischief can backfire; there’s a delicate balance that must be maintained when communicating “on the edge.” When you’re willing to be mischievous in your communications, it opens up a realm of possibilities that might normally be considered “off-limits” in old-school advertising or promotion.
Samples:
truth campaign –pranks that solidify “us against them”
Subservient Chicken with a garter belt – S&M to make things interesting
Gap – watchmechange.com – voyeuristic element
Mini – Batboy theft of a mini
Virgin Atlantic – mock porn film on Lodgenet
Young Guns International Advertising Award – “Hardly Legal” tag on the campaign
5. Connection:
This element involves creating campaigns that resonate with consumers on a personal level. CPB believes in understanding the values, attitudes, and behaviors of a brand's target audience and creating campaigns that speak to them in a meaningful way.
Having accepted the premise that everything is media, there is a corollary rule that goes with it, according to CP+B; Everything is branding. The old way of thinking was that a person’s impressions about a brand could be formed and shaped by advertising alone, but that view has given way to a new, more holistic one, recognizing that there are countless opportunities for contact between a brand and a consumer. Each one of these “touch-points” – which can occur on the street, in the store, on the phone with a sales rep, in a bar talking to other people, on the Web, or wherever – all contribute to shaping the impressions and attitudes someone has about a brand. They are all connected to one another (or should be) because they are all part of the same unending story of a brand.
Examples:
The fact that the MINI campaign surrounded people with fresh and new messages at each turn, and the fact that those messages all seemed to connect with each other to make an interesting and cohesive statement – that was what made it all work.
The MINI began showing up in all kinds of unexpected, attention-getting venues and forms
On the roof of an SUV driven around 22 cities across the country.
At sports stadiums where the cars were installed in place of ripped-out stadium seats.
Outside department stores as 25 cent kiddie rides that took the form of MINI’s instead of rocket ships – near the coin slot it read “Rides starting at $16,900”.
At airport terminals as oversized props designed to look like giant pay phones or garbage cans alongside a poster of the MINI with the headline: “Makes everything else seem a little too big.”
Billboards everywhere, magazine ads that were custom-made in unusual sizes and formats.
MINI books, colorful stickers, games such as MINI Motoring Games Wheel with eight popular road-trip games, and even MINI clothing that was sold exclusively at Barney’s Co-Op.
6. Pragmatism: This element involves being practical and focused on achieving business results. CPB believes that advertising should ultimately drive sales, and that creating campaigns that are both creative and effective is the key to long-term success.
It’s not easy to determine what might be compelling or useful to the people you may by trying to reach. But as a general rule, there are some things people can always use. One is relevant, truthful, and helpful information; if your communication can provide some of that, it’s miles ahead of most advertising and promotion. CP+B’s truth was chock-full of useful statistics, practical insights on how tobacco marketing works, and tips on how individual teens could fight back in their own ways. As part of the campaign, the agency also created “tools” that were passed along to the consumer, enabling them to help carry the message. This was partly a pragmatic media strategy for CP+B; the agency had reached a media saturation point and therefore needed to teach kids how to create their own media. The tools included stickers along with maps advising teens on where to place the stickers for maximum effect; there were even “poop sticks,” which kids could plan themselves; each stick contained a message explaining that cigarettes and dog excrement share some of the same wonderful toxins.
7. Momentum: This element involves building momentum and sustaining interest over time. CPB believes that creating campaigns that have a lasting impact and building a strong brand identity are essential for creating sustained business growth.
Momentum is the goal for Hoopla-makers and Hoopla beneficiaries; it’s what the funny masks, the engaging short films, the crazy hoaxes, the live stunts, the dancing chickens all are designed to yield. Momentum is not to be confused with “awareness,” which is what most conventional advertising tries to generate and build. In fact, over the years, awareness has emerged as the Holy Grail for people endeavoring to make something famous. But the problem with awareness, as CP+B sees it, is that it isn’t necessarily a positive thing. As Porter points out: “There are brands that everyone knows about-and nobody cares about.”
One of the points CP+B has tried to advance within the ad industry-a point relevant to anyone trying to promote something by generating awareness of it – is the notion that “momentum” is a better goal to strive for than “awareness.” An old, established, and rapidly fading brand may actually enjoy greater awareness levels than a young up-and-coming brand. But the up-and-comer has momentum on its side. And momentum, if sustained, will roll over everything in its path.
There are only two kinds of brands as perceived in the minds of today’s hyper-aware consumers, according to Bogusky: The ones perceived to be on the way up, and the ones on the way down. “You’re either in one group or the other,” he says. The bad news is that you can go from the “up” category to the “down” very quickly these days; the good news is you can go the other way, too, though not as easily. Because it’s harder to generate momentum than it is to lose it.
In the process of launching a movement around a brand, the agency has tended to rely on the elements discussed in the preceding chapters: Mutation, Invention, Candor, Mischief, Connection, and Pragmatism. Each plays a role in helping to generate momentum by creating communication that is different enough, honest enough, intriguing enough, ubiquitous enough, and useful enough to set a phenomenon in motion.
But if generating a movement is challenging, so is the job of maintaining it; momentum is really about how you build on a phenomenon and keep it moving forward. “Usually, maintaining momentum requires constant reinvention,” says Porter. “Without that, even an icon becomes just another piece of nostalgia.”
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So that’s a quick snapshot of CPB’s book “Hoopla” and the seven main fundamentals behind a lot of their work. For anyone that hasn’t read the book I believe it’s worth purchasing. It’s full of a lot more detailed information, campaign examples, valuable takeaways (my notes totaled 26 pages) - and might even help ignite some Hoopla into your next project:
“According to the dictionary definition, the word hoopla means bustling excitement, commotion, activity, sensational publicity – all of which is the desired effect sought by CP+B. The French origin of the world (Houp-la!) is a simple command: Move! Take a step! Which is what CP+B’s version of hoopla is designed to do: to get people to react, respond, join in, do something. The idea being that if you can inspire enough people to do something in particular, to take a step together in the same direction, you can create a cultural phenomenon.”
