Rapier UK sets the Standard for recruitment
Whilst flicking through yesterday’s free Evening Standard, I stopped dead at page 36 where there was a huge ad taken out by Rapier UK.
The copy (entitled What Marketers Want) starts off with a mini diatribe on the trend casting scaremongering currently being spread across the industry:
- As 145,362 marketing articles and advertising blogs have told us, the world has changed forever and continues to change. Almost by the hour apparently.
- Its now been confirmed nobody under thirty has ever watched TV.
- Within the next year 11 year olds will make all feature films, using specially enabled iPhones.
- A single tweet can now totally destroy a brand in less than a minute.
- By 2012 nobody will talk to anyone. Except via Skype.
- In 18 months time we will get our news from edible e-papers that will double up as a delicious breakfast snack.
Evidently the digital revolution continues apace and nobody knows anything anymore.
[Click the image below to view an enlarged version of the full text]
Of course, I was compelled to visit RapierUK.com – where I was impressed with what I found. Rapier certainly seems like a place with some well established philosophies and direction. I like the way they present themselves and the fashion in which the agency speaks to visitors of the site.
The copy of the Standard advert (despite its over-liberal usage of commas) speaks from the heart and managed to raise a few goosebumps which were only put to bed by the voice of the cynical marketer within.
“We are Rapier, a communications company with a dedicated focus on service clients. We say ‘dedicated focus’ but given that service brands now comprise around 80% of our economy, it’s not like specialising in goldfish or helicopters or something. It’s just that we think, in this new world, the service sector faces the toughest challenges and requires bespoke strategic thinking and creative expertise.”
The company’s blog admits to a few typos in the copy which I can find only two (let me know if you find any more).
Some facts about Rapier:
I can understand and attest to the impact of taking out a one-pager in the Standard. The ad will also be appearing in Campaign magazine but I’d be surprised if it’ll have a fraction of the impact it had on marketers who perchance happened to see it in yesterday’s Standard.
My initial reaction was that it took a traditional call to action aimed at marketeers and firmly removed it from the digital cocoon/echo chamber that is our industry’s trade media.
However, going on the Standard print rate card’s price of £250 per SCC, I estimate that the ad would have set Rapier back between £20K – £30K. Wowzers! A big price to pay for what is in essence a recruitment advert.
Why did the company choose to display this advert in the evening Standard rather than just focus on the trade press?
Brand visibility? Taking advantage of discounted rates in the flagging Standard? Cashing in the media-buying air miles? Reaching a wider audience? Perhaps. Then again.. the last lines of the copy trouble me slightly:
“If you work in marketing you’ll know what we’re talking about and you should totally come in and talk. Contact us and we’ll fix it up.
If you don’t work in marketing, you must be both bored and confused. Stop now. Get on with your non-marketing life. Seriously. Go.”
If you’re going to spend that much effort putting out a call to action to get in touch, perhaps a phone number / email address would be appropriate? I know that the website is listed at the bottom of the page and the fact that I’m writing this at all, shows that my attention was captured… but still.
Here’s what Twitter thought of the ad:
— this quote was brought to you by quoteurl
Anyway, it caught my eye and Rapier’s now on my radar!
Any thoughts?
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I saw this too. Loved it. Pretty inspirational stuff.
Nice analysis.
Well done to them too, brave move – bold even.
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