Jack and the Urban Collective database
By Hugh Jordan. Edgy slants. Describing itself as a ‘creative ambient cartel’, UK-based Jack Agency does things a little differently to its peers. Ever thought of putting a life-size whale’s tail in the Serpentine? Well Jack has, and did so last April to promote National Geographic.
“The work we do is a little more edgy than most of the roadshowy stuff out there,” says Maryanne McNamara, Jack’s md. “We take a slightly different slant.”
A long-time admirer of Jack’s slant is high-energy brand Red Bull, recently tasking the agency with organising its Vertical Battle Skateboard and BMX events.
“Red Bull could only do below-the-line advertising,” explains McNamara. “That was their brand directive. But they also wanted something different, something to make them stand out, and we delivered that.”
‘That’, in this case being audiovisual projections, graffiti installations, freeform stencilling, urban sculpture and street theatre – plus bespoke hats and briefcases made out of red Bull cans.
So, how does Jack put together these eclectic selections?
Simple – the Urban Collective database.
Containing just about every artistic talent known to man, the database allows Jack to facilitate whatever surreal whim it happens to dream up next. Anyone is free to sign up and many of the artists on the database are students or recent graduates.
“It can sometimes be the first time they have been paid for their work,” says McNamara. “They help out on a campaign and are rewarded quite well. Plus it can lead onto other things for them.”
Handily, having such a young, enthusiastic talent pool at its disposal makes Jack the perfect choice for brands like Red Bull, looking to tap into that very market.
Another pet project of Jack’s is its Authorised Flyposting scheme, in which designated zones are set-up in cities allowing posters to be displayed legally.
“The concept has been around for over 10 years,” explains McNamara. “It’s based on a European model. We source out locations and present the idea to local councils. They can then look to other cities like Leeds [the first British city to permit Authorised Flyposting] and see the results.”
The results are overwhelmingly positive, with 17 cities so far taking up the scheme. And Edinburgh, a city under siege from unauthorised flyposting every August, will adopt the idea for this year’s festival.
A fringe benefit of the scheme has been the extensive network of local council contacts Jack has built up, invaluable when organising experiential events for the likes of Red Bull.
“It’s about knowing the right people in councils,” says McNamara. “The movers and shakers, the people who actually have the authority to say ‘yes’ to projects”.
But how does a brand actually measure the success of an ambient campaign?
“Footfall,” says McNamara. “Or from the extra traffic driven to the company’s website. It depends. With a campaign like Diesel Black Friday, the success could be measured by the additional takings at the till.”
Diesel Black Friday? To publicise the retailer’s one-day sale, announced just a week before it took place, Jack produced its usual hat-full of bizarre guerrilla trickery. Fake Diesel money was printed and ‘bankers’ walked the streets handing out the notes from briefcases. There was also golden ticket that gave the lucky recipient a whopping 99% off a store purchase.
With so much advertising ingenuity being focused online, it’s refreshing to see an agency like Jack, still prepared to stop us in our tracks when we’re out and about. And McNamara believes brands should be looking to incorporate both on and offline campaigns into their strategies.
“A key part of what we do is seed campaigns that will later be rolled out online,” emphasises McNamara. “People like having real, physical interaction. If it’s done in the right place, at the right time, it creates great word-of-mouth. The two [online and ambient] can compliment each other.”
