Harnessing the power of spoken word
At heart I am a writer, and so I know the power of the spoken word and the importance of tempo and rhythm in storytelling. When our client at Queen Mary University challenged us to create a perception changing message out there – humanities subjects are in decline, part due to a believe that only STEM subjects guarantee employment – in under 60 seconds I had an instant hunch that a spoken word video might be just the ticket. It would be an easy way to elevate the storytelling so it stood out from the glut of talking heads videos which dominate social platforms in education.
“Look at what other universities are doing and do something better and cooler”
I specialise in using real people to give credibility to brands in the eyes of increasingly brand-sceptical audiences. But I was new in my role and didn’t know the client, so bit my lip and did some research. According to Exploding Topics “more than 75% of consumers say they trust content from average people more than content from brands”. Spoken word videos would enable us to curate real people’s thoughts and opinions without losing authenticity.
An article in Campaign said it all for me, “In an always-on, digital world, simple, verbal communication has a new-found purity and freshness that chimes with audiences.” The article speaks particularly about straddling the line between purposefulness and playfulness, as well as allowing the poet to talk about something personal and genuine. And I was able to show some great examples to the client. George the Poet became the new voice of Coca-Cola in a post-lockdown search for optimism, Kae Tempest provided the words for a Facebook campaign calling for unity during the pandemic and Hollie McNish, another spoken word artist, told the eco-savvy masses that “We don’t need hope, we are hope”, in a spot for Ovo Energy. Hussain Manawer for EE Network Envy.
The Humanities Campaign
The result was our Humanities campaign, bought to life by real students studiying humanities at the University. We launched an open competition, asking the students to submit entries around specific subjects – history, georgraphy etc – and asked them to weite some verses based on their personal experiences at the university. They were also briefed on the broader theme: the humanities’ supposed lack of obvious vocational pathways is a strength in an economy where flexibility and entrepreneurship are prized. In fact 88% of humanities graduates were employed last year (compared with 89% for STEM). The most prized skills in this world are reasoning and logic, creativity, analytical and research skills and critical thinking. The majority of those in leadership positions have Humanities degrees, including CEOs of some of the world’s biggest companies: AMEX, Disney, Apple, YouTube and HP. And of course, you get to follow your lifelong passion, and make a difference to the world.
The campaign was kept low-budget to ensure the feel of each ad was authentic, raw and not over-produced. To achieve this feeling the poets were filmed in their own clothes and on location at the university and its local neighbourhood and bought them to life with animated graphics.