I still think you summed it up best in that first article in 2017: Bill Bernbach said that a principle isn’t a principle until it costs you something. Today’s advertisers have turned that around — now it isn’t a principle until it makes you money.
Having said that, I do think there are company (as opposed to brand) principles that can be powerful – for differentiation and particularly for recruitment. And these can bleed into (but should not be the focus of) the brand advertising. One of P&G's core principles is never to release a product to market unless it is at least as good if not better than the existing best in that market. That drives their internal research and product teams, and informs their advertising, but it's never expressed directly to the public.
I still think you summed it up best in that first article in 2017: Bill Bernbach said that a principle isn’t a principle until it costs you something. Today’s advertisers have turned that around — now it isn’t a principle until it makes you money.
Having said that, I do think there are company (as opposed to brand) principles that can be powerful – for differentiation and particularly for recruitment. And these can bleed into (but should not be the focus of) the brand advertising. One of P&G's core principles is never to release a product to market unless it is at least as good if not better than the existing best in that market. That drives their internal research and product teams, and informs their advertising, but it's never expressed directly to the public.
Superb
And may I borrow ‘Tapism’?
Going to find that rather useful :)