2018年，豐富多彩的廣告界被多個事件所攪動：蘇銘天與WPP分道揚鑣、爭議運動員Colin Kaepernick在耐克的活動中扮演了重要角色、扎克伯格在美國國會面前解釋黑幕、汰漬廣告則掀開了超級碗廣告的新篇章……
當然，在眾多新奇的事件當中，我重點關注了一件事，那就是加拿大演員瑞安·雷諾茲（Ryan Reynolds）購下了一家之前並沒有名氣的杜松子酒品牌Aviation。
乍一看這不算什麼大事，很多明星都會投資酒品牌，比如喬治·克魯尼開龍舌蘭酒廠、馬修·麥康納與野火雞波本威士忌共同打造新酒品、德魯·巴里摩爾（Drew Barrymore）與酒莊合作推出紅酒產品等等。
但雷諾茲與酒品牌合作方式不同於以上。他是Aviation的所有人，用自己的聲譽去做品牌溝通，還積極參與“每天的業務”，並前往銷售會議，甚至擔任品牌的創意總監。
其角色、態度和幽默感為Aviation打造了獨特的品牌形象。他出現在廣告和營銷舞臺的舉動，是前人沒有做過的。這種感覺就像雷諾茲在《死侍》中的演繹給這部動漫電影注入了鮮活的血液一樣。
至於廣告和營銷界能從雷諾茲這裡學到的東西，就是下列雷諾茲式創意的三大基本要素：
1.堅持自己的聲音
雷諾茲完全讓Aviation品牌飽滿起來。他講話的方式非正式且直接，不會像營銷人一樣去枯燥地描述產品，也不會表面上讚美廣告公司在比稿中提出的品牌宣言，而是以輕鬆的方式進行直接溝通。
如果不在辦公室，他的郵件自動回覆也是很有趣的：
“謝謝你的郵件。現在我正與Aviation杜松子酒釀酒師心靈休養中。很榮幸與一群非常勇敢的人共處在這個真實圈子裡。在Aviation，我一直在努力改進公司文化。我們不相信‘CEO’、‘老闆’這樣的字眼。此後，我的同事會友愛地稱呼我為指揮官、隊長或司令。”
如果你有興趣，也可以給他發封郵件，郵件地址[email protected]，然後你也會收到這樣的回覆。
2. 使用幽默感（若有）
雷諾茲是天生的演員。他知道“笑”是有力的武器，特別是在營銷中，有助於拉近產品和消費者之間的距離。他的其他類型“不在辦公室”自動郵件回覆中還會有這樣的句子：
“為什麼Aviation是地球上最好的杜松子酒？是什麼讓它區別於市場上的同類酒品？自問自答的人裡面有沒有IQ超過平均值的?有可能。”
“我會放假去歡度加拿大日（7月1日）、世界UFO日（7月2日）、湯姆·克魯斯的生日（7月3日）和美國獨立日（7月4日），另外還有全球野餐月。所以咱們8月再聯絡，可以嗎？”
雷諾茲還會用到這樣的結束語：
“再次謝謝你的郵件……如果事情緊急，請聯繫我的秘書布魯斯，他會在我有一個叫布魯斯的秘書的時候回覆你。”
實際上，他用了一種只有個別廣告和營銷人才敢用到的自嘲方式。另外，他也能接受讓自己的明星身份受到貶損，將自己塑造成蠢材，比如他虛構了一個兄弟戈登·雷諾茲（Gordon Reynolds），並讓他去採訪自己。
3. 做到酷且不敬
Aviation的品牌溝通很酷，很輕鬆，佐以一些健康的“無禮”做派。這些都能夠很自然地從雷諾茲的行為舉止中流露出來，不會讓人感到他有掙扎、痛苦的感覺。他不想去迎合任何人或任何事，但卻能以一擊致多傷，甚至用一句好聽的口號就能做到。他為松下打造了一句有失尊重的口號創意是，來自那些給了你珍珠港的了不起的人們。但不管怎樣，雷諾茲的信息不是來自日本，而是加拿大，來自這個現在屬於一名加拿大人的美國品牌Aviation。
雷諾茲很喜歡做營銷人或廣告人。他的杜松子酒品牌溝通方式中有三個主要方面：表達他自己的聲音、幽默、展示冷酷不敬。這三個方面植根在他的性格和態度中。
但他與營銷的關係也是他有意選擇的結果，就像他說的：
“我認真擔負著我作為Aviation杜松子酒所有人的責任。但這不擴展到營銷這部分，對於營銷，我儘量按真實的人的方式不那麼嚴肅。”
我想，這個行業可以採取更多的不敬、樂趣和雷諾茲式的態度。
2019年，讓我們轉換到《死侍》模式，找回廣告的精神！
（作者為布達佩斯White Rabbit創始合夥人兼CCO，原文發佈於Little Black Book：https://lbbonline.com/news/communication-in-deadpool-mode-what-advertising-can-learn-from-ryan-reynolds/
《現代廣告》獨家享有LBBOnline中文版權）
LBBOnline|Communication in Deadpool Mode: What Advertising Can Learn from Ryan Reynolds
White Rabbit Budapest
White Rabbit CCO Levente Kovacs believes the industry needs a bit more Reynoldsian creativity injected into it
Last year the colourful world of advertising was stirred up by some exciting, newsworthy events. Think of Martin Sorrell, who parted ways with WPP. Or Colin Kaepernick playing a powerful role for Nike. Then we had good ol' Zuckerberg, explaining the dark pits of his social platform in front of US Congress (at last). And don't forget ’It's a Tide Ad’, opening up a new chapter in the history of Super Bowl ads.
Of course, there were a thousand and one other curiosities as well – but now I'm going to focus on the plain fact that a Canadian actor bought a formerly unknown gin brand. The actor? Ryan Reynolds. The brand? Aviation.
At first glance, it is not a big deal, we've seen it before. Quite a few actors and celebrities have given their names to and put their money into an existing alcohol brand: George Clooney (tequila), Justin Timberlake (ditto), Matthew McConaughey (bourbon whiskey), Drew Barrymore (wine) – the list could go on.
However, Reynolds is different than his endorsement colleagues. He not only owns the Aviation brand and gives his face and name to its communication. He plays an active role in its ’everyday business’. He goes to sales meetings. He even contributes to its communication as the brand's creative director.
His character, his attitude and his humour shape and create a unique brand and personality for Aviation gin. His appearance on the advertising and marketing stage is fresh and original. It’s just like when his Deadpool character gave a blood transfusion to comic book movies.
Well, what can the advertising and marketing industry learn from him? Okay, here comes the three basic pillars of Reynoldsian creativity:
1. Stick to your own voice
The Aviation brand is fully impregnated with Reynolds' spirit. He talks in an informal, straight-forward way. Doesn't sound like a marketing guy, giving boring product deions. He's not burping back any brand manifestos that agencies present clients during a pitch. He simply communicates – in an entertaining, light-hearted, human way.
His out of office replies re-defined the genre of automated e-mails. If you drop him a line (interested? Here's his email address: [email protected]) you'll get a personal and funny reply. This is the latest I got from him:
"Thank you for your email. I’m currently on a spiritual retreat with the distillers of Aviation Gin. I’m so honored to sit in a truth-circle with this incredibly bearded group of people. Here at Aviation, I’m constantly striving to improve company culture. We don’t believe in words like, ’CEO’ or ’Boss’. Henceforth, my colleagues will affectionately refer to me as Commander, Captain, or Commandant."
2. Use humour (if you have it)
Reynolds is a born entertainer. He knows that laughter is a powerful weapon – especially when it comes to marketing, shortening the distance between a product and a consumer. His other out of office replies are packed with sentences like these:
"Why is Aviation the best damn gin on the planet? What sets it apart from other gins on the market? Do people who ask and then answer their own questions have an above average IQ? Probably."
Or:
"I will be out of the office celebrating Canada Day (July 1st), World UFO Day (July 2nd), Tom Cruise's Birthday (July 3rd) and July 4th (July 4th.) It's also National Picnic Month so let's just reconnect in August, shall we?"
Here's the closing line from one of his other emails:
"Thank you again for your email… If the matter is urgent, please contact my secretary, Bruce, who’ll respond the moment I get a secretary named, Bruce."
As a matter of fact, Reynolds uses self-irony in a way that only a few advertising and marketing guys dare to. What's more, he embraces situations where he can demolish his own celebrity status – making a complete idiot of himself. Check out what happens when his fictitious twin brother, Gordon Reynolds, decides to interivew him.
3. Be cool and irreverent
The communication of Aviation is cool and easy-going, spiced with some healthy cheek and chutzpah. And it comes from Ryan quite naturally, without any struggle or agony. He doesn't want to measure up to anyone or anything. However, he could hit one where it hurts most – even with a nice slogan. (A slogan that evokes the spirit of Jerry Della Femina, and his disrespectful slogan idea for Panasonic: From those wonderful folks who gave you Pearl Harbour.) Anyway, Reynolds' message is not from Japan – it's from Canada. Aviation. An American original. Now owned by a Canadian.
Reynolds enjoys playing the role of a marketing/advertising guy. Articulating his own voice, being humorous and showing a cool irreverence – these three main aspects of his gin's communication are rooted in his character and attitude, that's for sure.
But his relationship with marketing is also the result of a conscious choice. As he puts it:
"I take my responsibilities as owner of Aviation Gin seriously. This does not extend to our marketing, however, which I take as unseriously as humanly possible."
I guess our industry could do with adopting a lot more irreverence, more fun, and more of a Reynoldsian attitude.
So in 2019 switch to Deadpool-mode and bring back the spirit of advertising!
Levente Kovacs is CCO/Founding Partner at White Rabbit Budapest
閱讀更多 現代廣告雜誌社 的文章
