When Times Get Tough, the Tough Get Advertising

Saatchi & Saatchi

Jeremy Sinclair has been a fixture in the UK ad industry since 1970, when he joined Saatchi & Saatchi the year the iconic firm was founded. Over his 50 years in the industry, he has been associated with some famous lines, according to Gideon Spanier in Campaign.

One of these mantras has become a part of Saatchi culture since the late 90s: 

“Hold fast to the basic idea. Do not give in to the pressure of the moment.”

While Sinclair is retiring this year, his mantra is especially important to brands in 2020. 

“They held fast to a basic idea for 50 years: the power of advertising to create ideas and communicate and entertain, to build brands and shape culture, to sell things and improve health, to change behaviour and get politicians elected and, even, to change the world,” Spanier writes.

“A fundamental belief in the importance of advertising is why all of us should be optimistic at this critical moment — despite the pandemic’s continued toll on health and wealth and the ad industry’s own flaws and periodic bouts of self-doubt.”

Many of us know this from personal experience: The brands that maintain a strong presence while others are backing down benefit from the lower noise level. This allows brands to reposition themselves or launch a product with less competition. If yours is the only ad in the mailbox or the magazine, it will undoubtedly have a better chance of being read. We saw that time and again through the previous downturn; there’s no reason to believe this basic truth has changed.

“As this pandemic year draws to an end with the hope of several vaccines, we should remember: hold fast to the basic idea,” Spanier concludes. “Do not give in to the pressures of the moment. Advertising works.”

As always, we are here to support you and your customers in any way, with information and services to help you keep your message strong and grow your brand. We are, quite literally, all in this together.