The announcement of the winner for this brief was probably one of the most awaited for news on this platform. Just like everyone else, I was excited to see who was going to win the biggest bounty Idea Bounty had ever posted. We had more than 300 awesome ideas submitted, but ultimately the client has the final say.
A big congrats goes to Kevin Baldwin for winning $20,000 for his idea! Here is what he had to say when I caught up with him to tell him the news
1. First of all, congratulations on having the winning idea! What went through your mind when you got the phone call telling you you’d won?
I was stunned. I thought the winner must already have been contacted, and had mentally written off any hope of winning.
2. You are currently doing a lot of freelance work, why is this? Do you not want a “regular day job”?
Putting to one side the fact that my age means I probably couldn’t get a regular day job in advertising anymore, I find that freelancing from home suits me better. It certainly suits our children better. We used nurseries and nannies when I worked in an agency, but they much prefer having me around to do all the school runs, cooking etc. My wife has a demanding full-time job, which involves long hours. It’s hard work fitting everything in, but now I would hate not being there to see them grow and progress every day.
4. Tell us, how did you come across Idea bounty and what has made you keep submitting ideas?
Initially, I saw a news story about the Peperami brief on an advertising-related site and looked into it further. I’ve continued to submit ideas since then, partly because I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy success a few times, partly because the nature of the process suits me. There’s no pressure to enter, there’s plenty of time to mull over ideas, and I know my work will be seen in an unaltered form by the client rather than being knocked out of shape before it gets that far.
5. You have managed to do very well on Idea Bounty so far. You have been shortlisted a number of times and even won three times before, now you have won the largest bounty ever posted. Can you give some pointers on how others can be successful as well?
Umm… there’s no secret or magic formula, really. I think experience helps in getting quickly to the nub of the brief and picking up a sense of what the client is really looking for. But that’s something that has to be acquired rather than passed on.
I guess the simpler the idea is, and the more clearly it’s described, the better. Because you’re not there in the room to present and explain it, and because you’re up against hundreds of other submissions, you need to make it as easy as possible for the client to get it straight away.
6. Do you have any favourite online sources for fresh insight?
I don’t have time to visit any sites for inspiration! It means I’m largely out of touch with what’s hot these days – but perhaps that means I’m not influenced by the same things that most other people are.
I’m pretty old-school, really. Only a couple of weeks ago, I bought a book about the classic US Avis press ads from the 1960s for inspiration. Not what most creatives these days are interested in, I suspect.
7. In your opinion which brand is getting “it” right at the moment?
Innocent smoothies in the UK would be one example. In a very short space of time, they’ve developed an engaging, likeable personality and ethos – even though there are evidently some very smart business brains behind the brand.
8. One last question, if you had to get married again but your wife had to have a sponsored dress, which brand would you go with and why?
I think most people would consider a badge on the dress reading ‘Should have gone to Specsavers’ to be apt - As long as she weren’t wearing glasses- That, or a Help The Aged logo.
