Get a feel for business.

I recently read an article by Sir John Hegarty from The Business of Creativity. It’s always a good read. I recommend you follow it.

The article was about the value of the ‘factory visit.’  During his time as Creative Director of Bartle Bogle Hegarty, he visited the Audi factory in Germany. As they were being led around the site, he noticed a poster on a wall with an old advertising line, ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’. It stuck with Sir John and with us all ever since.

I completely concur with the value of the factory visit. It has something to do with being an outsider and seeing with fresh eyes. 

You notice what others take for granted.

A few years ago, in preparation for a new business pitch, I went on a factory visit, only this wasn’t a factory, it was a zoo, Chester Zoo.

As our team walked through the zoo in search of the head office, I was standing next to an animal enclosure. Unknown to me, a very large male lion lay hidden behind a bush, all mane and muscle.

I heard it before I saw it. More importantly, I felt it before I saw it, too. It let out a very low-frequency, guttural groan. It wasn’t a growl, just a bored sigh, really.

The volume wasn’t great, but the vibration that went through my entire body was great. I can still recall it clearly, as if it were yesterday.

That singular, brief moment gave me the idea on which to base our presentation, which was successful. 

We handled the business for a decade with very positive results, running with the same campaign thought throughout: 

CHESTER ZOO. IT’S REAL.

The image shown is a still from the TV campaign. The ad showed a family watching TV in their living room. They are watching a wildlife documentary featuring elephants. All of a sudden, the camera completes a 360, and the family is now sitting on their sofa in the zoo watching the scene for real.

A simple proposition: get off your backside and experience things for real. The sights, the smells and, yes, the feel.

Still from Chester Zoo TV ad.