Was 2015 The Year of Truths or Trends?

2015 - was the year that feminism was hot, Donald Trump became a meme machine and the crying face emoticon expressed how we felt about everything! In the ad world, we saw the introduction of the Glass Lion, calling on creatives to change the world (yes, the day has come). Now, being socially responsible and doing ethical advertising is the flag to wave.

Unfortunately we’ve still got to shift product. Sigh. Meaning our new objectives are to sell AND rally for a cause. Selling – cool, we’ve been doing that for years, but finding a cause your brand can talk about without sounding patronising. Not easy.

Defining the one thing that’s the core of your brand takes clarity. You need to be really honest about what your brand stands for, even if it’s not glamorous. The key to brand building is this truth, as every piece of communication should link to it.

But there’s one thing that distracts brands from communicating their truth – and that’s trends. New things that are ‘so hot right now’ can blind us. It’s not our truth, but it’ll gain some PR. Shiny.

Nonetheless, 2015 saw brands have a go at both. A few did a great job of not being a magpie. They either struck gold when their truth was a trend, or they stuck to their guns and made their own gems. And then there were the cubic zirconia’s (below).

Always' Like a Girl campaign (below) nailed it. Previously, this category's adverts made women feel self-conscious, portraying them as awkward when they have their period. It was time for a truth - these products make women feel comfortable. As a brand who only talk to women, Always rallied them to feel proud to be #likeagirl. With a feminist tone it was trendy, but it called for women to feel comfortable in themselves - an honest brand truth. I'm awarding a GOLD.

Volvo stayed away from the feminist trend but shouted their long established truth of safety, giving us another reason to believe they are ‘For Life’. In 2015, they gave us Life Paint. In 1959 they gave us the seat belt. They’ve been socially responsible for years. GEM.

Under Armour gave us Giselle and a punch bag. The Will What I Want campaign launched when ballerina Misty Copeland started to talk about the truth of working hard for what you want, no matter what others think. Giselle hitting back at online trolls was vague... What’s her hurdle? She’s already a successful model who’s fit and beautiful. Why online trolls? Do they really affect her career? Isn’t it casting agents? Why should I care? But it was trendy and integrated. CUBIC ZIRCONIA.

This Girl Can by Sport England also took home the precious Glass Lion by depicting women working out. Spot a trend yet? But the women were real and jiggly. A great example of a human truth but is it a brand truth? JURY’S OUT.

Let’s hope as social responsibility grows in 2016, brands spend time finding their truth and stick to it. After all no one likes a faker.