‘Fastvertising’: the new punk battleground for creativity

Championed by actor Ryan Reynolds, ‘fastvertising’ represents a behavioural shift for agencies that redefines authenticity in a post-AI world, says Andrew Grayshon, head of content solutions, Sassy Plus.

In our interconnected, meme-driven world, the art of hijacking cultural phenomena as they emerge has become the final frontier of creative connection for brands.

Just this week, for example, a new moment of meme-worthy media was spawned when England’s Jude Bellingham pulled off a spectacular bicycle kick to score in the final minutes of extra-time against a stunned Slovakia.

In the past, such moments would’ve been eclipsed by a new zeitgeisty spectacle by the time corporate sign-offs and media production limitations were overcome. Now, however, agencies have the means of production to react within mere hours.

In the wake of Bellingham’s life-affirming acrobatics, Adidas didn’t slack for a minute, reacting with a prompt, witty nod to its logo in a simple (and crucially swift!) exercise in brand association.

Such stunts are not new, indeed Oreo pulled off a neat bit of instant social reaction back in 2014 when The Superdome in New Orleans plunged into near-darkness during the Super Bowl, halting play for a full half-hour. As millions of viewers watched, Oreo seized the opportunity to shine, with a tweet that read: “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.”

Being fast is a bold new creative currency, then, and by tapping into the zeitgeist, brands are capturing fleeting moments to convey not so much ‘we were there’ as ‘we are here now’. It’s a paradigm that’s so impactful, we can’t help but assume it’s here to stay.

But how should agencies adapt to this new normal?

Embracing fastvertising requires a shift in agency behaviour towards a 24/7 cultural mindset. Idea capture ‘on the fly’ should be the goal, with a business mindset towards bouncing ideas about what’s in the culture right now, with a view to having production get to work generating the output pronto!

Ultimately, it’s about shifting to a marketing mindset: a mindset where creatives ‘live news’ 24/7 (or at least 9-5). Fastvertising requires agencies to adapt to a ‘news meets ads’ model, the likes of which have never been seen before.

The result is to truly harness cultural shifts at the speed of ideation for brands, with output that swerves accusations of AI inspiration due to its fresh, raw, culturally aesthetic – although no doubt AI can play a role in speeding up its formation.

There’s more to come from me in future articles on this fast-evolving medium. Bear with me as I try to keep up with it!