Lo-fi vs big budget: What is the future of ad production in the Covid era?
The industry is keen to flex its creative muscles, but will budget-busting flamboyance look badly out of place as consumers edge out of lockdown and into a recession?
It’s fair to say that the lockdown period will be remembered for the dawn of Zoom-style ads. Shot on video chat platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Zoom, these lo-fi ads recorded in the participant’s home were a clear attempt from brands to show solidarity with lockdown Britain.
The adverts reflected the mood of the nation in the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, when there was no way high gloss ads could be produced remotely. But four months on, has the pandemic changed consumer expectations of advertising? Do big, slick productions chime with the mood of 2020?
Take Jimmy’s Iced Coffee. Earlier this month an ad for the Dorset-based brand made its debut on Sky. The first 15 seconds are a shot of the beach, with waves gently lapping in the background, broken only by the sound of a can of Jimmy’s being opened. Suitably refreshed, the off-screen drinker then dashes into the sea.
Produced in-house, the idea went from initial script idea to finished product in less than a week. Filmed on an iPhone at a local beach, the ad cost a grand total of £1.50.
