CLEARCAST NEWSLETTER...6 Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017 Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017 7...

CLEARCAST NEWSLETTERAUTUMN 2017

Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017 32 Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017

CLEARCAST NEWSLETTER

AUTUMN 2017

Editors

Ellie Powell

Jonathan Laury

Contributors

Barry Noone

Cass Briscoe

Cass Coakley

Cathy Leyland

Chris Mundy

Claire Butler | Inspire!

Danny Turner

Elliot Lord

Jonathan Laury

Justyna Shala

Kiran Hepburn | Haverstock School Intern

Lou Glover

Mohi Uddin | Haverstock School Intern

Nicola Wynter

Seb Lynch

Vicky Adomako

Design

We Made This

wemadethis.co.uk

CoverPhotograph

alistairhall.co.uk

Printed on 100% recycled paper.

Please recycle after use.

INTRODUCTION

Hello from Chris Mundy 4

CLEAR

Clearcast Agency Survey 2017 8

MediaCentral 12

Scale reference 14

The mighty clock number 16

Clearance on Demand 18

Back to the floor 20

An Intern’s Perspective 24

Training feedback 28

In-car tech rulings 32

Case study – Rosemary Water 35

CAST

Obituary: Tamara Huggett-Haines 40

St Scholastica’s Year 4 pupils’ visit to Clearcast 42

5 minutes with… Warren Lister 44

Clearcast at the Whitechapel Mission 46

Hellos, goodbyes, babies & promotions 50

Inny & Outty 52

Been there, done tat 54

THEBACKPAGE

Dear Jackie 60

Did you know…? 62

Contents

http://www.wemadethis.co.uk/

http://www.alistairhall.co.uk/


INTRODUCTION

Hello

ChrisMundy

Managing Director

As I write this I can hear the “run up to Christmas” klaxon sounding (see

inside for a useful guide to scale references for toys, by the way). This is

Clearcast’s busiest time of year as it undoubtedly will be for those of

you reading this. To ensure we have a smooth autumn, we’ve been

doing a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure we’re working as effec-

tively as possible. This has already resulted in a sharp increase in our

turnaround times which, gratifyingly has been recognised in this year’s

agency survey results. Thanks to the hundreds of you that completed it,

as promised you can read a summary of the findings inside.

Did you know that when we clear an ad for linear broadcast we also

provide VoD advice on it too? We additionally provide VoD-only advice

on some ads. Inside, Jonathan explains how VoD advice works and in

particular how we advise VoD operators on ad placement. This is done

seamlessly via an API which is used not just by broadcasters but also

programmatic solutions companies like Videology.

We’ve been busy in other ways too. Our Business Affairs team have

launched a useful website called MediaCentral, a single place to find

the useful contacts needed to make, clear, book and deliver ads and

much more. It’s already generated enquiries for listed companies. Think

you should be on it? No problem, get in touch and we’ll add you.

Over the summer we’ve also hosted two interns from Haverstock

School in Camden as part of our Clearcast for Better CSR programme.

They worked in every part of Clearcast, as well as visiting broadcasters,

agencies and trade bodies. They’ve written their thoughts about

Clearcast for this newsletter, which handily doubles as a short overview

of what we do. We have ongoing strands of CSR activity and you can

also read about Clearcast volunteers at the Whitechapel Mission and

how we gave year 4 pupils work experience.

In May, I went back to the floor for a week as a copy clearance exec-

utive and if you’re on the agency side it’s entirely possible you were

unknowingly chasing the Clearcast Managing Director for your clear-

ance! I found it a useful experience and you can read why further on.

There aren’t many more contentious scripts than one containing a

nutritional claim for a product that says it could help you live longer.

Inside, Seb explains how Copy Development worked with an agency on

such a script to get an ad to air that meet the ambitions of the adver-

tiser and the BCAP code. It’s a great example of how our Copy

Development service can help with tricky submissions.

If you haven’t been on one of our training days yet, or know some-

one that may benefit, take a look at Cass’s article on what participants

say about our CPD certified and award winning courses. We have

courses for people that are new to the clearance process and those

that have more experience, as well as distinct courses for agencies,

advertisers and broadcasters. There are only a few more with spaces in

2017 so get booking!

As if that wasn’t enough to keep you flicking through the newsletter,

Clearcast staff bare all. Well some anyway. It turns out there are a few

Clearcasters that are inked up and you can see some of our tattoos and

the stories behind them later on.

Finally, make sure you read the Dear Jackie’s piece on gender

stereotyping. This is an important issue for the industry and will be

an area the ASA will be looking at closely following the publication of

their research.

Enjoy the newsletter!

Chris

www.clearcast.co.uk

https://www.mediacentral.com/


Clear

Clearcast Agency Survey 2017 8

MediaCentral 12

Scale reference 14

The mighty clock number 16

Clearance on Demand 18

Back to the floor 20

An Intern’s perspective 24

Training feedback 28

In-car tech rulings 32

Case study – Rosemary Water 35

6 Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017

CLEAR

8 Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017 Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017 9

ChrisMundy

Managing Director

Earlier this year we invited all current users of CopyCentral to complete

a survey on their experience of working with Clearcast. An impressive

522 gave us feedback, thank you for taking the time to do so.

Our last survey was in April 2016 and at that point we had seen a slight

dip in results on previous surveys. We identified teething problems with

CopyCentral, a larger than usual proportion of new staff working in

Copy and a very high (early Easter) workload as being the main rea-

sons for this. Coming out of that survey, we picked areas for improve-

ment based directly on agency feedback as well as more generally

reviewing our processes and improving reporting to the team. Fast for-

ward to 2017 and we were keen to know the extent to which this focus

had fed through to agency perceptions.

We knew from CopyCentral data that the team had delivered a step

change in turnaround times, the single biggest driver of agency satis-

faction with Clearcast. For example, one key KPI for us is turning around

response within 4 days for 85% of script submissions; for the last cou-

ple of years we have successfully delivered at around this level. The

changes we made to our processes last year have enabled us to push

that to nearer 95%.

Clearcast Agency Survey 2017

The survey shows that agencies have noticed this improvement; 70% of

respondents said that turnaround times were excellent or good, a full

15% point increase on the 2016 score. Only 11% now feel that turnaround

times are poor. Since the inception of Clearcast, the team has put a

huge amount of work into turnaround times and this is recognised by

agencies; the score has doubled since our first survey in 2009.

Understandably, some respondents want to see them faster still.

However, although we’ve delivered a step change in turnaround times,

it will be hard to make significant further advances. Our work is time

consuming and we have no control over the number or timing of sub-

missions we receive, nor the complexity of the claims. Our advice is, if

you want to have a stress-free clearance: leave enough time for the

clearance process, make sure claims can be supported and supply all

the information that we are likely to need in the first submission to save

time wasted going back and forth.

Script Turnaround Times

100%

95%

90%

85%

80%

Q1 2016

84.8%

94.7% 94.7%96.5% 97.3% 97.4%

Q2 2016 Q3 2016 Q4 2016 Q1 2017 Q2 2017

First response % within 4 days


CLEAR

We knew that if agencies had noticed that improvement it would feed

through to overall perceptions of Clearcast, and it certainly did! On the

headline score of “How well do you think Clearcast serves agencies?”, a

record 80% now say very well or quite well (up from 67% last year).

Over 50% of people that use them say that day to day experience of

our Copy Clearance, New Business and Teleshopping teams is “very

good” with over 80% rating them at least “good”.

Whilst the results tell us that satisfaction scores are at record levels

across the board (and this is our seventh survey), we’ve identified areas

from the feedback on which we want to focus. We want to:

• continue to maintain turnaround times

• see if there is anything further we can do to improve agency

experience of Cover when the usual Copy Executive is away

• make sure that our feedback is as clear as possible to reduce

unnecessary additional dialogue with agencies

• be recognised as being more solutions orientated than at present.

2009 14% 21% 35%

18% 29% 47%2010

17% 33% 50%2011

16% 41% 57%2012

22% 35% 57%2014

19% 36% 55%2016

29% 41% 70%2017

How do you rate current turnaround times on submissions?

Excellent Excellent or good (total)Good

It’s clear that CopyCentral has bedded in and many

agencies like it. CopyCentral gets better scores than

our previous system for ease of use and for upload

of commercials. However, it’s not yet seen as being

as easy to check the status of submissions nor as

reliable as the previous system. Over 70% of users

are satisfied with the system on all measures. We’ve

paused development of the system while we migrate

it to the cloud and intend to resume development in

2018. We have noted the suggestions that survey

respondents have made for system improvements.

Finally on the survey, it’s clear that the Notes of

Guidance are valued by agencies. 70% of website

users use them with over 75% of users finding them

useful. We’ll continue to ensure they are updated

and as useful and relevant as possible. If you’re not

currently using them, take a look. They answer most

of the questions that we get asked most often and

can help you get your submission as ready for clear-

ance as it can be prior to sending it to us.

Thanks again to the respondents of the survey,

the whole team see the survey results and your

comments are all read and discussed by the

management team. Congratulations also to the

Clearcast team, whose hard work over the last year

has obviously been both noticed and valued by your

colleagues at agencies.

Satisfaction scores are at record levels across the board


CLEAR

DannyTurner

Business Affairs Manager

MediaCentral

You probably know us best for clearing TV ads for broadcast in the UK.

But you probably also know we like to spread our wings and be helpful

in other ways too. Perhaps you’ve been on one of our training courses

or have used our Copy Development service?

Well our latest endeavour is bound to be one of our most helpful yet.

Our Business Affairs department has used its far-reaching industry

knowledge and contacts to develop an online portal for advertisers and

agencies who need help navigating the world of video ads.

The new site is called MediaCentral and is a task-based portal that

impartially (and without charge to users or featured companies)

connects you to hundreds of 3rd party websites.

It launched at the beginning of August and we’ve already received

incredibly supportive and enthusiastic feedback from the industry and

reports of sales enquiries that have come from people using the site.

From MediaCentral you can quickly find companies ready to help with

a range of challenges faced when making an ad, such as where to book

air time, how to get a soundtrack for your ad, how to get an ad on air in

another country and how to get a child licence.

Please take a look at www.mediacentral.com. The site is constantly

evolving so get in touch via [email protected] we’d love

to know your thoughts.

And if you would like talk to us about any of your upcoming projects,

please email me on [email protected], or give me a call on

on 0207 339 4770.

15

CLEAR


There are particular quirks to be aware of when advertising children’s

products, but the one which seems to cause most confusion is the need

for a scale reference.

Put simply, a scale reference is something which helps put a product’s

size into context. Say you’ve got a toy robot to sell, and it’s only shown

marching down a real-world street, its head as high as the buildings.

Strong creative, but with no other imagery to help it’ll be hard to

tell how big the toy robot is in real life, and could lead to kids feeling

misled. Which could lead to tantrums and parents calling the ASA to

complain.

Adding a shot that includes a scale reference solves the issue. The main

difficulty comes from what we might accept as a scale reference. This is

tricky, because we don’t want to be prescriptive about it – we don’t

have a master list of what’s acceptable and what’s not.

The best option is often to include a shot of someone playing with the

toy – a nice shot of the product in someone’s hand will do the job.

If that’s not possible, or doesn’t fit with the general idea, then including

an easily-recognisable everyday object that is a relatively standard

size is the next best thing. A DVD case used to be a good go-to, but

we’ve seen a lot of different things over the years from tennis balls to

holly sprigs.

JonathanLaury

Copy Group Executive

Scale reference

The important thing to remember is that a scale reference needs to be

included where there’s room for confusion about the toy’s size – it’s not

de rigeur. It may be that a range shot of toys gives a general sense of

scale without the need for anything additional. There are also angles

and lenses that can give a distorted sense of scale even when showing

people playing with toys. That’s why we consider these issues on a case

by case basis rather than providing a hard and fast rule.

If you’re working on an ad where the creative is quite fantastical and so

including a traditional scale reference doesn’t seem appropriate, give

our team a shout. They will be able to give a steer on whether it will be

necessary, and what kind of things you could try using within the

bounds of your creative. If you wait until the ad is filmed to have this

discussion you may find you need to shoehorn in an extra shot, diluting

the original idea. That’s not what we want, and I imagine it’s not what

your client is after either!

Clearcast Newsletter · Autumn 2017 17

CLEAR


If you’re reading this you almost certainly know about the clock num-

ber, the 15 character unique identifier for TV commercials. The UK is

advanced compared to other markets in having had a standard clock

number system for many years. You may not have given it much

thought, but here’s why the clock number is so important:

• By providing a unique identifier, the clock number ensures that the

right ad is broadcast. That’s why Clearcast manages the first three

characters to ensure every agency has a unique identifier and

CopyCentral double checks to see if a number has been used before.

• It’s also used by agencies to keep track of the visual artists, compos-

ers, musicians and other rights holders associated with a commer-

cial. That helps ensure artists are paid.

• It allows Clearcast’s Attribution service to provide additional meta-

data, like Nielsen category, Advertiser and Holding Company. This in

turn allows post campaign and share of voice analysis on systems

like those provided by Media Ocean, Kantar and Techedge.

ChrisMundyManaging Director

The mighty clock number!

• Broadcasters, digital publishers and ad serving companies use the

clock number to check if an ad has been cleared by Clearcast.

Historically this was a manual process but now more often is auto-

mated through the use of the CopyCentral API, a constantly updated

feed of the status of our clearances.

• Broadcasters also use the clock number to identify where artists

need to be kept away from children’s programmes in which they

appear (a BCAP code requirement) and opportunities for schedul-

ing ads featuring artists in other programmes where there is a

synergy.

It’s also one area where linear TV advertising and VOD is ahead of pro-

grammatic platforms; there is currently no similar standard for digital

assets, which makes digital campaigns on these platforms much harder

to manage and track.

So next time you type in a humble clock number, think about the great

British success story it represents!

AAA/BBBB123/456


CLEAR

Clearance on DemandJonathanLaury


We’re best known for clearing linear TV advertising, but for years we’ve

been involved with Video on Demand too. In fact, from January to July

this year we cleared 28,000 ads for VoD! It’s worth noting that we don’t

clear for all VoD platforms – primarily it’s the VoD versions of our share-

holder broadcaster services. But what do we do and how does it work?

Essentially it’s the same process as our standard clearance procedure –

upload a script to CopyCentral and we’ll provide feedback and then,

when all is well, approval. Then it’s time for the video submission, rinse

and repeat.

So far so similar, however there is one key difference. Usually when

assessing ads for TV a lot of our time is spent going through substanti-

ation for claims, be it sales data to back up a ‘number one selling’ claim,

or scientific studies to back up something more technical. The need to

do this comes from the BCAP code which states that broadcasters

(represented by us) need to hold documentary evidence for claims

made in ads, and verify that any claims are substantiated. The ‘B’ in

BCAP stands for ‘Broadcast’, and VoD ads of course don’t count as

broadcast. They are subject to a very similar but slightly different

advertising code, which states that the marketers themselves need to

hold the documentary evidence. That means that unless there’s an

exceptional circumstance we are unlikely to ask for evidence for claims

in ads which are only being shown on VoD platforms, and so the clear-

ance process will be that bit quicker.

When we’ve approved a VoD ad we’ll put restriction and presentation

codes on it, just like a standard TV ad. For TV though the most

frequently used restrictions revolve around the timing of the broadcast

– film trailers often receive restrictions meaning that they can’t be

broadcast before 7:30pm or 9:00pm depending on the level of violence

or threat. As timing of broadcast isn’t applicable to VoD ads the restric-

tions are a little more descriptive to help VoD platforms place ads

appropriately. So a TV ad which would have a post-7:30 restriction on it

because of violent content would be labelled as containing

‘Interpersonal contact may be strong but brief moderate or strong, but

brief, aggressive behaviour. Visuals of injuries, which aren’t too graphic

but may be bloody.’

As time and technology marches on we try to make sure we can

provide the most useful service for the industry. We’ve been working

with various companies on solutions for programmatic advertising and

will continue to find ways to make clearance simple, fast and reliable

whatever’s around the corner for the industry.


CLEAR

Nearly ten years ago, I joined Clearcast as Managing Director from the

BBC where I headed up the BBC’s Audiences (research and planning)

function. As part of my Clearcast induction I got a good grounding in

Copy Clearance, but I had never actually cleared a submission.

A little while ago someone in the team suggested that Niamh

McGuinness (Head of Copy Clearance) and I should find out what it was

like working on the front line in Copy Clearance and we, along with the

Copy Group Managers, agreed it would be a good idea.

ChrisMundy

Managing Director

Back to the floor

So in May, the week before the second bank holiday, I found myself

covering Jennie Demetriou on Christian Bew’s team. Jennie’s portfolio

is slightly unusual in that she has a lot of film trailers so her work is

probably more heavily skewed to TVCs than the average portfolio. In

the week I was covering she also had a large retailer that was running a

daily campaign as well as a steady stream of other submissions. Jennie

has a reputation for keeping her work very much in order and I was

determined to ensure that she wouldn’t come back from holiday to find

this had received a bit of a battering.

Although tempted to adopt a nom de plume, I operated under my own

name but took off the give-away job title from my email signature. In

the event, I don’t think anyone actually twigged that they had the MD

working on their account.

The biggest challenge was getting up to speed whilst handling a heavy

volume of submissions. So in the case of movie trailers, that meant

trying to decide the appropriate timing restriction based on the degree

of implied threat or actual violence. When you’re looking at a large

number of edits for the same film, for example Transformers, quite

small differences in the edits can mean differences in timing. Clearcast

works hard to be consistent and in the case of movie trailers we log the

decisions we’ve made on each film, recording for example (post 7pm)

TS for slashes to and in the face.


CLEAR

Another learning curve was the restriction and presentation codes for

both linear and VoD. When you’re new to copy, knowing your L2H from

your L3H is a challenge, but these become second nature to the Copy

Clearance team who play a unique form of bingo in the morning view-

ing, calling out the restriction and presentation codes for things they

have spotted for each ad.

Across the week I handled 99 video submissions, so looked at 20 on

average a day. We aim to turn around 95% of TVC submissions within 2

days and within that window there are two morning viewings. If an

agency sends us TVCs late in the day they may not make it to the view-

ing the following morning, but if they go to the viewing the day after,

that limits the time to feed back to the agency on any changes that

need to be made. We have no control over the timing or number of

submissions by agencies and, particularly in the mid afternoon when

submissions can arrive in batches, there were times when the pressure

was really on to get everything done.

Of course, I was also working in parallel with script submissions.

Working on these has a different tempo, but also requires a high degree

of attention to detail. It can be challenging to pick up a submission

where discussions are already under way and navigate through previ-

ous comments, especially where scripts have been updated a number

of times with associated additional substantiation. This is something

that happens every time that work is being covered (because of holi-

day or sickness) and explains why cover can sometimes take longer

than working with your usual executive. As a copy newbie, I found the

system of second reading particularly helpful in ensuring nothing had

been missed before we reverted a submission to the agency.

Day-to-day contact with agencies is generally via CopyCentral. This

works for both sides, as if all discussion and feedback information is

held on the system, room for error and misunderstanding is reduced,

and it is easier for people covering work to see what has previously

been discussed. I found that meant that when agencies called or

emailed they were usually chasing something to make sure that they

would meet their deadlines, usually for delivery. Copy executives have

to prioritise, generally on the basis of first in first out, to be fair to all

the accounts they work on. Inevitably, and often for good reasons,

things may arrive late from an agency for clearance or equally because

of complexity may take longer to clear than is desirable and I experi-

enced at first hand how much pressure both agency and Clearcast staff

are under to meet deadlines. There’s a slightly vicious circle in opera-

tion that every copy executive experiences: the more chasing calls

there are, the longer it takes to clear copy, whilst the longer it takes to

clear copy the more chasing calls there are! It was great to see that

there is a lot of support within the Clearcast team and that people who

were less busy helped with the workload of those who were deluged.

Although there is a lot more I could say, one final learning was that in

experiencing the CopyCentral system as the copy team do I saw some

of the ways it may be further developed to improve our workflows.

It was a really interesting and useful week and I’d recommend a “back

to the floor” exercise to anyone in a similar role as me. I’m much

indebted to my colleagues on Christian’s team as well as a number of

others from Copy who helped keep me on the straight and narrow!


CLEAR

Overthesummerwewerejoinedbyagreatpairof6thforminterns

from Haverstock School in Camden. As they were both new to

Clearcastandtheadindustry,attheendoftheirtimewithusweasked

themtopenanoverviewoftheclearanceprocessandsometoptips

tohelpfellownewstarters.

HOW IT ALL WORKS | KiranHepburn

Clearance starts with the script stage. The script must include descrip-

tions of the visuals, any audio lines and onscreen text, you can find a

template for script submissions here.

This is the foundation of the final ad, during the feedback time of this

process the copy exec working with you will inform you of any changes

that need to be made that do not comply with the BCAP code as well

as ask you to substantiate any of the claims you make. In some cases a

consultant may be used when specialist knowledge is necessary. Once

the script has been approved make sure not to add any more claims if

you want the video clearance process to occur as fast as possible.

The next stage is the video, one part of this is technical; there are two

formats that are accepted past transcoding; SD and HD both need dif-

ferent resolutions. HD formats require a resolution of 1920x1080 while

SD requires 720x(576x608); all video needs to have a fps of 25, be

interlaced (top field first) 4:2:2 colour sampling and a 16:9 aspect ratio.

More information can be found at help.clearcast.co.uk.

KiranHepburn&MohiUddin

Clearcast Interns

An intern’s perspective

Other than transcoding there are also specific rules governing the

height and duration of supers. Text must have a height of 16 tv lines in

SD and 30 in HD. The duration of supers depends on how many words

are in the sentence and any onscreen text that appears during the time

the supers are present. You can find tools to help with the height and

duration of hold by searching for ‘Supers’ on our KnowledgeBase.

If your ad should fail the PSE (flash) test, then you can retest it at

onlineflashtest.com.

Next are the ops checks, this is to ensure that the ad plays cleanly free

of glitches, as well as to check whether the details have been entered

fully. To make the process quicker for everybody please include the

details of anyone in the visuals and music composers. This part of

the process is important for royalty purposes but also to ensure that

the ad isn’t placed around any programming that features the same

visual artists.

Once the ad has passed all checks, it will be reviewed by a couple of

execs and if everything is according to the script, the video will be sent

to the morning viewing and then approved.

CLEARANCE TIPS | KiranHepburn&MohiUddin

WorkingwithClearcast

Mohi: It’s surprising, but some people don’t seem to be aware of the

BCAP code, which Clearcast must follow. The most common rules that

Clearcast advises on are the ones on being misleading. Ads must not

materially mislead or be likely to do so and/or hide material information

or present it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely man-

ner. An example of this could be a food item being smaller than shown

in the advert e.g. a massive burger in the advert is an average sized

burger in real life. Also, rules are very strict when it comes to children

since they are easily influenced – ads must not condone, encourage or

unreasonably feature behaviour that could be dangerous for children to

http://kb.clearcast.co.uk/wiki/29/clearcast-forms

https://clearcastoperations.zendesk.com/hc/en-us

http://kb.clearcast.co.uk/

http://www.onlineflashtest.com/


CLEAR

emulate. Furthermore, Health claims like “You will live longer” aren’t

acceptable unless they can be substantiated.

Clearcast follows the BCAP rules to ensure the ads they clear do not

get upheld and try to make sure they don’t get complaints. They try to

make sure ads are ethically and socially acceptable.

Kiran: Yes, there’s often resistance when feedback is sent to agencies

which may require some amendment to a script or idea. You may feel

these changes are encroaching on your creativity as well putting your

ad’s success at risk but it’s worth noting that the rules and restrictions

aren’t written by Clearcast. The Broadcast Committee of Advertising

Practice (BCAP) writes the rules, Clearcast interprets them and uses

them to make decisions. Future decisions are affected by the rulings

the ASA make and so interpretation of the code will change as a result.

Claims

Mohi: Sometimes your client might feel that a claim doesn’t need to be

substantiated because it’s so straightforward or a simple statement of

fact. An example of this would be substantiating the date of something

releasing or expiring e.g. ‘Coming out on the 17th August’ and ‘Valid

until 25th September’. Nevertheless, Clearcast would need a written

confirmation since the client may have made a mistake (it does some-

times happen) or simply to make sure an offer isn’t misleading. To keep

broadcasters and the audience safe, Clearcast needs substantiation

even if it appears to be a simplistic claim.

ClearanceTime

Kiran: If you’ve had a rough cut approved, or are basing an ad on an old

one that has already been to air then you may think clearance will be a

foregone conclusion. Bear in mind that any changes, no matter how

small, could delay clearance by a day to ensure the whole team views

the ad. Those changes may also incur further delay if they are

unacceptable.

CopyDevelopment

Kiran: One way that Clearcast can make your clearance process easier

is via a service they run called Copy Development. This will help you

get feedback on an idea before there’s a script, or assist with really

difficult claims. It’ll give you more than a statement of the problems

with the ad, it will provide solutions to those problems. You can find

more details on the Clearcastwebsite.

CopyCentral

Mohi: I found the CopyCentral system very simple and easy to under-

stand. The buttons used in the website simply lead to what it states e.g.

‘Submission’ leads to your submissions, ‘Feedback’ leads to Clearcast’s

comments. I think new users should be able to adapt to the functional-

ity very quickly and if they are stuck, they could just check the Clearcast

website which contains a guide on using CopyCentral. It has step by

step use of the system with screenshots so it would be easy to figure

out or solve any problems.

http://www.clearcast.co.uk/what-we-do/copy-development-pitching/

https://clearcastoperations.zendesk.com/hc/en-us


CLEAR

Training feedbackCassCoakley

Clearcast Plus Admin Assistant

AMV BBDO and FCB Inferno agency training delegates give us their

honest feedback

We receive the loveliest feedback after our training sessions, with an

emphasis always on a feeling of surprise that a training course can be

fun! One anonymous delegate from our June session went as far as to

say “I normally fall asleep in training sessions, but I didn’t in yours.” Well

thank you, Anon! A proud moment for us indeed.

If we’ve had the pleasure of seeing you at one of our CPD certified and

IPA recognised training courses this year, then thank you and we hope

it made a positive difference to your work as ultimately that’s our aim.

We’re here to give you a better grasp of The BCAP code and the pro-

cesses we have in place for a stress-free clearance.

We tracked down a couple of attendees from this year to squeeze some

more feedback out of them, see what we could improve on, and how

the session they attended has helped in a practical sense in their every-

day work lives.

Basically, we want to be the best we can be for the industry’s learning

and progression, so roll out the critical carpet.

Session attended: Agency Training | 26 July 2017 Florence Whittaker | Account Manager | AMV BBDO

1 Describe your experience of the Agency Training in 3 words… Useful, Insightful, Fun

2 Did you get what you needed/wanted out of the session? Yes, I met my Copy Exec who was lovely and it was great to put a face to a name. I had been using Clearcast and talking to Vicky for almost 18 months, so it was a good exercise to fill in the blanks. 3 How did you find the quiz/interactive exercises? Did you have a favourite? It was a good way to encourage audience participation. The interactive quiz around time restrictions was probably the most engaging.4 Have you found the training has had a positive effect on your work back at the office? Any examples? I feel more confident in using Clearcast.

5 Do you think / feel differently about Clearcast following the training? Whereas Clearcast can often be seen as pushing against agencies, it was clear they want to promote good work and will go the extra mile to defend your work if you’re able to provide the information to do so.


CLEAR

Session attended:

Agency Training | 26 July 2017

Jamie Tomkins | Account Manager | FCB Inferno

1 Describe your experience of the Agency Training in 3 words…

Informative, Entertaining, Enjoyable

2 Did you get what you needed/wanted out of the session?

Definitely – a key part for me was getting a better understanding

of the processes involved on Clearcast’s side and the SLAs in place.

Also necessary steps for further substantiation etc.

3 How did you find the quiz/interactive exercises? Did you have

a favourite? I really liked these – training days can become quite monotonous and

these really helped to break it up. A competitive element always helps

as well. My favourite would be the last one I think – judging which

restrictions would have been placed on different adverts. Namely due

to be being able to watch and see live examples.

4 Have you found the training has had a positive effect on your work back

at the office? Any examples?

Not yet, but I am not currently working on any projects that need

Clearcast.

5 Do you think / feel differently about Clearcast following the training?

Definitely. Clearcast was never thought of as a barrier but I personally

underestimated how collaborative the approach is. I didn’t know Clearcast

is set up on behalf of the broadcasters so this was interesting to hear and

makes sense that they would therefore actively want revenue! I think

these two points help to reiterate that Clearcast want to help get adverts

on TV – and therefore align them closer to agencies as allies! I also found

the idea that the main question to Clearcast is ‘If we get a complaint,

could we prove it?’ – this is an interesting way to look at it and will

certainly help when providing future substantiation. Often providing

substantiation can feel like a bit of a stab-in-the-dark, but this angle helps

to inform what we need to supply.

We still have the rest of 2017 to get you guys trained up so come along

to one of the dates below and learn fast with Clearcast. You can read

more on the course syllabuses at www.clearcast.co.uk/training.

AGENCY CERTIFICATE £199 + VAT

Wednesday 20 September 2017

Wednesday 18 October 2017

Wednesday 15 November 2017

ADVERTISER CERTIFICATE £199 + VAT

Wednesday 27 September 2017

BROADCASTER CERTIFICATE £149 + VAT

Wednesday 11 October 2017

ADVANCED CERTIFICATE £249 + VAT

Wednesday 29 November 2017


CLEAR

The Advertising Standards Authority has recently published the results

of complaint investigations into three different car ad campaigns. In all

cases the complaints weren’t upheld. Motoring has become an increas-

ingly contentious sector in the last few years, with a number of

high-profile investigations, so it’s worth looking at the detail of the

cases to understand how seriously these issues must be considered.

JonathanLaury


In-car tech rulings

Most recently theASApublishedaruling in favour of Citroen. In the ad

a driver uses an in-car camera to photograph various landmarks, then

sends them to his girlfriend. Twenty people complained that the ad

condoned or encouraged dangerous or irresponsible driving and

breached the Highway Code.

In our assessment we considered whether pressing a button to take

photos from the car was markedly different to pressing other buttons,

for example turning the radio on. We concluded that there was no dif-

ference and that as long as the car was either parked or travelling safely

when the feature was used then it was unlikely to breach the Code. The

ASA agreed with our assessment.

In a similar case a couple of weeks previously theASAdidn’tupholda

complaint about a BMW advert which featured a driver swiping his

hand across a built-in screen on the dashboard. As with the Citroen ad,

the complainant believed this behaviour condoned or encouraged dan-

gerous or irresponsible driving and breached the Highway Code.

We argued that the driver was shown maintaining proper control of the

vehicle while swiping the screen, an action comparable with, or even

quicker than, using the dials and buttons of a more traditional interface.

The ASA agreed, noting that ‘there was no suggestion in the shot used

in the ad that the driver was distracted or not exercising proper

control.’

A Sixt campaign, including two TV adverts, also came under recent

scrutinybytheregulator, with 11 complaints received. In both ads the

complainants took exception to the drivers’ use of their mobile phones.

The cars were stationary on the forecourt of a Sixt branch at the time

but the complainants still felt this breached the Highway Code and

encouraged irresponsible driving.

The ads had a comedic tone and during the calls both drivers were

wearing seatbelts, with one hand on the wheel. The phone calls were

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/citroen-uk-ltd-a17-368459.html

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/bmw--uk--ltd-a17-382590.html

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/bmw--uk--ltd-a17-382590.html

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/sixt-rent-a-car-ltd-a17-382510.html

https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/sixt-rent-a-car-ltd-a17-382510.html


CLEAR

WhatbetterwaytoshowyouhowourCopyDevelopmentservice

worksthantodemonstratewitharecentcasestudy?

TheFirstEdit

No. 1 Rosemary Water is a sparkling water containing rosemary extract.

Its creation was inspired by an Italian village where people eat an

unusually large amount of rosemary and where a significant percent-

age of the population live beyond 100. Naturally then the makers of the

drink wanted to market it on the basis that it could help people live

longer. The first edit submitted to Clearcast showed an octogenarian

woman taking a sip of the drink and then in close-up her face slowly

morphs into that of a young woman. The caption at the end suggested

that rosemary would help people avoid illness and live longer.

SebLynch

Copy Development Manager

A Copy Development Case Study Rosemary Water

terminated before the car pulled out from the forecourt, and the drivers

looked at the road ahead.

While the ASA noted that the ads were somewhat surreal, they also

confirmed our view that this was not a carte blanche to show drivers

breaching the Highway Code. The ASA went on to state that ‘… the

drivers were in moods of quite high excitement, but we considered that

it was nevertheless clear that the phones were put down before the

drivers drove off and that, when he or she did so, they were exercising

proper control of their vehicle.’

As in-car technology becomes increasingly sophisticated motoring ads

must be careful to ensure the latest gadgets are marketed in a respon-

sible manner. All three cases stem from the Highway Code stating that

drivers ‘MUST exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times’, and it

is apparent that a humourous treatment does not negate the Code. The

rule is something which is open to a degree of interpretation, and we

welcome the fact that the ASA clearly agrees with our take on it.

Work on a car account? The Motoringsection in our Notes of Guidance

contains commentary and example rulings to help you out.

http://kb.clearcast.co.uk/wiki/56/motoring


CLEAR

TheNutritionandHealthClaimRegulations

The regulations state that only nutrition and health claims authorised

by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are permitted for use in

advertising. This means that Clearcast cannot approve ads with any

explicit or implicit health claims for foods if they have not already been

approved by ESFA, even if an advertiser believes they have robust and

convincing evidence to prove the claims. Therefore, because EFSA had

not approved the claims made about rosemary in the edit we were not

able to approve the ad. This meant that that at the very least the cap-

tions would need to be changed but could potentially mean that the

visuals themselves were problematic, because when used in conjunc-

tion with the health claim in the caption they seemed to imply that the

drink might make you look younger or feel more youthful.

TheCopyDevelopmentMeeting

I met with the agency and client to discuss the product, the campaign

and the regulations in more detail. The aim of the meeting was to agree

on a new caption which would work alongside the visuals but no longer

imply a health benefit. It would then be for the rest of the Clearcast

staff to determine whether this change resulted in an acceptable ad. I

advised it would be best to focus on the features of the product that

were unrelated to health. The taste is probably the most important fea-

ture of any food or drink so I suggested ‘A taste that never gets old’.

This linked neatly with the visuals but didn’t imply a health benefit.

ATagLinetoRemember

Two amended scripts were submitted for clearance, one said ‘Delicious

never gets old’ and the other said ‘A drink to remember’. Both were

approved and the client opted to use the latter line in the final edit,

which also happened to be the line used on the bottle itself. In the con-

text of the new caption, the copy clearance group interpreted the new

edit as a way of representing the ethos of the brand rather than an

implied claim that the product might help you look or feel younger. So

the client got to use the ad they had filmed with a relevant and compel-

ling tag line.

TheTestimonial

“As Creative Director for No.1 Rosemary Water, I went along to the

meeting with Seb and his team at Clearcast and took with me David

Spencer-Percival, founder and CEO of the brand. Up to that point we’d

submitted a few variations on the wording at the end of the film but it

wasn’t until the face to face that we fully understood the issue and were

then able, along with Seb’s help to resolve the matter swiftly. The ses-

sion was very collaborative and friendly and David and I actually

enjoyed ourselves. I’d recommend this service to anyone facing similar

issues with bringing their message / film within guidelines.”

– Simon Brotherson


CastObituary: Tamara Huggett-Haines 40

St Scholastica’s Year 4 pupils’ visit to Clearcast 42

5 minutes with… Warren Lister 44

Clearcast at the Whitechapel Mission 46

Hellos, goodbyes, babies & promotions 50

Inny & Outty 52

Been there, done tat 54


Tamara Huggett-Haines 1976–2017 CatherineLeyland

Copy Group Manager

We are immeasurably sad to have to report that our dear friend and

former colleague, Tamara Huggett-Haines, passed away in January this

year, aged 40.

Tamara (or ‘Tam’) worked for Clearcast from 2005 to 2009, starting as

a Copy Group Executive under Alice Shelley, swiftly progressing up the

ranks to Copy Group Manager, with special responsibility for manfully

tackling the then strange, new world of VoD. She was a fantastic

colleague – endlessly cheerful, thoughtful and positive; and a great

manager who was extremely supportive of her team. When I was a

new manager, she supported me and gave me a lot of helpful tips – you

could always be certain her advice would be sensible and wise. Her

script comments were always spot on, however sometimes you had a

bit of a challenge deciphering them as she had a habit of typing so

quickly and enthusiastically that the letters would go in the wrong

order! Tam’s sense of style was unmatched, and she was always in

demand for hair and make-up before work parties.

Tam was immensely proud of her Cornish roots, joking that I was her

‘enemy’ as I was from Devon. However, she was one of my most loyal

and supportive friends. As a clueless new mother, I leaned on her for

sage advice about coping with new babies. Unfailingly polite, she once

told me I should tell someone who had annoyed me to ‘treble bog off’

– Tam was always a lady, even when riled.

She was never afraid to stand up for what and who she believed in,

always arguing articulately and cleverly. Tam had a great and quirky

sense of humour, and was full of odd tales from a slightly eccentric

childhood, including the time her Dad answered the door with a bin on

his head, and the chicken that blew up because it didn’t have a bottom

(don’t ask)!

She met her soulmate, Dan, whilst she was working for Clearcast, but

there was a snag – he lived in Bristol. After a lot of soul searching, she

left her beloved job and friends to follow her heart West, and it turned

out to be absolutely the best decision as she and the fabulous Dan

married in 2010 and had two lovely daughters, Lois and Bay (now five

and three). Whilst in Bristol, Tam took on a new challenge, working in

Special Operations for Icon Films.

She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer in the

summer of 2014 and was not expected to live long, but her fighting

spirit saw her survive more than 18 months, buying a camper van so she

could travel round with the family, filling their remaining time together

with happy memories.

A beautiful memorial service was held for Tam in February in Bath, and

the church was packed full of people whom she had touched with her

positivity and kindness. Her motto had been ‘seek joy in everything’

and her friends and family were asked to honour her memory by

remembering this in their own lives.

We will miss her.


CAST

ClaireButleratInspire!

I work for Inspire!, an education charity based in Hackney. In June I

brought a class of Year 4 pupils along to the Clearcast offices to find

out more about the job Clearcast does and to give them an experience

of being in a professional environment. The eight and nine year olds

were from St Scholastica’s Catholic Primary School in Hackney Downs,

and their visit was part of a programme I run called Work Week, which

is a week of work-related learning activities that aims to raise children’s

awareness and aspirations for later life.

St Scholastica’s Year 4 pupils’ visit to Clearcast

Inspire! organises these visits as they are a great opportunity for the

children to see a real workplace in action and to practise some of the

skills that will be valuable in later life, such as presenting and speaking

in a professional manner. They also give the children the chance to find

out about jobs they could do in the future, visit an area of London that

they haven’t been to before and meet new people.

Cass Coakley from Clearcast planned the event with me, with help from

a team of staff volunteers who supported the session on the day. On

the day of the visit, the children had an introduction to the company

followed by three activities which they rotated between in small groups.

The activities included working on reception to book meeting rooms

and learn good telephone manners with Adam Amini and Paul Burrows,

learning about Copy Clearance with Christian Bew and Justyna Shala,

and distinguishing between fact, opinion and exaggeration to pitch a

product with Louise Glover and Barry Noone.

Teachers and pupils were really positive about the experience in their

feedback:

“Onourtripwelearntthatacompanyhastomakesureallthe

advertsaretrue.WewenttoacompanycalledClearcast

wheretheyfixtheadvertsandmakethembetter.”Jennifer

“Jobscanbefun.Also–youshouldtrytobegoodatmaths

becausemostjobsneedit.” Lucas

“Inanofficetherecanbelotsofdifferentjobs.”Isiah

It was great working with Cass and the team from Clearcast. The

activities were fun and engaging and gave the children a real flavour of

what Clearcast does. Volunteers were really enthusiastic on the day

and put lots of effort into making sure the children had a fun, inspiring

experience. Thank you all!


CAST

Whatdoyouenjoymostabout

workingwithClearcast?

It is a pleasure to work with a

conscientious, friendly and

competent team dedicated to

assisting advertisers in putting

their products to the general

public without intentionally or

otherwise misrepresenting them.

Andtheleast?

Some products presented to

Clearcast are simply not fit for

purpose and should not be sold

to the public at any price. It is

occasionally necessary for me to

expose these to Clearcast in the

hope they will refuse the

proposed advertisements

altogether.

Howcanadvertisershelpto

speeduptheapprovaloftheir

claims?

Advertisers can greatly speed

up the approval of their claims

by avoiding the use of

superlatives, comparisons

with competing products by

name and providing technical

test documents that are not

independent or lack the

appropriate provenance.

CompiledbyBarryNoone

Teleshopping Copy Group Executive

5 minutes with… a consultant

Warren Lister

Howimportantdoyouthinkthe

thoroughsupportofefficacy

claimsinpre-clearanceof

advertisingis?

Statements in advertisements are

contractual, but it is very difficult

for the general public to sift out

weasel in-exactitudes from the

phraseology commonly applied

in advertising. Buyers have to be

able to trust what the adverts say

or imply. Clearcast provides a

vital service in enabling the public

to trust advertisements from

genuine advertisers with confi-

dence, as well as weed out the

misleading ones.

HowdoesworkingwithClearcast

comparewithyourusualwork?

I’m a hands-on designer of all

manner of engineering products

with over 50 years experience.

I put this experience to good use

in producing forensically accurate

reports in the law courts as an

expert witness, and in producing

correctly designed and adver-

tised products. I believe these

are essential skills for assisting

Clearcast with concise answers to

the referrals I’m sent on claims

substantiation. I apply the same

levels of attention to detail and

correctness that I apply to the

exacting demands of court

reports. The disciplines are

the same.

Ifyouweren’tworkingin

Engineering,whatothercareer

wouldyouhavechosen?

My career chose me, largely by

chance, from simply following my

lifelong interest in making things

work and bringing new ideas to

fruition in the general field of

engineering. If I had not done

this, I would probably have

become a professional writer

of fiction.

Finally,andmostimportantly,

doyoupreferbrownsauceor

tomato?Wouldbegreatifyou

couldexplainyouranswer!

To me, brown sauce and tomato

sauce are intended to enhance

and complement the flavours of

the food eaten with them. I like

them with some foods and not

with others. I neither like nor

dislike them per se.

Selected consultants are available

for Meet The Consultant sessions.

Find out more and book a slot at:

kb.clearcast.co.uk/wiki/28/

As well as making our own assessment of claim support for all claims

made in tv advertising, we may refer support documentation to one

of our panel of consultants. Their role is to investigate evidence and

advise us on the extent to which claims are supportable at times

when the claims are of a highly technical nature and require specialist

assessment. Warren is our Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

consultant. He has a wealth of experience and you can read his full

bio here on our website as well as book a session with him.

http://kb.clearcast.co.uk/wiki/103/electrical-mechanical-engineering

http://kb.clearcast.co.uk/wiki/28/


Cass Coakley Admin Assistant for Clearcast plus Cass Briscoe Copy Group Executive

Clearcast at the Whitechapel MissionClearcast has been involved with The Whitechapel Mission for several years now and has become very fond of the wonderful people running it and the heartfelt ethos behind it.

The Mission has been serving the homeless and marginalised for 140 years, their services include running a centre where a hearty breakfast is served up every day, skills training and providing career advice. They give the visitors food, hot showers and cloth-ing and rely purely on donations and volunteers. Every single pound that the Whitechapel Mission receives is fully allocated to its designated project.

It has been a busy few months at the Mission and we’ve rolled our sleeves up and got stuck in with some of the regular chal-lenges that are essential to the visitors’ daily needs like the Breakfast Challenge and Ladies Day, but also the Mission’s first ever Monopoly challenge!

Ellie Powell and Vicky Adomako at the bingo-themed Ladies’ Day


CAST

The Monopoly challenge is what it says on the tin. On 23 June, a team of four from Clearcast attempted to get around the real-life Monopoly board the fastest and take selfies at each location.

The funds raised will be going towards building an incredibly useful computer suite for the users of the Mission to make their online claims for benefits and general use of the internet with the help of staff.

Being the only team in the challenge to cycle the route, naturally we didn’t come first but we awarded ourselves first for effort!

With both Cass Briscoe and Cass Coakley taking on the London roads for the first time, sandwiched between Matt Bailey and Andy Kenyon, they managed to get selfies at 22 landmarks, seri-ously sore bums and get back to Whitechapel at 4pm on the dot!

Well done guys.

In other news, Vicki Ford and Paul Garside volunteered at the Mission in June to help cook the daily breakfast for the visitors.

Vicki commented: “We were warmly met by Michelle, who runs the kitchen. This was my second visit helping out at the Mission so was fully pre-pared for the hard work ahead, only this time we had to deal with the hot kitchen with the summer temperatures. We carefully cracked eggs, buttered toast, flipped bacon and served teas and coffees to all those in need of a hearty breakfast. Once again, we were astounded by the enthusiasm and support offered by those who work at the Mission.”

Catherine Leyland, Ellie Powell and Justyna Shala took part in the clothes sorting challenge in late May. Catherine said:“We sorted clothes into size, then tagged and hung them up. The Mission has showers in their basement, and with the clothes they get in as donations, they can give each homeless person a fresh set of clothes after they have showered. This is particularly important as most of them have only one set of clothes that they live in on the streets”.

Vicky Adomako and Ellie Powell got their duck and dive on at the Mission in July for a bingo themed ladies day, Vicky observed:“Ellie and I served up a mouth-watering (tried and tested!) lunch and rounded things off with 3 games of bingo and prizes for the ladies. Hosting the bingo was a first for us, but I think we pretty much nailed it to be honest…”

Thank you to The Whitechapel Mission for having us and all your amazing work which we will carry on supporting the best we can.


We were astounded by the enthusiasm and support offered by those who work at the Mission

CAST


CAST

Hellos, goodbyes, babies & promotionsJustynaShala

Teleshopping Clearance Manager

Those who follow our lives closely won’t be disappointed with this

article as we have a line-up of several personal announcements.

In March Kate Giannini joined us as Copy Group Exec. She was a Senior

IP Investigator in her previous life and is making full use of her

research skills when scrutinizing the ad scripts she reads at Clearcast

on a daily basis.

We are proud to welcome to the Clearcast family two fabulous new

babies. At the end of March Baljit Sandhu Clearcast Operations

Administrator gave birth to a very cute baby girl Reet. In August

Jennie Demetriou, Senior Copy Group Exec gave birth to adorable

baby William.

As Jennie will be rather busy for a while, Mathew Stiff is stepping up to

the Senior Copy Group Exec position to cover Jennie’s maternity leave.

And Jonathan Laury our part-time Communications Executive has just

come back to his previous role of Copy Group Exec from his part-time

secondment at The Portman Group.

Also we had a change in our Operations team and are delighted to

welcome Rajveen Sembhi to the permanent role of the Operations

Assistant.

Last but not least, our Copy Group Manager Catherine Preece got

married and became Catherine Leyland in July, during a beautiful

ceremony in sunny Exeter.

Congratulations to all!

From left: William Demetriou; Catherine and Matthew Leyland


Whowasyourbestbossandwhy?

Eric Musgrave, the former editor of the

retail weekly Drapers magazine, was an

amazing role model at the beginning of

my career. I was an intern at the

publication but he made me feel like a

valuable member of the team from day

one. It’s important to be inspired by

management and he set the bar high.

Weirdestthingyou’veeatenon

holiday? Cow’s tongue. I rather liked it

until I was told what it was…

Ifyouhadatimemachinewhenwould

youtraveltoandwhy? 2117. Who knows

what life is going to be like in a 100

years time? I think I’m being influenced

by a fantastic book I’ve just finished:

Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari. I’m

curious (and terrified) of what life with

AI and superhumans might be then.

Whatisthebestthingaboutyourjob?

The best thing about my job is definitely

seeing one of the ads I have worked on

during an ad break. After months of

hard work casting, putting a crew

together, shooting and editing there is

nothing as rewarding as seeing your

hard work on screen. Another fun part

is attending premieres and screenings

of the films I’ve worked on! A highlight

would be attending Beauty and the

Beast’s gala screening after working on

the theatrical campaign.

Whowouldplayyouinthefilmof

yourlife? I’ve been told I look a bit

like Katherine Langford and Lucy Hale,

however, I think a strong latina charac-

ter like Salma Hayek could be a good fit.

YourfavouriteTVadofthelast

fewmonths? The Maltesers ad ‘New

Boyfriend’. It features a group of

girlfriends chatting about their dating

life. It’s a really funny piece of content

while being empowering and pushing

for diversity on TV. Go watch it if you

haven’t yet!

Whatwouldyouchangeabout

advertisingintheUK?Put creative

at the forefront of projects rather

than budgets.

Whowasyourbestbossandwhy?

My current Manager at Clearcast makes

awesome sausage rolls.

Weirdestthingyou’veeatenon

holiday? Limoncello soaked bread balls

in France. Because everyone wants their

alcohol in soggy edible form…?!

Ifyouhadatimemachinewhenwould

youtraveltoandwhy? England in the

60’s for the music, the fashion, the hair!

Whatisthebestthingaboutyourjob?

Being able to work with agencies to

help them get a great ad on air, right

from the script stage, and the amount

of support there is between everyone

here at Clearcast. Also, the yoga classes

we have on a Monday are so much fun!

Whowouldplayyouinthefilm

ofyourlife? Jennifer Lawrence; I’ve

heard she potentially loves pizza as

much as me.

YourfavouriteTVadofthelastfew

months? I really like Amazon Prime ads.

The miniature horse getting a catflap

and the golden retriever getting a lion’s

mane are my top favourites. Essentially

anything with animals in it will win me

over.

Whatwouldyouchangeabout

advertisingintheUK? I’d like to see

more diversity in ads and inclusion of

people with disabilities. The Maltesers

ad, which last year won Channel 4’s

Superhumans Wanted prize, was

fantastic.

Outty:Marta Bilbao Gomez

Inny: Kate Giannini

Inny & Outty: we throw the same questions to a Clearcaster… …and an external buddy

Compiled by Vicky Adomako Copy Group Executive

Sponsored by Maltesers (apparently…)

MartaBilbaoGomez,hasbeenanassistantproduceratFereffor21months.KateGianninihasbeenaCopyGroupExecutiveatClearcastsinceMarch2017

CAST

Been There Done TatNicolaWynter

Senior Copy Group Executive

A tattoo can say a thousand words and can give you a fascinating

insight into a person. And sometimes they just look good.

Anyway, we thought it would be a great idea to see what tattoos

Clearcast staff had and share them with you. We’ve got an interesting

selection of meaningful and… less so. So make a pot of tea (ahem)

and read on…

Cass Coakley Clearcast Plus Admin AssistantTattoo A Teapot (2009)Reason for tattoo This is tricky as there isn’t much meaning to the teapot, I had my 21 year old heart set on it and I cannot remember why! The many explanations over the years have consisted of: I like tea; I’m Irish (even though tea is from India/England); tea brings people together (weak). I got it done on my 21st Birthday by a beefy Bris-tolian biker who was just as baffled as most peo-ple are now by the tattoo. Really what it reminds me of is the best time of my life at University in Bristol where I felt I could do anything and be anyone. Even a teapot.

Micky Vansittart Senior Copy Executive – New Business Tattoo Mandalas (2015)Reason for tattoo I love mandalas, lacework and geometric tattoos. I have a collection of five large mandalas on my upper thigh which represent some very important women in my life. The favourite of all my tattoos is my ankle/calf piece – no specific meaning to this other than it being the first ‘big sit’ of just under five hours, and pretty! (The mandalas came after for just over six hours). One day I hope to be brave enough to get my whole left leg filled with forever-art.

Steph Hughes Head of HR, Finance and CSRTattoo A Shark (1987)Reason for tattoo I had my tattoo done in my early twenties when I was very much into running and I was part of a running club. I wanted a tattoo that represented speed so got a shark tattooed on my right shoulder. Thirty years on I forget some-times that I’ve got a tattoo and which shoulder it is on!


Lydia Palmese Copy Group Executive Tattoo Children’s Book Illustrations (2016)Reason for tattoo So it’s still a work in progress – eventually it will be a full sleeve of my (more or less) favourite children’s book illustrations. At the moment, I have two illustrations from Alice in Wonderland based on the original Tenniel works (Alice and the Cheshire Cat from the ‘we’re all mad here’ bit and the White Rabbit’s ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!’ bit) and the fox, Mr. Todd, from a Beatrix Potter story. Eventually I’ll have another Potter illustration and a couple from Wind in the Willows, so rodent-like animals in country tweeds seems to be a real hang up of mine. I realised at some point that the reason I wanted tattoos, instead of, say, wall art, is because I do want the work there forever – it’s hard to explain without sounding corny, but it means a lot to me to have these little works of art on my body forever. I can take them with me wherever I go and they are, literally, a part of me.

Chris Mundy Managing DirectorTattoo Armenian eternity symbol (2017)Reason for tattoo The tattoo on my arm is an Armenian eternity symbol. It has appeared since the fifth century on Armenian monuments and symbolizes the concept of everlasting, celestial life. I decided to have it done in memory of my mum who passed away last year. The Armenian language and culture was very important to her; her parents were Armenian and survived the 1915 genocide. It will always remind me of her and my heritage.


The Back Page

Dear Jackie 60

Did you know…? 62


THE BACK PAGE

Dear Jackie… Youradproblemssolvedbyourresidentagonyaunt

Compiled by Elliot Lord, Copy Group Manager

“Jackie you’re such a stereotype!” are

words I’ve oft heard from trolls and

online haters. So, it came as no surprise

to me that Clearcast would ask me to

write a small piece about it and why fall-

ing back on stereotypes might be at

best, less than helpful, and at worst,

damaging.

So, what do we mean when we talk

about a stereotype? Well, it’s the super

generalised way people associate or

apply preconceived notions or attributes

and characteristics they have been

taught or believe are possessed by

groups of people, or more specifically

here with gender stereotyping, the roles

that are or ‘should be’ performed by

women/girls and men/boys.

Why can it be harmful, Jackie? Just

think about it, when our daily intake of

the world is peppered, or sometimes

saturated with gender stereotyping and

microaggressions, it serves to psycho-

logically reinforce and diminish the limits

of women and men. It can hinder a

child’s chance of developing their per-

sonal abilities, to chase careers or make

certain life choices.

A stereotype can be hostile and neg-

ative (e.g. men are pigs) or can be what

you may think of as harmless (e.g.

women are more nurturing). Stereotypes

like this become embedded in our psy-

che and I believe, play no small part in

the larger tapestry of societal conscious-

ness that contributes to women often

being expected to take on the rearing

responsibilities of children at home.

Recently the ASA announced the

results of its review into public opinion

on gender stereotyping which will likely

lead to some changes in the way adver-

tisers choose to put across their mes-

sage. This isn’t a new conversation in

advertising, it’s been on the cards for a

long while; some time ago, the Sanitary

Protection brand Always launched a

campaign #LikeAGirl which in simple

terms expresses how stereotypes can be

pervasive in their influence.

In real terms to advertisers, it pays to

see customers as individuals, perhaps

with common needs, but not peg them

into impersonal groups who, because of

stereotypes, have a herd-like mentality

when it comes to buying. Let’s face it, if

grouping populations like sheep into

marketing niches worked, why would

large companies continue to invest so

much into the study of consumer habits

and demographics? If this kind of philos-

ophy worked well in advertising and

marketing, anyone with a decent busi-

ness idea could be successful simply by

targeting.

Keep an eye on developments in this

area, because I predict the heat of this

spotlight is only going to intensify. As

always, your friendly Clearcaster will

advise you on what is likely to be accept-

able based on the BCAP code and ASA

rulings.

Clearcast Newsletter · Spring 2017 63

THE BACK PAGE

62 Clearcast Newsletter · Spring 2017

Did you know…LouGlover

Copy Group Exec

• Our lovely Cass Briscoe’s party planning business ‘Bunting’ put on

an Easter Family Fun Day for The Stroke Association and raised over

£1,000. Our equally as lovely Paul Garside was training for, and

meant to take part in the 42 mile Keswick to Barrow walk but had

to sadly pull out because of injury. He was however part of a team

of six, and the others did complete the walk and managed to raise

around £2,000 for Chain of Hope. Excellent work guys!

• Our office underwent a refurb across all three floors. We revamped

our old reception, making our staff break-out area bigger and we

added a new meeting room. We opened some dead space on our

2nd floor to give our staff a much more open, roomy office and we

also extended our service room. And last, but by no means least, our

newly acquired ground floor space was remodelled into The Joinery

– our new and improved training and ad viewing area, which has

allowed us to increase capacity for attendees to our training courses.

• Christmas is coming, and so is the use of fireplaces in your Christmas

ads. Here are some reminders of what to avoid:

✘ Decorations which hang down over the fire

✘ Stockings hanging in front of the fire

✘ Not having a fireguard present

✘ Roaring out of control fires

Do remember that fireplaces are looked at on a case by case basis!

ClearcastLtd.4 Roger StreetLondon WC1N 2JXT +44 (0) 20 7339 4700E [email protected]

www.clearcast.co.uk

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