Authenticity is fine. Boring is not.

Lately, we’ve seen a lot of advocacy for cheap/homemade social campaigns. They work better, we’re told.

And that’s true. Sometimes.

But when they work, it’s not because they’re cheap or homemade. They work for the same reason that great ads have always worked: They entertain and engage the audience.

To that end, we present our new campaign for Nickel Row by Onyx+East. It’s anything but homemade. It was finessed and tweaked—maybe even fussed over. We put extra effort into crafting a campaign where every element was just-so.

Why take the time and trouble?

Because ads are indelibly linked to the product, itself. The campaign was well-constructed because the homes are well-constructed.

Low and behold, the ads have been incredibly successful—polish and all.

In the end, we’re not here to advocate for expensive social campaigns (or for cheap ones). A campaign can flop either way. We’re here to advocate for the underlying principle that makes advertising work, regardless of budget: novelty.

If it’s not interesting, it’s white noise.