GORKEM CIFTCI’S INSTAKARTELA IS A GAME CHANGER
The evolution of the shopping experience in the past ten years is virtually unfathomable. Even more astounding than this is the information and marketing that gives access to almost any product anywhere. Social Media may seem a bit “Big Brother” at times but it certainly knows what each of us like. At its most benevolent, SM allows us to find the things that we enjoy in life, both experiential and material, and helps us find things that complement our taste. In an ideal world, those who create meet those who seek via SM. Most of us have had the experience of searching on Instagram and coming across something we were not previously aware of but become taken with. There are individuals behind these companies and products and Gorkem Ciftci is one of the people who captured a lot of attention recently on Instagram. Gorkem was already full-time art director at Kollektif when they received a brief from a client who desperately needed an unconventional way to promote their new color selection for 2016. Competition in the home decor industry has gotten very fierce over the last 5 years so it was crucial for Polisan (the client) to make a difference and stand out. Gorkem was given the green light to be as creative as he wanted to be with one caveat; the campaign must take place via SM. It’s not every day that a client craves immense creativity from an advertising agency.
Polisan Home Cosmetics (a home décor retail company in Turkey) wanted something that could attract people on social media. While every other major brand in the industry was printing brochures/catalogs which showcased their color portfolio, Polisan understood that appealing to a younger demographic meant meeting them in the places they frequent. Kollektif (Gorkem’s agency) came up with the idea to launch a creation on Instagram, where most of the artistic community hangs nowadays. They knew that people make most of their lifestyle decisions based on social media. Kollektif created the very first Color palette that works directly on Instagram using no plugins or add-ons and Ciftci was responsible for copywriting, art direction, and production of this campaign. What became known as Instakartela allowed users to choose their favorite color and tap on to the tag, resulting in the wall the very modern looking home displayed to be painted that color. This unique and fresh campaign was featured on various media/advertising blogs and won multiple awards.
A great deal of work is required on the front end to create a service this intuitive and user friendly. For three months Ciftci focused solely on this campaign, from coming up with the idea, developing the concept, and finally executing the idea by handling the 3d modelling and rendering processes. The 3d illustration and retouching was the most work intensive but was vital in creating the proper aesthetics. Just as important was the work that Gorkem did with award winning interior designer Cenk Guzelis to design an attractive and modern looking indoor environment to complement the colors and the contemporary taste of Polisan’s many admirers. Gorkem insits that 3d illustration was necessary to use rather than photos due to Instagram’s grid is on a vertical scale.
Explaining why he presented the avenue of Instagram for this campaign, Ciftci cites, “I think Instakartela is a great example for brand engagement in social media platforms. I believe that it is so important for brands to find ways to showcase their products/services directly in their customers’ social media feed. Nobody goes on web browser to look up stuff anymore. That’s why websites become less and less efficient every day. Even the smartphone Apps are not as popular as they used to be. (Of course I exclude the giants such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc.) And I believe that this will be the ongoing trend for the years to come. The functionality of instakartela made it very widely used throughout the country. It was visually appealing and fun to play with but most importantly, Instakartela succeeded in meeting a very basic customer need. Customers define the color selection process as the most painful aspect because there are tons of different options out there and you choose solely based on your imagination. Instakartela allowed people to apply any Polisan color to the wall very easily.”
Gorkem professes that what most excited him about this opportunity is that it led to a game changing situation in the community. This idea, in its very nature intended to change the way people engage with a brand. Instakartela exceeded all aspirations. Ozan Yurtsever is the leading Creative director of the campaign and declares, “Gorkem’s approach in moving a color catalog to one of the favorite social media platforms was very new and exciting. This Instagram account became a phenomenon among the Polisan Network. I can definitely say that we didn’t expect this to happen! Instakartela became so popular that retailers around Turkey started to tell us that they don’t use conventional color palettes anymore; customers like to display colors on instakartela instead and I believe that this is credited to Gorkem’s incredible work.”
Ciftci’s innovative approach is an ideal exhibition of how burgeoning methods can be used to the benefit of both the public and business sectors. The challenge of media and technology is always how it can be utilized for our benefit rather than detriment. Artists have always shown society how to rise above its baser nature and create something pleasing and inspirational. Even something as seemingly ordinary as the color on our walls, the design of our home, or an Instagram account can be used to make us feel more relaxed and content. Gorkem Ciftci finds himself among the creative art directors in today’s advertising world who are exploring new ways to reach and enable us all.
