I notice more and more that people are losing sight of the big picture, instead spending all their time worrying about the details that don't really matter in the end.
A lot of time is spent changing words from delicious to tasty or from big to large when what really matters is whether it's on strategy. A lot of time is spent in meetings about deliverables when it can be better be spent on coming up with stronger ideas. A lot of time is spent on worrying about being politically correct when the focus should be on effectiveness.
Now don't get me wrong, details matter. Details are what separate the good from the great. But when you devote that much time and worrying to the details, you can lose sight of the big picture. And in the end, the message matters more than the execution.
In portfolio school we were told again and again that concept is king. CONCEPT IS KING. If worrying about the wording and the colors and the logo size and any of those other details takes away from the concept, then something is wrong. And that's not me being a creative, fighting for my craft. That's me understanding that the concept, the message, is what's doing the heavy lifting.
So the next time you catch yourself worrying about the little things, stop and ask yourself if it's really that important in the grand scheme of things. Choose to spend your time and talents on making the message better instead of wasting it worrying about all the little things that consumers may or may not notice in the end. After all, at the end of the day all that matters is whether or not consumers understand the message.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
On Briefs
Briefs make or break assignments. Seriously. They are that important.
But a lot of times it feels like writing the brief is an afterthought. The one thing is actually ten things. The strategy doesn't exist. The creatives have no insight to work off of. I think a lot of times we aren't sure what is helpful to include in the brief. So instead of leaving out something that may somehow possibly spark something, we include it. And we end up with a three page brief full of useless information. So how do we make briefs better?
Keep them short and to the point. And frame them around the problem the client needs solved.
Here are a couple strategies I've come across on a brief lately:
"Stop guessing and give that special person something he or she will REALLY want - a gift card."
"________ is pleased to introduce ________ as the newest member of our family of products. ________ is another solution to make your mealtime quick and easy. It utilizes ________ technology which allows customers to have a delicious, fully-cooked meal in four minutes. No need to boil water, no fuss and no clean up."
Neither of these help frame a problem that needs to be solved for the client.
In middle school and high school I participated in a program called Future Problem Solvers*. It was an international competition** around solving real world problems. There were six steps in the problem solving process. I sometimes find myself using these same steps when I'm trying to tackle an assignment.
Step 1: Identify Challenges Analyze the situation and identify the challenges. With advertising, this step comes from listening and working with the client. What problems are they facing that need to be solved? Do they need to push a certain product? Improve their customer service? Do damage control? Promote good will?
Step 2: Select an Underlying Problem Select the most important challenge to solve. Out of all the clients ideas or concerns, what is the one most important issue that the agency can help them tackle at this time?
Step 3: Produce Solution Ideas Produce solutions that will solve the underlying problem. Come up with solutions for the client. It might be a TV campaign. It might be cause branding. Maybe it's a microsite. Or maybe it's simply sitting down with them and redefining their company's goals.
Step 4: Generate and Select Criteria Generate criteria and that evaluate the potential or merit of the different solutions.
Step 5: Apply criteria Use the criteria to evaluate the most promising solutions. How will we measure our solutions? How well do the solutions we're providing answer the concerns of the client?
Step 6: Develop an Action Plan Improve upon the best solution and describe the actions necessary for the implementation of the solution. How do we execute our solutions?
The brief is steps 1 and 2. The brief needs to state what the problem is in the most distinct way possible. In the competition we had to phrase our underlying problems with "In what ways might we" or "How might we" to keep it open ended and simple.
So for the gift card example above it might be "How might we promote our company's gift cards?" With the new product example, it might be "In what ways might we show customers how quick and easy using ________ makes mealtime?"
Phrasing the challenge in this manner allows all the departments within the agency to tackle the problem through their area of expertise. Media might have a unique take on the most effective places to reach people looking for convenience at mealtime. PR might have ideas on garnering support through the media partnerships focused on quick and easy meals. Creative might not be limited to print and TV but focus their efforts to placements in grocery stores and outside fast food places.
The point is to keep the brief simple and relevant. Don't bog it down with unnecessary information. Provide customer and client insight and provide the problem we need to tackle. Then let's figure out how to solve that problem.
*Ms. Fite would be so proud that I remember all this.
**I got 6th place internationally, in case you're interested.
But a lot of times it feels like writing the brief is an afterthought. The one thing is actually ten things. The strategy doesn't exist. The creatives have no insight to work off of. I think a lot of times we aren't sure what is helpful to include in the brief. So instead of leaving out something that may somehow possibly spark something, we include it. And we end up with a three page brief full of useless information. So how do we make briefs better?
Keep them short and to the point. And frame them around the problem the client needs solved.
Here are a couple strategies I've come across on a brief lately:
"Stop guessing and give that special person something he or she will REALLY want - a gift card."
"________ is pleased to introduce ________ as the newest member of our family of products. ________ is another solution to make your mealtime quick and easy. It utilizes ________ technology which allows customers to have a delicious, fully-cooked meal in four minutes. No need to boil water, no fuss and no clean up."
Neither of these help frame a problem that needs to be solved for the client.
In middle school and high school I participated in a program called Future Problem Solvers*. It was an international competition** around solving real world problems. There were six steps in the problem solving process. I sometimes find myself using these same steps when I'm trying to tackle an assignment.
Step 1: Identify Challenges Analyze the situation and identify the challenges. With advertising, this step comes from listening and working with the client. What problems are they facing that need to be solved? Do they need to push a certain product? Improve their customer service? Do damage control? Promote good will?
Step 2: Select an Underlying Problem Select the most important challenge to solve. Out of all the clients ideas or concerns, what is the one most important issue that the agency can help them tackle at this time?
Step 3: Produce Solution Ideas Produce solutions that will solve the underlying problem. Come up with solutions for the client. It might be a TV campaign. It might be cause branding. Maybe it's a microsite. Or maybe it's simply sitting down with them and redefining their company's goals.
Step 4: Generate and Select Criteria Generate criteria and that evaluate the potential or merit of the different solutions.
Step 5: Apply criteria Use the criteria to evaluate the most promising solutions. How will we measure our solutions? How well do the solutions we're providing answer the concerns of the client?
Step 6: Develop an Action Plan Improve upon the best solution and describe the actions necessary for the implementation of the solution. How do we execute our solutions?
The brief is steps 1 and 2. The brief needs to state what the problem is in the most distinct way possible. In the competition we had to phrase our underlying problems with "In what ways might we" or "How might we" to keep it open ended and simple.
So for the gift card example above it might be "How might we promote our company's gift cards?" With the new product example, it might be "In what ways might we show customers how quick and easy using ________ makes mealtime?"
Phrasing the challenge in this manner allows all the departments within the agency to tackle the problem through their area of expertise. Media might have a unique take on the most effective places to reach people looking for convenience at mealtime. PR might have ideas on garnering support through the media partnerships focused on quick and easy meals. Creative might not be limited to print and TV but focus their efforts to placements in grocery stores and outside fast food places.
The point is to keep the brief simple and relevant. Don't bog it down with unnecessary information. Provide customer and client insight and provide the problem we need to tackle. Then let's figure out how to solve that problem.
*Ms. Fite would be so proud that I remember all this.
**I got 6th place internationally, in case you're interested.
On Collaboration
I've got this strange idea to change things up. Let's collaborate. I mean actually collaborate.
A lot of agencies are so compartmentalized that collaboration doesn't exist. Account service does their job then passes it off to media who does their job who passes it off to creative who does their job and in the end you have an execution that may or may not be good, but it does the job. Would the results be different if instead of passing the job from department to department we all collaborated on it to find the best solution? I think so.
What if the second a client handed us a problem (as in this product isn't selling enough or we want to run this promotion but don't know how to market is) we all got together to find the solution? What if we all had a say every step of the way. Creative helps with strategy and media. Media helps with creative. You get the point.
Not only would this be a more efficient process, but I'm pretty certain it would also net better results. Better creative. Better media purchases. And even perhaps happier clients.
A lot of agencies are so compartmentalized that collaboration doesn't exist. Account service does their job then passes it off to media who does their job who passes it off to creative who does their job and in the end you have an execution that may or may not be good, but it does the job. Would the results be different if instead of passing the job from department to department we all collaborated on it to find the best solution? I think so.
What if the second a client handed us a problem (as in this product isn't selling enough or we want to run this promotion but don't know how to market is) we all got together to find the solution? What if we all had a say every step of the way. Creative helps with strategy and media. Media helps with creative. You get the point.
Not only would this be a more efficient process, but I'm pretty certain it would also net better results. Better creative. Better media purchases. And even perhaps happier clients.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
On Rebranding
Whether you're rebranding yourself, your company or your product I have one simple piece of advice:
Quit talking about what you what to accomplish and GO DO IT.
Seriously, if you're rebranding yourself just do it. Who do you want to be? Successful? Enroll in classes. Healthy? Hit the gym. Happy? Do the things that make you happy.
Same goes for a company. If you want to be an interactive agency you have to learn, and more importantly embrace interactive. You can't just say it's who you are – you actually have to do it. You want to be a creative shop? Awesome. Quit talking about it and start fighting for it. Fight to come up with the best ideas, fight to produce innovative work and fight to sell fresh thinking. Talking about being a creative agency and actually being a creative agency are two completely different things. No, you can't rebrand the company over night. No, it won't be an easy thing to do. It'll take restructuring. It'll take commitment. It'll take a new perspective on things. But if it's what you really want to be as a company then do it.
Talking is the easy part. Actually doing it is where you'll find your results. Simple as that.
Quit talking about what you what to accomplish and GO DO IT.
Seriously, if you're rebranding yourself just do it. Who do you want to be? Successful? Enroll in classes. Healthy? Hit the gym. Happy? Do the things that make you happy.
Same goes for a company. If you want to be an interactive agency you have to learn, and more importantly embrace interactive. You can't just say it's who you are – you actually have to do it. You want to be a creative shop? Awesome. Quit talking about it and start fighting for it. Fight to come up with the best ideas, fight to produce innovative work and fight to sell fresh thinking. Talking about being a creative agency and actually being a creative agency are two completely different things. No, you can't rebrand the company over night. No, it won't be an easy thing to do. It'll take restructuring. It'll take commitment. It'll take a new perspective on things. But if it's what you really want to be as a company then do it.
Talking is the easy part. Actually doing it is where you'll find your results. Simple as that.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
On Iowa
John Kinsella might be the dumbest fictional character ever. Who in their right mind would confuse Iowa with heaven?
I recently spent 36 hours in small town Iowa. It was supposed to be 48 hours but I thought it best to leave the first chance I had. Now, I'm sure Iowa is a fine state. Wikipedia tells me that it's the Food Capital of the World because of its insanely large agricultural impact. It's also apparently one of the safest states to live in. And we have Iowa to thank for Johnny Carson, Buffalo Bill Cody, Ashton Kutcher, John Wayne and Elijah Wood. So the state definitely has some things to hang its hat on. But it still isn't a place that should be easily confused with heaven.
The Iowa I visited taught me a few things I'd like to pass along. Here's what I learned.
1. The words "pray for me" act as a period, ending any thought. Examples include, "I'm running to the restroom, pray for me" and "I'm going to turn on the coffee machine, pray for me." How would I best use this lovely new punctuation? "I'm in Iowa, pray for me."
2. Neon colored windbreakers are still cool. Especially if you're female, 60 and hanging at the bar on a Sunday night.
3. Skunk odor neutralizes manure odor. Don't ask, just accept that it's true.
4. Pizza is the only food you can eat on a Sunday night. All restaurants are closed, except the six pizza places.
5. Eminem "songs" anger the locals. As do songs about Barack Obama.
6. Happy Hour is from 9am to 11am. Yes, you read that right.
7. There's not much to see in Iowa. You know, unless you think miles and miles of farmland is something worth seeing.
And the last important thing I learned, perhaps the most important of them all is...
8. Iowa makes Missouri look cool. 'Nuff said.
Like I said, I'm sure Iowa is a fine state. I'm sure some people love it. I'm also sure that I am not one of those people. And I'm pretty sure I'm not headed back any time soon.
I recently spent 36 hours in small town Iowa. It was supposed to be 48 hours but I thought it best to leave the first chance I had. Now, I'm sure Iowa is a fine state. Wikipedia tells me that it's the Food Capital of the World because of its insanely large agricultural impact. It's also apparently one of the safest states to live in. And we have Iowa to thank for Johnny Carson, Buffalo Bill Cody, Ashton Kutcher, John Wayne and Elijah Wood. So the state definitely has some things to hang its hat on. But it still isn't a place that should be easily confused with heaven.
The Iowa I visited taught me a few things I'd like to pass along. Here's what I learned.
1. The words "pray for me" act as a period, ending any thought. Examples include, "I'm running to the restroom, pray for me" and "I'm going to turn on the coffee machine, pray for me." How would I best use this lovely new punctuation? "I'm in Iowa, pray for me."
2. Neon colored windbreakers are still cool. Especially if you're female, 60 and hanging at the bar on a Sunday night.
3. Skunk odor neutralizes manure odor. Don't ask, just accept that it's true.
4. Pizza is the only food you can eat on a Sunday night. All restaurants are closed, except the six pizza places.
5. Eminem "songs" anger the locals. As do songs about Barack Obama.
6. Happy Hour is from 9am to 11am. Yes, you read that right.
7. There's not much to see in Iowa. You know, unless you think miles and miles of farmland is something worth seeing.
And the last important thing I learned, perhaps the most important of them all is...
8. Iowa makes Missouri look cool. 'Nuff said.
Like I said, I'm sure Iowa is a fine state. I'm sure some people love it. I'm also sure that I am not one of those people. And I'm pretty sure I'm not headed back any time soon.
Friday, March 12, 2010
On Knowing Your Role
Art directors art direct.
Copywriters write.
Designers design.
Creative directors direct the creative.
It's not rocket science. And yet somehow people seem so easily confused by it all.
Know your role.
Art directors art direct. If you're an art director, you're allowed to have opinions about the writing. But, you aren't the writer. You weren't hired to be the expert on writing. Know that. Accept that.
Copywriters write. If you're a copywriter, you will surely have opinions about the art direction. Good for you. Share them. But then trust the art director, you know, the one hired for their art direction expertise.
Designers design. If you're partnered with a writer, let them write. If the design calls for a shorter headline, ask the writer to shorten the headline. Don't take it upon yourself to rewrite it. Because you're a designer, not a writer.
Creative Directors. This one's a little more tricky because they have the background of either art direction or writing but are supposed to be proficient in both. Or at least proficient enough to know what's good. So Creative Directors direct. They offer advice, direction and insight on the writing, art direction and design. Because their job is to spot a good idea and help make it a better one.
Honestly, I think it'd be best to be proficient in all of these things. We are an industry that works in teams, so you should be knowledgeable enough to form opinions about the whole spectrum of the project. I'm an art director who is never short on opinions about the writing. But you know what? At the end of the day I accept that the writers were hired as such because they're damn good writers. If I were a better writer than them, I would've been hired as a writer too.
Copywriters write.
Designers design.
Creative directors direct the creative.
It's not rocket science. And yet somehow people seem so easily confused by it all.
Know your role.
Art directors art direct. If you're an art director, you're allowed to have opinions about the writing. But, you aren't the writer. You weren't hired to be the expert on writing. Know that. Accept that.
Copywriters write. If you're a copywriter, you will surely have opinions about the art direction. Good for you. Share them. But then trust the art director, you know, the one hired for their art direction expertise.
Designers design. If you're partnered with a writer, let them write. If the design calls for a shorter headline, ask the writer to shorten the headline. Don't take it upon yourself to rewrite it. Because you're a designer, not a writer.
Creative Directors. This one's a little more tricky because they have the background of either art direction or writing but are supposed to be proficient in both. Or at least proficient enough to know what's good. So Creative Directors direct. They offer advice, direction and insight on the writing, art direction and design. Because their job is to spot a good idea and help make it a better one.
Honestly, I think it'd be best to be proficient in all of these things. We are an industry that works in teams, so you should be knowledgeable enough to form opinions about the whole spectrum of the project. I'm an art director who is never short on opinions about the writing. But you know what? At the end of the day I accept that the writers were hired as such because they're damn good writers. If I were a better writer than them, I would've been hired as a writer too.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
On Awesome Things
A quick post on awesomeness. Because sometimes we need to be reminded that life is indeed awesome.
Every morning I read a bunch of blogs to get caught up on all things advertising-related and non-advertising-related. My favorite blog to check daily just might be 1000 Awesome Things.
Why is it my favorite? Because it's awesome.
Some of my favorite awesome things from the blog include, but aren't limited to:
• Locking people out of the car and pretending to drive away
• Sleeping in new bed sheets
• Planning for snoozes I do this every morning to get my three snoozes in.
• Watching ‘The Price Is Right’ when you’re at home sick
• Getting in a line just before it gets really long
• Finding out your birthday is on a Friday or Saturday next year This year mine's on a Friday. In three Fridays to be exact!
• The smell of freshly cut grass
• The moment at a restaurant after you see your food coming from the kitchen and before it lands on your table
• The moment at a concert when the crowd figures out what song they’re playing
• Coming back to your own bed after a long trip
• Learning a new keyboard shortcut My mom was super excited about learning the keyboard command to make heart icons this week. Sadly, she now uses one in EVERY Facebook status update.
• When you’re in the fastest moving lane in a traffic jam
Awesomeness is everywhere people!
Every morning I read a bunch of blogs to get caught up on all things advertising-related and non-advertising-related. My favorite blog to check daily just might be 1000 Awesome Things.
Why is it my favorite? Because it's awesome.
Some of my favorite awesome things from the blog include, but aren't limited to:
• Locking people out of the car and pretending to drive away
• Sleeping in new bed sheets
• Planning for snoozes I do this every morning to get my three snoozes in.
• Watching ‘The Price Is Right’ when you’re at home sick
• Getting in a line just before it gets really long
• Finding out your birthday is on a Friday or Saturday next year This year mine's on a Friday. In three Fridays to be exact!
• The smell of freshly cut grass
• The moment at a restaurant after you see your food coming from the kitchen and before it lands on your table
• The moment at a concert when the crowd figures out what song they’re playing
• Coming back to your own bed after a long trip
• Learning a new keyboard shortcut My mom was super excited about learning the keyboard command to make heart icons this week. Sadly, she now uses one in EVERY Facebook status update.
• When you’re in the fastest moving lane in a traffic jam
Awesomeness is everywhere people!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
On The New Zappos Spot
My agency worked on the Zappos pitch when they were looking for a new agency. Yes, that pitch.
We didn't have the terrible experience that most other agencies were complaining about. We weren't asked to be in the pitch, but we went for it anyway. We submitted our RFP and were asked to move forward. We made it through the first round of pitches. But then we were left behind. And Zappos chose Mullen as their agency. Which made me happy for both Mullen and Zappos because it seemed like a great partnership. I have a lot of respect for both and couldn't wait for the creative to hit the airwaves or wherever it would eventually drop.
This week it dropped. And I love it. You can watch the first spot here.
I love it because I know the brief. Zappos wanted to showcase their customer service and they wanted to push more than just shoes. And yes, it's Crank Yankers, but I don't mind. Crank Yankers is funny. It's distinct. And now this campaign is too. But even more, this campaign is the Zappos brand. Real, honest, fun.
Just playing audio from their excellent customer service reps would've probably gone unnoticed. But Mullen found a way to take those calls and make them eye-catching.
I look forward to seeing more from Mullen and Zappos in the future.
We didn't have the terrible experience that most other agencies were complaining about. We weren't asked to be in the pitch, but we went for it anyway. We submitted our RFP and were asked to move forward. We made it through the first round of pitches. But then we were left behind. And Zappos chose Mullen as their agency. Which made me happy for both Mullen and Zappos because it seemed like a great partnership. I have a lot of respect for both and couldn't wait for the creative to hit the airwaves or wherever it would eventually drop.
This week it dropped. And I love it. You can watch the first spot here.
I love it because I know the brief. Zappos wanted to showcase their customer service and they wanted to push more than just shoes. And yes, it's Crank Yankers, but I don't mind. Crank Yankers is funny. It's distinct. And now this campaign is too. But even more, this campaign is the Zappos brand. Real, honest, fun.
Just playing audio from their excellent customer service reps would've probably gone unnoticed. But Mullen found a way to take those calls and make them eye-catching.
I look forward to seeing more from Mullen and Zappos in the future.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
On Risk and Reward
I'm not at all surprised the new Dominos campaign is making them money. You can read about its successes here, here and here. And I'm equally not surprised that Crispin is behind the campaign.
Now, I don't think it's the greatest campaign ever. It's not even Crispin's best work. But it definitely is one of the best social media campaigns out there today. And that probably has a lot to do with why Domino's numbers are going up.
Consumers want a say. They want to know they're being listened to. And they want products and services that back up the promises made to them. Highlighting that whole consumer-brand relationship on a national level reassures consumers that they're being taken seriously. It's genius.
But the most impressive part about this campaign? The fact it exists at all.
About six months ago, my writer and I came up with a similar campaign for one of our clients that didn't even make it out the agency door. I don't blame the agency for this, because I know how risky a move the campaign would've been. It's incredibly ballsy to build a campaign based on customer feedback, highlighting (and then hopefully addressing) the problems of your company in the national spotlight. It's a huge risk. But, as evidenced by the Domino's campaign, it can get results.
So bravo to Crispin for believing in the idea and taking the risk of presenting it to the client. And bravo to Domino's for seeing its merit and moving forward with it.
Now, I don't think it's the greatest campaign ever. It's not even Crispin's best work. But it definitely is one of the best social media campaigns out there today. And that probably has a lot to do with why Domino's numbers are going up.
Consumers want a say. They want to know they're being listened to. And they want products and services that back up the promises made to them. Highlighting that whole consumer-brand relationship on a national level reassures consumers that they're being taken seriously. It's genius.
But the most impressive part about this campaign? The fact it exists at all.
About six months ago, my writer and I came up with a similar campaign for one of our clients that didn't even make it out the agency door. I don't blame the agency for this, because I know how risky a move the campaign would've been. It's incredibly ballsy to build a campaign based on customer feedback, highlighting (and then hopefully addressing) the problems of your company in the national spotlight. It's a huge risk. But, as evidenced by the Domino's campaign, it can get results.
So bravo to Crispin for believing in the idea and taking the risk of presenting it to the client. And bravo to Domino's for seeing its merit and moving forward with it.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
On Getting Out What You Put In
An interesting debate is going on about portfolio schools, particularly Chicago Portfolio School, over at AgencySpy. You can read up on it here.
I had to chime in because I think the debate ties back to the industry as a whole. You aren't going to get anywhere in this field without passion. Without drive. My response to the comment thread is below:
I attended CPS in 2006. Was it the perfect program? No. Was it perfect for me? Yes.
Any portfolio school operates on the principle that you'll get out of it what you put into it. And if you choose to forgo portfolio school, that same principle applies.
My quarter at CPS had about 14 students. Not all of us are working in the industry today, but our collective agency roster over the past few years includes Crispin, Hill Holliday, Barkley, Cutwater, DraftFCB, Cramer-Krasselt, DDB and others I'm sure I'm leaving off. I interned at Crispin with two other CPS alums and am currently at a non-Chicago agency with another two.
My point is that every school is going to have students with stellar books and students with terrible books. It's the nature of the business. Not everyone is cut out to be a creative. But I believe CPS does an excellent job of linking students to the resources and tools they need to make it into the business. It's up to students to decide how badly they want it.
I think it's funny how quickly people forget what it takes to not only get into this industry but to survive in advertising at all. Not everyone is cut out for this gig. Simple as that.
I had to chime in because I think the debate ties back to the industry as a whole. You aren't going to get anywhere in this field without passion. Without drive. My response to the comment thread is below:
I attended CPS in 2006. Was it the perfect program? No. Was it perfect for me? Yes.
Any portfolio school operates on the principle that you'll get out of it what you put into it. And if you choose to forgo portfolio school, that same principle applies.
My quarter at CPS had about 14 students. Not all of us are working in the industry today, but our collective agency roster over the past few years includes Crispin, Hill Holliday, Barkley, Cutwater, DraftFCB, Cramer-Krasselt, DDB and others I'm sure I'm leaving off. I interned at Crispin with two other CPS alums and am currently at a non-Chicago agency with another two.
My point is that every school is going to have students with stellar books and students with terrible books. It's the nature of the business. Not everyone is cut out to be a creative. But I believe CPS does an excellent job of linking students to the resources and tools they need to make it into the business. It's up to students to decide how badly they want it.
I think it's funny how quickly people forget what it takes to not only get into this industry but to survive in advertising at all. Not everyone is cut out for this gig. Simple as that.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
On the Challenge
I didn't choose a career in advertising for the lifestyle. I didn't choose it so the world could see my work. I didn't choose it for the travel, perks or awards. Don't get me wrong, I like all that stuff, it's just not why I got into this business.
Instead I chose this career for the challenge. Truth be told, this doesn't come easy to me. And that's why I like it.
I'm an intelligent person. I graduated with honors in both high school and college, and I did it all with minimal effort. I coasted through both without a lot of challenges. And it bored me.
But advertising and design? Not so easy. Not so boring. Each brief is a puzzle needing to be solved. A puzzle that has many different solutions just waiting to be uncovered. Truths waiting to be discovered. Insights waiting to be brought to the forefront. And that's where the fun is.
Most consumers don't understand what all goes into ads. All they see are the thousands of capitalistic intrusions that bombard them each and every day. Or they see the romanticized version of the industry portrayed on both the big screen and the flat screen. But they don't ever see the hard work. They don't see the passion. They don't see the puzzle. And that's alright.
It's alright because it doesn't diminish it for us. The fun of the challenge is still there for us to enjoy. And as long as the challenge remains in this industry, I will too.
Instead I chose this career for the challenge. Truth be told, this doesn't come easy to me. And that's why I like it.
I'm an intelligent person. I graduated with honors in both high school and college, and I did it all with minimal effort. I coasted through both without a lot of challenges. And it bored me.
But advertising and design? Not so easy. Not so boring. Each brief is a puzzle needing to be solved. A puzzle that has many different solutions just waiting to be uncovered. Truths waiting to be discovered. Insights waiting to be brought to the forefront. And that's where the fun is.
Most consumers don't understand what all goes into ads. All they see are the thousands of capitalistic intrusions that bombard them each and every day. Or they see the romanticized version of the industry portrayed on both the big screen and the flat screen. But they don't ever see the hard work. They don't see the passion. They don't see the puzzle. And that's alright.
It's alright because it doesn't diminish it for us. The fun of the challenge is still there for us to enjoy. And as long as the challenge remains in this industry, I will too.
On the Agency-Client Relationship
As a follow-up to my last post, there needs to be trust between the agency and the client for relevant, inspiring work to be created. I'll keep this post short and sweet because it's a relatively easy thing to grasp.
Trust comes from respect. So agencies, don't chase after clients and brands you don't respect. Nothing good will come of it. And clients, don't work with agencies you don't respect. Agencies are supposed to be the advertising and marketing experts. If you don't see them as such, why would you hire them to do your advertising? If there isn't respect, there isn't trust. And if there isn't trust the work won't be good.
That's it. Simple as that.
Monday, March 1, 2010
On Trust
Trust is what makes or breaks agencies. Trust between the client and the agency. Trust between account service and creative. Trust between those at the top calling the shots and those at the bottom doing the work. That last one may be the most crucial. Because those at the top have the experience, but those at the bottom have the savvy.
Unlike in most industries, experience isn't the most important thing in advertising. Experience doesn't make you the best. It doesn't make you the smartest. And it sure as hell doesn't make you the most creative. It does however make you experienced.
Experience teaches you what flies and what doesn't. It teaches you how to roll with the punches. It teaches you the art of persuasion, how to handle clients and how production works. And that is all extremely important stuff to know.
Now savvy is just as important. Knowing the technology, being immersed in pop culture and finding unique ways to communicate with consumers is what modern advertising is all about. It isn't about print ads and TV spots. It's about social media. It's about having conversations. It's about bringing a brand to life. That's all relatively new stuff. And it's stuff that those just now embarking in their advertising careers are experts at.
So back to trust. Trust is born out of respect. As newbies to the industry we need to respect the experience that those at the top bring to the table. And as leaders in the industry, those people calling the shots, you need to respect the savvy that the young creatives contribute.
There's room at the table for both experience and savvy. One single creative doesn't have all the answers. One single opinion isn't the know all end all. Advertising is a collaborative effort. And I think most of us need to learn to both trust and respect all the talent and expertise at our fingertips.
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