Following Marcus’ post about too many people mirroring their icons rather than expressing their own views … I got thinking and realised that while this industry talks about embracing varieties of opinion, in reality it tends to rely on ‘safe intelligence’ – which is possibly why so many people trying to get into the industry say what they think the person opposite them wants to hear, rather than what they truly believe.
And hey, who can blame them.
Even with my track record at some of the most recognised creative greatest agencies in the World, there was a period in my working life where I couldn’t get a job for love nor money … and without doubt, the main reason was because I expressed opinions that were dramatically different to the management of the agencies I was seeing. [I was labelled a ‘trouble maker’ – best compliment I’ve ever had!]
Sure it all worked out in the end because I started cynic [as opposed to selling out my principals and joining an agency with a ‘name’ but no vision] but there was a time where I got so despondent, I started regretting having only worked at ‘maverick’ agencies … when in reality what HHCL, Mother and Crispins had taught me was the importance of seeking, encouraging and embracing all forms of opinion – because with insight [and a chunk of intelligent bravery] you could move the culture not just the category.
Anyway, for what it is worth, I thought I’d write about what I look for in a colleague and what I think we are expected to do as professional comms people. I have no idea if it will help anyone – and I acknowledge my ‘criteria’ may be quite different to what others seek – but I just want to encourage people to be true to themselves, not just the ‘trends’ being spouted by the planners in the blogging community.
From my point of view, there are 4 things more important than practical experience or excessive intellectualism [ha!] …
1 Empathy [the ability to truly relate and understand the needs/wants/fears/loves etc of people – not just the specific consumer category]
2 Ingenuity [the ability to discover new ways to do/explore/prove/understand ‘stuff’]
3 Opinion [having one – preferably because of what you’ve done in numbers 1 and 2]
4 Action [doing stuff, rather than just saying stuff]
I like people who have lived life – not just a lifestyle – people who have experienced highs, lows, crap jobs, great jobs … stuff other than JUST advertising! Of course academic knowledge of adland is valuable – but interms of relating to a Mum with 3 kids who survives on $100 per week, it can often be more of a hindrance than a strength.
We recently hired an ex-IKEA Children’s bed designer and made him a planner because he knew more about kids than any researcher or ad person we’d ever met. Sure he was nervous about joining because he wasn’t sure if what he said would be relevant – but our view was [and is] that he’d soon learn if he spoke bollocks [we’re not backward at being forward] and in all likelihood, he’d be teaching us really interesting stuff which is always a joy.
I should also point out I believe our job IS to make clients rich … however I believe success comes from understanding and appreciating the masses … which is why I encourage my teams to always look for ways that can/will motivate people to act in our clients short AND long term interests [short term = sales / long term = brand value] whilst also adding some REAL benefit to them. My attitude is that motivating ideas are out there, you just have to have the ability to see them, understand them and action them.
At the end of the day, success in communication is about being relevant and resonant – which is why I like people who are human beings who happens to work/want-to-work in adland, rather than adpeople who happen to frequent in humanland.
If you want to be a management consultant then go learn the a bunch of ‘business terms’, if you want to be a planner, then go and live life and then tell me what you know and think.
Power from the people to give it back to the people …