I like using my brain … admittedly it’s not particularly great … but with the brilliant people around me, it’s ‘kept on its toes’ so doesn’t get overly tired, lazy or boring.
Why am I saying this?
Because I am sad about how little ‘thinking’ is going on in adland these days.
No, I don’t just mean from planners [more of that in a future post] but in all areas of the industry … including suits, creatives and researchers.
Maybe it is luck or attitude, but over the years – as part of our solution to clients business problems and/or specialist projects – we’ve been involved in such things as the design of jumbo jet interiors, creating [non-harmful] military weaponry, identifying new distribution channels, creating the positioning for an international space agency, imagining how televisions of the future could look, developing food* and beer brands, dreaming up television content and making toys to name but a few.
And unashamedly I am proud of that fact because while many agencies talk about creating media neutral, business problem solving ‘ideas’ – I can say we’ve done it and continue to try and do it.
I’m not slagging off traditional media channels/solutions – far from it – I am just saying that too often ad agencies think the solution IS traditional advertising when in reality, it’s what you do to communicate your ‘motivating idea’ to the masses.
Anyway I’ve gone on and on about this issue in the past, [quick recap: move culture not categories] so I’ll get to the point of this post.
Today we got a brief that ‘Mr Self Proclaimed Idea’ would probably wet his knickers over to even touch, let alone work on ….
“From the ground up, create a motorbike [for country ‘X’] that will create mass consumer demand”
Now THAT is a brief … that is a fucking exciting and brilliant brief [no I can’t tell you who it is yet Arun!] … and it demonstrates that if you live by what you say rather than say just what is fashionable, then great opportunities will come.
This is what advertising and planning should be about – using your brain to make great things happen because of insight, imagination and bravery. It’s not that hard to do … it’s just a matter of mindset and collaboration … yet in many companies, it seems splitting the atom with a hammer would be easier!
So if your brain is in danger of turning to mush where you are working, then I ask you to fight for it … because not only do you, your clients and society deserve it … but because you’ll help stop Network CEO’s like big Kev [above] from crying at night as the smaller agencies around the World continue to humiliate them and with their screaming PR machines of hot-air.
🙂
* Mr M … your Northern Tea, Cream and Digestive Biscuit ice cream gets tested next week. Andy say’s it’s wicked so fingers crossed!