One thing [another thing?] that really fucks me off are planners who are obsessed with being regarded as ‘intellectual heavyweights’.
The books … the associations … the language … the references … the speaking engagements …
WANK. WANK. WANK.
What makes it even more annoying is that rather than focus on trying to do something that people – real people, not ad groupies and wannabe’s – think is smart, their goal is simply to be labeled as a genius.
TWATS. TWATS. TWATS.
OK, so there are some planners who are genuine geniuses [you can tell because they don’t make a fucking big song and dance out of it] and there are some guys who just find the pursuit of high-end knowledge really bloody interesting – however in the main, planners are supposed to be able to understand and relate and adapt to all segments of the masses, so if they have their head permanently stuck up their arse – or think no other group or lifestyle is as interesting or as important – the chances of them actually understanding what the real issues and opportunities are, is minimal and so everyone ends up losing.
And don’t give me any of this ‘but they could offer a smarter perspective’ bollocks.
What is a ‘smarter perspective’ anyway?
If I had to be specific, I’d say it’s when someone has an interesting approach to a particular issue – but that doesn’t mean ignoring the situation, it’s about really understanding it, which requires empathy with the audience, not distain.
Maybe I’m an old fuck, but if anything is ‘intelligent’, it’s when someone does [emphasis on ‘does’] something clever that not only shows a deep appreciation of the challenge, the audience and the opportunity but can somehow pull it all together and nurture the wider team to create something that infiltrates society because it’s relevant, resonant, interesting, exciting, energetic and effective … which is why I would put people like Mark Sareff, NP & Gareth, Jason, Age etc [and there’s a lot of ‘etc’s’] ahead of many of the crop of adlands ‘egghead’ planners, even though I am sure many of them are decent human beings and have done great things.
[Sorry if the guys listed think they’re geniuses, maybe they are and I’m just uber-shit at seeing it in such glowing terms]
To paraphrase David Ogilvy, the masses aren’t irrelevant or uninteresting, they’re your mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives and kids – so for those wannabe planning professors, my advice to you is to pull your head in and remember doing clever things is going to make you look much smarter than just talking about it … especially when what you’re saying is basically a repeat of what someone else has already said, which you highlight by not being able to relate the ‘nugget of genius’ to any other real life situation or scenario.
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PS: Please note this post relates to people currently employed as planners … the reality is I’m far more inspired by people who aren’t even employed in advertising, let alone planning … and for some reason, quite a few of them come and insult me on this blog. They know – and you know – who they are.