I’ve written about this before, but I’d like to talk about how W+K can make you feel great and bloody terrible at the same time.
To explain this, I have to take you on a bit of a journey …
I’ve been doing this planning game for quite a long time.
Thanks to some good luck and the odd dollop of good fortune, I’ve been able to work with a whole host of great people, clients and agencies which over the years, has resulted in me being able to put my name against some relatively well known ideas and advertising.
Now because of this – and the fact I’d turn up to the opening of an envelope – I get invited to speak at conferences all over the place.
While I’d love to think I’m chosen because of my devastating intelligence, wit and good looks – I know the real reason is because organisers love to see me either generate some audience participation … start a fight … or go down like Monica Lewinsky.
[Or in exceptional cases, all 3 at once]
Then there’s this blog.
Despite writing the same old bollocks for years, I’ve had a steadily increasing number of people check it out, as well as a static number of people popping by to insult me.
While I knew I was never anything special, I did feel my career trajectory was continually on the rise and that made me feel good – not for ego reasons – but because underneath it all, I genuinely had [and have] a desire to put something back into the industry that has given me a bloody good life [so far] as well as try and stop what I believe are ‘decisions of stupidity’ by way too many agencies and individuals within them.
Then in July I started at W+K and it all changed.
By that, I mean I suddenly – and relatively speaking – became ‘popular’.
Now I was getting invited to conferences that were bigger and in more glamouress locations than I’d ever experienced and my blog saw big increases in the number of people coming along [but still the same old commentators, ha] and yet the only thing that had changed between July 15th and July 16th was that I had the initials W+K associated with my name.
Now while I am very happy to be flown to the US, South Africa and Australia to spout my nonsense, I genuinely believe if my Mum went instead of me and gave a speech entitled “how to make pasta the W+K way” people would still walk away feeling happy.
Of course this is testimony to how good Dan – and his people – are, but it’s also pretty depressing … not just because people seemingly judge others only by the company they keep but, from a personal perspective, they place zero value on what I – and anyone else representing W+K – have done for the last 20 years when in reality, it’s what we’ve done for the last 20 years that is what has got us here in the first place.
And that is one of the things I genuinely feel is wrong with adland at the moment.
No, not that the industry doesn’t appreciate my awesomeness [ahem] … I mean the fact we’re all running for the next big thing without ever actually realising what has gone on in the past and what is worth holding on to.
We deal too much in what not why … and while knowing stuff doesn’t mean everything in the future will follow the same path, if we’re not even willing to try and understand the factors that help influence outcomes [all factors, from people to distribution etc etc], then we’re destined to the same sort of disappointment Kim Kardashian will face in about 20 years when she looks into the mirror.
W+K is a fantastic place that does amazing work – but it’s not achieved because of any processes or proprietary tools – it’s because the company is built on specific values, beliefs and people … people who have a myriad of life experiences that go way beyond just adland … and that’s why I feel I get the last laugh when I now speak at conferences, because while the attendees hope I’ll spend ages rabbiting on about W+K and our work, I actually talk about life and if you’re one of the guys attending Sydney’s Creative Circus, you’ll find out why I believe that’s the most important thing for all of adland to focus on.