Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Insight, Meetings
For reasons I’m not entirely sure, I am on some planner group on Facebook.
To be honest, I tend to ignore it because the last thing I want to do is cultivate even more of a planner bubble than there already is.
However a few weeks ago, I read something that I couldn’t ignore. It was this:
Anyone have any good interview questions (thought-experiments, creative challenges, brain teasers) that have helped you identify good intern/junior planner candidates?
To be honest, I was kind of alarmed by it.
I was even more freaked out by the responses some people gave.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their own approach – but this person is looking for an intern or, at best, a junior planner – so using some kids quiz to evaluate potential seems a bit harsh when I believe the most important criteria you should be looking for is character and attitude.
For that reason, I responded with this:
Don’t ask questions about planning. Ask them about what their chip on their shoulder is. How long they’ve had their best friend. What have they committed to despite moments of hating it. Don’t ask about planner things, then you just get a planner.
To be honest, I ask these questions to everyone – regardless of their position or seniority – because I value honesty, openness and empathy far more than I do someone being able to solve the planning equivalent of some sudoku puzzle. Besides, if someone is sitting in front of me, they must have done enough to intrigue me or they wouldn’t be there … so at the face-to-face stage, it’s far more about who they are than what they’ve done.
Andy was the one who taught me the ‘how long have you known your best friend’.
At first I thought it was a bit bizarre but then I realised it revealed all manner of things, from loyalty, commitment, understanding and an ability to work through issues … and yet when I tell some people I do this, they look at me as if I’m weird.
Me!
Why is it weird to want to find someone who will contribute to the team, the culture and the possibilities of the future rather than someone who will just do their job and shut the hell up.
I appreciate everyone is different, but being smart doesn’t mean you’re always bright.
Filed under: Comment
In their bid to keep earning an income, bands – especially old bands – have been licensing their name to all manner of inappropriate things.
Jimi Hendrix’ family sold his name to a vodka brand.
Queen sold their name to a bunch of terrible ad soundtracks.
Elvis’ estate flogged his name to literally everything.
And now this.
The Beatles watch. With Raymond Weil.
Why?
Seriousy, why?
Do they need the money?
Do they need the fame?
Do they need their ego stroked?
And what about the person who buys it?
Do they think owning a watch that has no real connection to The Beatles other than a licensing agreement makes them feel like they’re are a member of the band?
Do you think owning a watch that has this on the back of it …
… makes you look cool to your friends?
I appreciate that in commercial terms – where there is demand [though in this case, I wonder if that is really the case] there is money to be made, but I wonder if the guys who agree to this sort of thing realise that ultimately, they’re damaging their legacy rather than securing it.
As I wrote a while back, sometimes stubborness is a virtue.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Anniversary, Comment, Death, Emotion, History, Music
Today would have been Mr Mercury’s 70th birthday.
SEVENTY.
If he was alive, I very much doubt he would be touring with Queen.
He would probably still be their singer, but he would only be making music with them, not performing it.
I would imagine that if he was going to perform, it would be more in terms of opera, as he did with Montserrat Caballé … because it offered him a chance to still command a stage, but without the need to run around in a leotard.
But he isn’t alive. He died at 45.
FORTY FIVE.
Which means I am older than he was when he passed away.
Things like that freak me out to be honest.
Both in terms of comparing what I have achieved in my life versus what he achieved in his [which is stupid, I know] and the reminder that life isn’t forever.
But that’s a post for another day, today I simply say ‘Happy Birthday Mr Mercury’ and thank him for the memories and the music.
God, I’m such a sad bastard.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Creativity, Cunning, Focus Groups, Insight, War
WW2.
Planes are being lost.
The British Government wants to reinforce their planes so they ask an engineer to look where best to do it.
So this expert gets in one of the damaged planes and studies where the bullet holes are.
After a lot of exploring, he discovers the damage is mainly around the tail and so recommends that is where the reinforcement should be focused.
As he relays his report, one of the generals responds with this …
“Instead of looking at the planes that came back, we should study the planes that didn’t … that’s when we’ll discover what really needs reinforcing.”
And right there is a reminder that to truly understand – or solve – a situation, you have to look at what has failed, not just what has been successful.
Companies … researchers … planners … take note.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Creativity, Culture, Experience, Innovation, Insight, Internet, Technology
OK, so that is a deliberately provocative headline, because the answer is no … but let’s put that aside for a moment.
Following on from my post about what the ad industry needs to do to attract young creative talent, I point you to this.
Read it.
It’s absolutely fantastic.
But if he was in an ad agency would he have been encouraged to do it?
Well, if he worked for one of the scam-masters, maybe … but the likelihood is he wouldn’t because they don’t like doing things that actually require commitment to the cause.
And why would this happen – or not – as the case may be?
Well, apart from the fact most agencies would regard a 19 year old as a junior and should be shackled, rather than released … agencies still don’t regard ‘technologists’ as ‘real creatives’.
At best, they’re there to serve the creative department rather than be creative in a different way.
Or said another way, they are there to respond to the creative departments idea, rather than lead it.
And this is what fucks me off with this industry.
We say we are a ‘creative’, but in most cases, what we mean is ‘only the traditional creative department’ is creative.
Utter bullshit.
That’s not to say there aren’t incredibly talented people in creative departments who can do things few can. Of course there are and when I see them, I’m in utter awe of their brilliance. But by the same token, there are creative people outside of creative departments, and agencies as a whole, who can do things they can’t.
The ones who think in terms of solving problems rather than just advertising them.
Or think in terms of developing culture changing ideas rather than just making executions.
But as long as the industry regards – and wildly protects – creativity as something directly linked to art and/or copy, we’re going to lose more and more relevance. Worse, we’re going to alienate people who could push us to greater and more exciting places.
For an industry that talks about open minds and collaboration, we’re not very good at either.
I still hope we realise this before it’s too late.