A while back – when I was running The Kennedys – I told the guys about how hard it is to make great work.
Ironically, the issue was less about the expression of creativity – though there is always difficulties in that – but in actually getting your precious idea through all the gatekeepers/processes/people without it being impeded, diluted or impacted.
Now don’t get me wrong, being pushed to be better is always good, but it appears we now live in times where the goal of others seems to be the reverse.
Sanitization.
Blandness.
Ego/Career management.
Or as my dear friend George once said:
“Creativity today is a client going to the doctor, telling them their expertise is wrong and then prescribing their own medicine.”
Of course people are entitled to their opinion.
Of course ad industry creativity needs to be commercial creativity.
But right now, it appears many clients version of ‘commercial’ is to either communicate what they want people to care about [regardless if they care about it, or believe it] or to say things where absolutely no one can ever be offended because what they want to communicate makes beige look bold.
And because adland – or should I say some within adland – has sold the value of creativity down the river in favour of making fees from process and production, the entire industries ‘creativity’ is being called into question.
What has happened to wanting to make work that makes culture take notice?
What has happened to wanting to making work others wished they had made?
What has happened to wanting to make work that changes entire categories?
Yes, I know there are some that still fly the flag of great work – but not many and not always consistently – and what’s worse is that we, as an industry, have contributed to this situation but what really gets to me … what really pisses me off … is that I feel we are continuing to pander to the wishes and demands of the organisations we are supposed to help, the organisations who – for whatever reason – are undermining our industries value and long-term future.
I’m not saying we should be arrogant.
Or rude.
Or forget why clients hire us.
But come on, why be a doctor when we let the patient diagnose themselves, which is why I absolutely loved this piece by the phenomenal Dave Trott.
At the beginning of this post, I wrote about how I had taught The Kennedy’s that great creativity doesn’t come without bruises and scars … well, if we still want to stand a chance of making the work that shows how brilliant we can be, then we better be prepared to fight harder for it, because being the punching bag is hurting everyone … us, our clients, our audiences.