Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Communication Strategy, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Experience, Happiness, Imagination, Innovation
My son.
My cat.
A semi-tidy/messy bedroom.
Colour. Toys. Posters and Paintings.
Books to Dolls houses to Magnetic Blocks.
This photo makes me so very, very happy.
Not just because of Otis and Rosie – though obviously that is great – but as childhood photos go, I can’t help but feel this is how it should be.
Now, of course, this ‘look’ – excluding my son and cat – is often the sort of thing you also find inside ad agencies.
I remember an old boss telling me that when he took his kids to the office, they asked where the other kids were, because they thought it was just like their bedrooms.
And while it is easy to write this design approach as superficial or childish – I genuinely believe it can make a difference.
Being surrounded by an environment that celebrates and provokes creativity can only be a good thing, especially if you are paid to think creatively – however, like raising a child, it only works if that extends to what you expect from the people within it.
Frankly, if you create a creative environment you have to let them be creative.
You can’t do that and then create systems and processes that push people to conform to rules.
Creative culture can absolutely be aided by the environment you surround people with, but the reality is it’s ultimately driven by having a culture of freedom and encouragement, which is why it seems to me the nice environments of many agencies are more about the illusion of creativity rather than the celebration, inspiration and ignition of it.
Kinda like what I told Campaign magazine a few years ago …
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It’s even more impressive as you’re such an anal tidy freak.
Shame that mood doesn’t spread to your dress sense.
Comment by Bazza February 4, 2019 @ 6:33 amI think I might have painted you to be Marie Kondo when I mean you are just a very well organised messy. And you might not even be that but it seems that way compared to your slogan tees, bad jeans and birks.
Comment by Bazza February 4, 2019 @ 6:36 amThe freedom for Otis to express any creative spirit is more important than my OCD. For now. Ha.
Comment by Rob February 4, 2019 @ 7:09 amI am glad you clarified that Baz.
Comment by George February 4, 2019 @ 7:31 amJudging by the standard of this year’s superbowl spots, agencies need to study Otis’ bedroom messiness urgently.
Thank you Bazza. I think.
Comment by Rob February 4, 2019 @ 11:56 amAudi and Bud Light were the best of a bad bunch. I expect to read how innovative WK were with the Bud/HBO/GOT link up, but that has been done before. Nicely produced but not new and not something you will remember in a few days. Just like the superbowl.
Only thing that saved them was the half time entertainment. I’ve not witnesses something so bad since Rob made me go to a forest game.
Comment by Bazza February 4, 2019 @ 7:52 amCarling Black Label beer ads of the 80/90s led that charge.
Comment by George February 4, 2019 @ 8:10 amI still remember that ad where they pretended they were ads for a bunch of FMCG products. A bit like the Tide ad that ‘won’ the SuperBowl last year.
Comment by Rob February 4, 2019 @ 11:56 amsuper bowl was shite. ads were fucking shite, and when the best thing about the halftime show is sponge bob fucking squarepants then you know how fucking shite that was. maroon 5 need to be killed and someone needs to tell adam levine his tatts dont hide the fact he sings songs for fucking 3 year old girls that even they think are sugary as shit..
Comment by andy@cynic February 4, 2019 @ 2:02 pmBest review of the bowl I’ve read.
Comment by DH February 4, 2019 @ 2:56 pmis that your way of saying campbell is a fucking arse.
Comment by andy@cynic February 4, 2019 @ 1:58 pmHe is based on how he smells.
Comment by DH February 4, 2019 @ 2:56 pmPerfect, just perfect. It looks much the way my dining room table does when Im working on something. Right now it’s awash in Legos and cat.
Comment by judyt54 February 4, 2019 @ 2:13 pmWhen I was very small my mother had no objection to my projects, but I had to clean them up “before daddy got home”.
Time spent laying stuff out and the cleaning up after sorta cuts into the creative surge, doesn’t it.
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