Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Complicity, Contribution, Creative Brief, Creative Development, Creativity, Technology
It’s Brian May’s birthday today, so given it has been 4 days of slightly seething posts, I considered ending the week on a positive.
And then I realised that sometimes, ‘seething’ is my version of positive so I wrote this.
Obviously, right now there is a lot of talk about AI.
And in our industry specifically, a lot of that conversation revolves around how it will destroy advertising.
Taking jobs, destroying creativity, devaluing craft and breaking production.
All that may or may not be true .. only time will tell … though I tend to believe it won’t be as black and white as so many in the industry love to present the reality.
But I tell you what I’m far more frightened about …
Something that has proved its disastrous impact on the industry.
And the brands, business, communities and customers we’re here to serve.
And that’s the individuals who are making decisions about creativity who don’t know what good creativity is, how it works or how to create and enable the conditions for it to happen.
Individuals who hide their ego, delusion, ignorance, lack of experience and/or desire for control behind the justification of process, procurement, prices, timelines, qualifications and/or marketing practice.
In blaming AI for the death of the industry, we’re in danger of becoming like those people who blame powerpoint for every bad presentation ever written … conveniently ignoring that while the tools play a part, the real blame – and issue – needs to be aimed at the people who choose it, write it, prefer it and demand it.
And while AI will no doubt have a bigger and bigger impact on what we do – of which, let’s not forget some will be really good – if we want to fight for our lives, then it may be better to acknowledge who is the real problem versus who we feel is more convenient to blame.
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Last thing …
Despite this blog having basically posted the same 7 stories for the last 20 years – which means it would be VERY easy for AI to replicate the rubbish I post on here each day – I’ve decided to give anyone who has accidentally found themselves coming on here TWO WHOLE WEEKS OFF off as I’m flying to China tonight, then off to the US. I’m not even travelling for the whole 2 weeks … which means this gesture demonstrates a level of generosity that highlights while AI may have the productivity, humans have the generosity.
Have a great one. Let’s be honest, with a fortnight of silence from me, we all know you will. That is except Andy, George and maybe even Billy … who all stupidly said yes to having dinner with me. And I can’t wait. Except when they expect me to pay.