Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Age, Attitude & Aptitude, Curiosity, Distinction, Insight, Planners, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning, Point Of View, Pretentious Rubbish, Relevance, Resonance
One of the things I hate about planning is the quest for intellectual superiority.
Of course, not everyone is like that … but there’s a hell of a lot who are.
Wielding their smarts like a sword, without realizing that it is rarely as sharp or dangerous as they think. Or hope.
It’s why I also find those who bang on about planning being all about ‘curiosity’ laughable. To imply that’s a trait solely owned by those of the strategic community is egotism at its best.
Sure, there are some truly brilliant thinkers in our industry, but more often than not, we’re surrounded by a bunch of loud duplicators.
And there would be nothing wrong with that if these people admitted their declarations came from – or were influenced by – others. But in a world where everyone wants to position themselves as the brightest, sharpest mind – more often than not, we hear history being restated with just a more modern, confident voice.
Of course we all do it to a certain extent – I know I will have – but the realty is I find the most interesting perspectives coming from people outside of adland rather than in. That does not mean there are not good things being said within our industry, it’s just they all tend to follow whatever theme is cool at the time, so – for me at least – it all gets a bit boring.
Which is all my way of saying how much I enjoy hearing or reading the ‘insights’ of people form outside our bubble. Sure, some can be utterly farcical. And some may be doing the same repackaging as I’ve just complained about. But occasionally you come across something so sharp that you find yourself asking ‘when was the last time you read something so brilliantly stated from your peers’.
That happened to me recently with this before/after photo of Mickey Rourke.
No, I don’t mean the photo.
Nor do I mean the judgmental question being asked of the images.
I mean the comment underneath it all.
“When we’re born, we look like our parents. When we die, we look like our decisions.”
Fuck me, that’s good.
So good that it’s changed the way I look at people and aging.
Hell, it’s even given me a fresh way to talk to my clients about their past choices and decisions.
I rarely get that from the observations, declarations or ‘insights’ from my industry.
Of course there are some who are phenomenal, but sadly too many planners aspire to be seen as ‘smart’, without realizing the real value is when you are clever.
Just ask Lucille Ball.
I know, I know … the pic above does sound awfully like the announcement of a terrible TV show. Think Jerry Springer meets Fear Factor.
But no … even FOX News aren’t stupid enough to green light that.
What it is my attempt to invite any planner or senior planner in NZ to have a coffee. With me.
Now I appreciate that just a few days ago, I wrote a post about ‘prioritizing my priorities’ and so this may sound contradictory – but as I wrote at the time – it’s not a case of me not wanting to talk to people – in fact that is very important to me – it’s just that I am going to arrange it within certain times so I can ensure my family aren’t the ones who always end up being asked to make way. [Which was always my issue, not theirs or anyone who wanted to chat]
Now I get it … even with that condition, sticking your head in a crocs mouth probably sounds more tempting, but I hope there’s someone out there who is up for it.
We can talk about your career, your fears or your favourite flavor of jelly for all I care … I just want to meet more of the people in my proverbial backyard.
Now I must admit, I announced this on Linkedin a few weeks ago and was pretty overwhelmed with the response.
However, in a classic twist, it’s not the creatives who ‘didn’t read the brief’, it was the planners because 95% of those who responded were not based in the NZ.
So while I spoke to a couple of them over the past few weeks, I might do a mass ‘virtual coffee’ zoom for anyone interested in meeting up – maybe two, to help the timezone nightmare that is NZ – which is why whether you’re in NZ or outside of it, if you fancy a Coffee with Campbell™ … start by clicking here and putting your name down by simply noting your location.
[I won’t be selling your data to buy the coffee, promise]
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Chaos, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Entertainment, Fear, Individuality, Music
We’ve all been there.
At school, work or home … where you realise what you have done is not what you thought you had been asked to do.
And when that happens, your mind switches off from everything around you to intensely focus on all the possible scenarios of what is going to happen next.
The shouting.
The insulting.
The feelings of stupidity.
The need to find time to fix something you haven’t allocated any additional time to fix.
Basically, it becomes a catastrophization-fest.
Now of course, more often than not, the disaster you imagine doesn’t eventuate.
That might be because you’re able to make your case for the work you did … or you’re able to adapt your work on the fly, to meet the expectations of the meeting you’re in or you just come clean and discover that – in most cases – people are reasonable and just ask you to sort it out as soon as you can.
But even though most of us will have gone through this situation countless times, the feeling of trepidation when you sense you may have messed up, never goes away.
I say this because I recently saw a video that captures this experience at a magnitude that – fortunately – few, if any, of us, will ever experience.
Pianist Maria João Pires stepped in as a last-minute substitute for the conductor, Stephen Hough.
Because of the timing of the concert, there was no rehearsal time, but having talked to the conductor over the phone, she felt confident as the piece – Mozart’s Concerto in A major [K.488] was something she had performed at a concert previously.
Except she hadn’t.
Because as the orchestra struck up the introduction to the piece – in front of a paying audience at a full concert hall – Maria discovered the piece she was expected to play was in D minor [K.466] … not only a fundamental difference to what she knew but also how to play.
The video just shows the utter panic she experiences, amplified by the fact there was a room full of people all staring at her, waiting for the moment where she begins.
And you know what, she pulls it off.
Because after the feelings of trauma, drama and death that no doubt went through her entire being, she realized she had nothing she could do except trust her talent.
Which she did.
Flawlessly.
Even though the appreciative audience will never realise just what she did for them.
Which is my way of saying as bad as things can sometimes feel – as long as you’re not in your situation because of laziness – there’s 4 things to remember:
1. Believe in your talent.
2. Remember you’re not in as bad a situation as Maria.
3. Whatever situation you’re in, it’s not the end of the World … it just temporarily feels that way.
4. The most powerful moments of creativity are often born out of adversity.
Check it out below …
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Colenso, Dream Bigger, Dream Small, New Zealand
A few years ago, Colenso launched a book entitled Dream Small.
It was the result of some planners and a photographer going on a road trip – cross-crossing the country, talking to young people they met on their journey about the life they lived and their hopes for it.
It was not positive reading.
This was a generation who increasingly felt tolerated rather than welcomed. Expected to follow what had gone before them rather than be supported and celebrated for adding to it. Who were expected to be grateful for what they had rather than talk about what they didn’t.
It’s why we weren’t surprised when we soon saw young adults leaving NZ in their droves. Driven by a desire to have a life where they had choices rather than a lack of them. Who could embrace their individuality rather than feel increasingly conformed.
What made it especially hard for them was that throughout their early years, all they saw, heard and experienced was hope, positivity and freedom. As we noted at the time, NZ is a magnificent country but due to its size, there kids reach a point where they are forced to face the harsh reality that unless they don’t come from a family of wealth, they will need to conform, adapt or – in some ways – surrender, to survive.
I should point out not everyone felt this way.
I should also point out that some of this is a byproduct of where NZ is, rather than who NZ are.
But by the same token, the amount of people who expressed these feelings and opinions to us ensured this was not a few isolated incidents – as proven by the number of people who have left over the past few years.
Zoom forward 2 years and we were out on the road again.
No focus groups.
No fancy hotels.
No restaurants.
Just listening to opinions and experiences straight from the mouths and streets of those who – despite experiencing the same economic and cultural barriers that we highlighted in Dream Small – have found a way to create, explore or fight for the future they want.
The result of this is Dream Bigger – a book that captures the new rules of success as defined by a generation who face an almost constant barrage of judgement, misunderstanding and abuse by many across society, media and politics.
Dream Bigger is a very different type of book to Dream Small … and yet, there are still commonalities.
They are continuously told they lack ambition, drive and ability.
They are left to their own devices to chase what they want and what is important to them.
But rather than feel isolation and despair – as we heard so much in Dream Small – we hear an audience who feel empowered by the confusion and misjudgment of others.
Part of this is because they’ve only experienced a life full of chaos and change and so feel totally comfortable with it. Part of this is because the internet has completely changed what they can do and how they can do it. But unlike previous generations who blindly believed in the path that had served so many so well over the years – this group know that doesn’t exist anymore and with that has come a sense of freedom.
I’m really proud of this book.
I’m really proud of my team who have sweated blood, sweat and tears over it.
And I’m really proud of Colenso for yet again, investing in something like this when everyone else just outsources their understanding or refers to the same generic research pumped out by research agencies who are focused more on convenience than nuance.
Or said another way …
Where so many agencies like to visit the zoo, Colenso encouraged and supported us to go play in the jungle.
We launch Dream Bigger tonight at a private function for media and clients but over the coming weeks, I’ll be writing a bunch about it … because not only did we hear many incredible stories that need to be told, we met a generation who are not the lazy or unmotivated mass that certain people like to suggest they are, we met a generation who are the new industrialists that NZ has never needed so badly.
If you are interested in knowing more before then, get in touch.
If you’re a company in NZ and care about your future, you probably need to.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Australia, Community, Corporate Evil, Creativity, Culture, Delusion, Education, Egovertising, Food For Thought, Imposter Syndrome, Individuality, Influencers, Management, Marketing, Marketing Fail, Mediocrity, Planners, Planners Making A Complete Tit Of Themselves And Bless, Planning, Professionalism, Reputation, Strategy, Sydney, Yahoo
A few weeks ago, I went to Sydney where I had the very real honour of spending a few days mentoring a bunch of talented people who were all relatively new to the industry.
One of the things that I heard from quite a few of them was the pressure they felt to build their reputation as a ‘thought leader’ on platforms like LinkedIn.
After telling them that a good 90% of what you read on there is nothing more than ego landfill [of which I am perfectly placed to make that statement given I’ve been spouting rubbish on the internet for over 20 years] … the reality is the best reputations are built on what you do, not what you say.
But I get it.
When you’re starting out, you’re desperate for professional acceptance and/or validation so you can find yourself blindly following whatever or whoever is currently popular amongst your peers – even more so if you’re based outside of the big cities where so much of the industry focus is concentrated.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there is anything wrong with expressing your thoughts and ideas.
Frankly, it can be a brilliant way to learn, evolve and grow.
Hell, one of the best things about doing this blog for so long is seeing how some of my opinions have changed or been honed through the feedback/commentary/abuse I’ve received from so many people on here.
Of course, it helps that most were/are very smart and talented, but I fully acknowledge their input to my output has had a huge impact on what I do and how I think. But – and it’s a very big but – you only get real value out of expressing your thoughts and ideas if you’re doing it because [1] you want to – rather than feel you have to – and [2] you never adopt a tone of self-righteous, condescending, smugness.
If you do that, you may as well have a blinking neon sign over your head that screams, ‘Delusional, egotistical, blinkered dickhead’.
[I say ‘dickhead’ because, sadly, 95% of these sorts of people are men. White men.]
And yet, despite this, there’s still a hell-of-a-lot of people out there who adopt a tone that suggests they believe everything they do – and I mean EVERYTHING – is ‘unquestionably and undeniably right’ and anyone who dares to have a counter point of view, regardless of their experience, success or knowledge of their industries history, is automatically wrong.
A certain academic is a poster child for this sort of behaviour.
With these people, I always remember something my old man used to say, which was: “if someone needs to let others know how smart they are, they’re not that smart” – or said another way – if you meet someone who wants to be seen as a thought leader, they’re probably not and they probably won’t be.
Which is why the best advice I can give is to say ‘be you and no one else’.
I get the desire to feel like you belong.
I appreciate popularity has seemingly become more important than experience these days.
But if you ever feel pressured into writing on Linkedin because that’s what ‘thought leaders do’, remember this quote from Dennis Thatcher and save your energy for when you do have something to say or explore.
“It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt”.