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Let’s say you have one of those tricky briefs to crack today. The pressure is on, the floor is covered in balls of screwed up paper and you can hear the twitch of an account handlers arse right outside your door.
In this kind of situation, take a tip from a few scientists. Instead of banging your head against a wall, go home, head for the bedroom, climb under the covers and go back to sleep. Because some of our most creative moments happen when we are having a deep REM nap.
Who’s your favourite band? Older readers may well pick some old guitar slingers who are no longer together. Younger coves will perhaps be saying ‘Band? Don’t you mean DJ, granddad?’ But either way, my next question is the same: how do you imagine they get paid? You’d be forgiven for thinking they make recordings, people buy them and the artists receive the money. If only.
The record label / management / star, three-way division of fortunes raked from CD sales is not only an archaic model, it’s a dead one. An enormous amount of music is now consumed through free or nearly free outlets, legal (Spotify, Grooveshark) or otherwise (torrents, ripped files). This gives the listener access to far more material but leaves the artists very light on revenue.
Alternatives must be found.
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One of my first jobs in the creative business was one of the most enjoyable: writing and producing radio ads. At the time, almost all advertising platforms relied on the combined skills of an art director and a copywriter, but radio was the sole preserve of the writer. It was our moment in the sun. It also gave me the opportunity to work with some fairly famous folk like Christopher Lee (Dracula) and John Hannah (now the voice of the Co-Op).
My blogging colleague John Fountain emailed me last week to point out the year was coming to a juddering halt and suggest this was a good time to reflect on the months gone by. A fine idea and one that could lead to an examination of general elections, snow and celebrities with tropical diseases. But this is a creative industry website for creative industry types and everyone knows we only see the world in terms of advertising (or is that just me?). So without further ado, strike up the Pick of the Pops music and let’s name the best and worst TV ads of the last twelve months.
What’s the best way to waste an advertising budget? Perhaps hiring Wayne Rooney would do the trick. Maybe booking loads of space in the breaks in ‘72 Degrees North’ would squander that cash pretty effectively. How about a 48 sheet poster campaign at the South Pole? These options would certainly see your client’s expenditure go the way of mortal flesh, but there’s a better way and it’s happening all the time. I’ll call it ‘fulfilment failure’.
Most professionals provide an easily identifiable service. The lawyer offers his advice and representation, the dentist his drill and pink water. But the stock in trade of the professional creative is a little harder to pin down. Is the designer proffering Mac skills, visual awareness or a way with colours? Is the copywriter serving up a way with words, a cleverness with headlines or the ability to spell? Probably. But it’s the ideas clients really want from us.
When I was 26, I had no career. Overwhelmingly obsessed with popular music, I made a living playing records (remember them?) in clubs and on local radio. The question is: do I have one now? And does it matter?
This all stems from a conversation I overheard in a digital agency recently. Two designers were sharing a coffee break and discussing employment options. Eavesdropping, I was rather surprised to find their exchange mostly concerned salary, benefits, hours, and job titles. Now, ambition is no bad thing – but to me, it was their omission of design in the equation that took me aback. Their priorities were prospects, promotions and pensions. Career stuff. Creative possibilities weren’t even on the agenda. (more…)
“After all, one knows one’s weak points so well, that it’s rather bewildering to have the critics overlook them and invent others.”
Edith Wharton
If there’s one word to be heard in every creative studio in the country, at least once a day, it’s ‘subjective’.
Whether it’s a debate about the benefits of monochrome photography versus colour imagery, long headlines as opposed to snappy straplines, pack shots or lifestyle visuals, blue backgrounds or red tints – you’ll find someone in favour and another against. So it would appear the value of creative work is subjective and opinions are like bumholes – everyone has one.
Roar deal. Why the Brits failed at the Lions.
Thursday, June 30th, 2011(more…)
Tags: Advertising, agencies, Awards, Britain, British, Cannes Lions, chops, Creative, creativity, excuses, gongs, grand prix, Guinness, Honda, Leo Burnett, losers, Movies, Playstation, USA, winners, work
Posted in Advertising, Awards, Best and worst, blog, Comment, Competitons, Copywriting, Creative, Design, Events, New ideas, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »