Everyone loves a list, so here’s mine...
(1) Rip Up
The Rule Book And
Throw It In The Bin. No, wait, you write the rules, THEN rip them up don't you?
(2)
Fish The Rule Book Out Of The Bin And Sellotape It Back Together. Don't
worry if some bits don't fit and others have half-eaten Greggs Cheese And Onion
Pasty on them; it'll make sense eventually.
Look, here's a
quote, "The harder I work; the
luckier I get." That's the one every creative director tells every
placement team isn't it? It makes sense: put the hours in and the chances are
you're going to create better work. However, it doesn't always work like that. Sometimes
an idea just pops into your head from nowhere. You might be in the bath, or
trying not to fall asleep on the night bus.
Now, I'm not
saying you should be having baths willy-nilly, or getting drunk so you can try
not to fall asleep on the night bus; that would be stupid, but equally, I don't
think killing yourself, working 24/7, is too clever either. Work hard, yes, but
also don't be afraid to (3) Sack It All Off Now And Again. Switching
off helps you put enough distance between you and your work and helps you judge
it more impartially. Also, your brain will carry on thinking even when you
don't think it is, and that's when inspiration tends to strike.
(4) Don't Take
It So Personally, You Little Shitbag. In an advertising agency everyone is allowed to have
an opinion about your work: planners, account teams, the post woman, that bloke
who's wondered into reception thinking he's in GAP; everybody. The trick is to
take it all on the chin and move on. It's hard, especially if you've been up
all hours the night before writing scripts and then woken the baby up on your
way to bed, causing trouble and strife with the trouble and strife, but that's
just the way it is. Even what seem like stupid comments should be listened to
as it might be there's a problem elsewhere with your ad that's making people
misunderstand it.
(5) Ignore
The Brief. That doesn't
mean present a Plasticine man when you’ve been asked to write a TV script; just
don't get too bogged down by the brief. Briefs can push you towards a very
narrow area of work. Obviously you should answer the brief, but if you think of
something that's miles off brief then just present it anyway: the client might
not know they want it until you show it. We've had print briefs that became TV
ads because we managed to persuade the client that the message was better
suited to TV. Thankfully they were very open-minded clients (plus, more
importantly, hadn't actually booked any media at that stage). At the very least
this will keep you sane when working on restrictive briefs.
I can't read
this one. It's got (6) Beef Kung Po all over it. Mmm! Actually, I
hope that's Beef Kung Po…
(7) Be Your
Own Creative Director.
There are loads of ways to answer a brief, but only a few of them are any good.
The more you show, the bigger the chance of one of the more rubbish ones being
bought. So try and be selective with what you present. You can always use the
stuff you don’t show in the next review.
(8) Keep It
Simple. Your job is to
come up with a simple idea that communicates the problem and offers a solution
in an interesting and entertaining way. Once it's bought you can add to it and
craft it, but the simpler an idea is the better chance it has of being
understood and actually made.
Here's another
quote; "We're not in the business of entertainment." It's something a
creative director once said to us during a book crit. He may have said other
stuff but to tell you the truth I’d stopped listening. At the time we had a
book of silly, funny stuff and were a bit light on the pseudo arty bullshit
that thankfully, died in the 1990s. I would argue with the creative director
that we are in the
business of entertainment, and if you don't engage the viewer you’ve got sod
all chance of him taking any notice, no matter how pretty your ad is. We aren’t
in the business of making art. We don't make films, we make adverts. Those
aren't site-specific installations, they're billboards. So keep it funny, make
it shocking, make it interesting and don't ask too much of the public. Always
ask yourself (9) "Why Should Anyone Care About Your Advert?"
That way you might make something other than nice-looking wallpaper.
Finally, (10)
Eggs, Cigs, Milk, Bread. Sorry, that's an old shopping list. Either
that or a the answer to a long copy brief from a wacky creative.
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