Steal Their Ideas

I'm as inspired by the way people work as much as the work they produce.

Lately, I've been enjoying stealourideas.com. They're on break right now, but you should check out their stuff if you haven't already. 

What inspires me about these guys:

• They are prolific.
• They don't hoard their ideas. They know they've got millions.
  
• They are ad guys who don't just think in terms of ads.
• They present simply, clearly and consistently.
  
• They have a distinct voice.
  
• They're clearly a unified team.
  

Anything about them inspire you?

Revising Your Creative Concept Without Ruining It

I can't think of any time in my career where I went into a meeting, presented work and had no revisions to make coming out. How you handle feedback and present revisions can be a make-or-break step in the process. Over-react to a off-handed client comment and you can unnecessarily water down or complicate your work. Ignore client concerns and you might come across as unresponsive and torpedo the whole project.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you run the revision gauntlet:

IN THE FIRST PRESENTATION

1) Listen to feedback. Take notes. Some creatives like to come in, look cool, present the work, then leave. But the most important part of a client relationship is listening. And unless you have a photographic memory, take out a pen and paper. After the meeting, there will be discussions about what exactly the client said and it's good to have your own notes.
Note all of the feedback, even from the junior clients. If there are pertinent quotes from clients, write them down (and note who said them). Nothing lets a client know you listened more than, a week or two later, being able to quote them in a meeting, or being able to say that something they said led you to a solution (this does happen).

2) Make sure you understand which feedback needs to be addressed. Depending on the client, many many people may throw out thoughts. Some of it will be overruled, some of it will be ignored by the group, some of it will be irrelevant, and some of it will be very very important. What you need to be absolutely clear on is which issues you will be addressing with your revisions. A good account person will sum up the feedback at the end of the meeting. If they don't, you should verify what was agreed upon. "So, what I heard was..." or "Just to be clear, for next steps we'll..."

3) Try to avoid executional feedback by understanding the issues. Good clients know that the most helpful feedback for an agency is issue-based rather than executional, but even the most seasoned client will make executional comments from time to time. For example, "I feel like the tone is too frivolous for our brand," is an issue. "I don't like the words "itty-bitty" is executional. "The spot feels rushed" is an issue. "Take out this shot, that shot, and that shot," is executional. You want to get issue-based feedback because there may be several ways to solve an issue, whereas something like "take out that shot" has only one solution and may not be the best for the spot.

4) If you disagree, discuss it. (This has the major caveat of "if you are in a position to do so." If you are a junior creative and your creative director has already agreed to a client request, you are not in a position to voice a dissenting opinion. Nor are you, if you're a junior creative, in a position to argue with a CEO). Be clear that you're in a different place, but avoid being too confrontational. I don't even like saying things like "One could argue that..." That positions it as an argument. Client meetings, though they may sometimes seem like it, are not debates. You're on the same team.
One non-confrontational phrase that can be very helpful is, "Help me understand..." to probe the client issues. Phrasing your point-of-view as a question, or simply explaining why you made the choices you did are also good ways to make a point without seeming combative.

5) Know what's worth fighting for. If your list is "everything," you're going to have a tough time. Some things aren't worth fighting for. Then there are some that are. If you feel strongly that a change completely compromises the integrity of the creative, speak up. And as a last resort, recommend that you take the creative off the table and go try a different approach completely.

6) It's okay to say "Let me think about it." It's an easy trap to fall into to think that you need to solve an issue at the table, or that you need to decide if a suggestion will or won't work right there on the spot. Reserve the right to walk away and take the time to think of an appropriate solution. Clients should respect this.


IN THE REVISIONS MEETING

7) Make sure you addressed your client's concerns. This is a no-brainer. Just double-check before the meeting. It's not pretty when you don't.

8) If you find a better way, STILL make sure you address your client's concerns. This goes for suggestions from your creative director in pre-client meetings as well. If you agree to a revision, DO NOT come to the next meeting without making it. If you get specific executional direction, you'd best follow it. If you come up with an alternative solution, bring that IN ADDITION TO (but definitely not instead of) the agreed-upon revision. Then you can have a discussion about it.

9) Let the client know you heard their concerns. Set up the work by listing what the objectives of the revisions were. What issues did you address? This is the part where your notes from the first meeting come in handy. If one client had a concern, let them know that you made a revision for them. If necessary, explain how you addressed their concerns before you go through the work.


Revisions are a part of the business, so learn how to handle them. They're not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to know how to fend off the ducks or your brilliant idea might get pecked to death. The key is to keep bringing back great work each time. If you do that, you'll only produce great work.

When good enough is not good at all

Last week I checked into a hotel and found this assortment of shampoos, conditioners and shower gels waiting for me in the bathroom:

They were products from a company called Lather. And while I rather enjoyed the rosemary and mint scent of their shampoo, I was completely underwhelmed by their branding.

They're colored squares. Each unique product gets its own color. That's it. That's their packaging.

You can say I'm being harsh picking on a small shower gel company. That I shouldn't be thinking about brands and advertising while I'm on vacation. But I think Lather's packaging is a great example of a pseudoidea: something that looks like an idea, and feels like an idea, but is really just a hollow shell masquerading as an idea.

And we're all subject to this. We come up with a simple idea - usually the first idea - see how easily it works and fall in love with it. What's not to love about brightly colored squares? And that simplicity, the ease with which we solved the problem, the fact that we no longer have pressure to deliver anything gives us permission to stop pushing. To stop peeling back layers. To stop looking at the problem from as many possible angles.

Good enough will get you a portfolio, but not necessarily a killer job.

Good enough will get you a salary, but it won't make you indispensable.

Good enough will get your work produced, but not celebrated.

Good enough will relieve some of the pressure, but it's not insurance against regret.

Advice from Hal

This article originally appeared in September/October 2002 issue of Communication Arts. Hal Curtis is a brilliant creative, and this is one of the best articles ever written to students of advertising. We've linked to this article a couple of times, but since it's become harder to track down online, we're including it here so you can refer to it in the future. Enjoy.

A Note To Student Art Directors

by Hal Curtis

Dear Student Art Director,

In the last decade, advertising schools that teach you how to put together a portfolio have prospered. If you are currently enrolled in one of these fine institutions, well, good for you. But there’s something I’d like you to think about.

First, let me just say this. Advertising schools are a blessing to our industry. They provide a constant stream of talent that, more often than not, is able to acclimate to the agency environment and contribute.

Which is good.

But the focus of these institutions on advertising, advertising, advertising, has a price. There is a good chance you are not being exposed in depth to the things that constitute an art director’s fundamental foundation, that you are not collecting the tools that will enable you to exhibit a high level of executional craftsmanship.

Here’s the thing. While you’re getting a terrific education in the advertising aspect of art direction, you are studying less and less the fine-art aspect.

You are getting the ad part.

But not the art part.

Which is not so good.

I write this letter because I want you to become an art director. I don’t want you to become an ad director. I’m very sure we have enough of those already.

I should mention that one of the nice things about Wieden+Kennedy is that a whole bunch of people send their work to us. I’ve looked at literally hundreds of student art director portfolios over the last several years.

Your competition.

Here’s what I see:
1) I see competent conceptual thinking.
2) I see underdeveloped typographic skills.
3) I see underdeveloped layout skills.
4) I see the computer more than I see the art director.
5) I see work derivative of other advertising.

Hey, I’m really happy that today’s art director is more conceptual than ever. Because it’s a fact and that’s great. We all know that concept is king. But never, never, never—Young Student Art Director—underestimate the importance of execution.

Here’s a little creative director mathematics for you to think about.

Assume you are a creative director and you need to assign a project.

You have a good writer available. You need to team that person with a partner. Here’s the math part:

A) Good Writer + Art Director with strong conceptual and executional skills = A good idea fully-realized.

B) Good Writer + Art Director with strong conceptual, but poor executional skills = A good idea not fully-realized.

C) Good Writer + Graphic Designer with strong executional skills = A good idea fully-realized.

It’s complicated I know. But to the creative director, A and C are happy scenarios. But B? Decidedly not happy. It produces weak advertising.

What should you learn from this?

That unless you develop the ability to execute, the creative director might as well hire a graphic designer. And why not? They put it down better than you do. And a good writer is providing the conceptual part. So while your conceptual ability is a good thing, the fact that you can’t execute has hurt the final product.

Shocking!

Agencies are not in the business of training art directors. Agencies are in the business of selling a quality product to clients who are willing to pay for it. Agencies require personnel who contribute to the creation of that quality product.

Obviously.

As an aspiring art director, you may exit a technical school with a portfolio that can get you a job, but if you find yourself standing at a lightbox beside a print production manager unable to give competent direction because you don’t understand basic concepts like value and chroma, it’s a problem. And if I’m the creative director who hired the portfolio, it’s my problem.

The point of all these paragraphs and silly math equations is simply this: Make sure you know the fundamentals of art direction. If you are not getting enough of this currently, go get it on your own. It’s all out there if you’re willing to look for it.

I’m not an educator, but my guess is that the drop in the executional proficiency of today’s entry-level art director is due to some horrible collision of the computer and the curriculum.

The computer because it teaches art directors how to be lazy.

The curriculum because it focuses on making ads, not art.

Here are a few ideas. You’ve probably heard most of them before. That’s probably because they are important.

1) Learn how to draw. I never trust an art director who can’t draw. I know there are those rare examples of great art directors who can’t draw, but it still drives me crazy. Drawing is simply an understanding of how lines and shapes fit together to communicate an object. If you can draw, you can probably lay out a page. Or compose a television frame. Or do all sorts of other art director things.

2) Develop a passion for typography. Good type is rapidly becoming a lost art and that’s sad. If you don’t know what a ligature is or you’ve never heard of Jan Tschichold—go ask one of your instructors. I hope they know. And hand letter a couple of alphabets while you’re at it.

3) Understand value and how it behaves.

4) Become a closet editor. Other than music, it’s the single most effective way to impact a piece of film.

5) Make photography a hobby.

6) Use your hands. It’s the quickest way to make your work distinct because no one uses them anymore. I will quit the business the day “hands on” becomes an item on a pull-down menu. The computer is a wonderful tool, but your brain and your hands are much, much better. And they’re yours. Not everyone else’s.

7) Look to anything but other advertising for inspiration. There’s culture all around us. Pay attention.

And may I also add that Communication Arts is a wonderful publication.

Influence it. Don’t copy it.

Best regards,

Hal

Some Light Reading

The other day at lunch, I read Paul Arden's It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be. It's kind of a hodge-podge of tips and insights about working in advertising, and a quick read.

Here are random quotes I would have underlined if I weren't borrowing the book:

Do not seek praise. Seek criticism.

If you ask the right question, you get the right answer.

Know your client’s aims. Most clients are corporate people protecting their own mortgages. They mistakenly see ideas as a risk rather than an advancement to their careers. Therefore their motivation might be quite different from their brief to you. Find out what the client’s real objective is.

It can’t be judged by description. It needs to be done (made) to exist.

The person who doesn’t make mistakes is unlikely to make anything.

The way to get unblocked is to lose our inhibitions and stop worrying about being right.

If you get stuck, draw with a different pen. Change your tools. It may free your thinking.

Get out of advertising. To be original, seek your inspiration from unexpected sources.

We all want to be proud of the company we work for. If you find people talking down [your agency], take issue with them…or, as a friend of mine did, fight somebody for talking disparagingly about the company he worked for. [this one seemed stupid at first, but then I began thinking that if you don't take offense when someone knocks your agency, then you must agree with them. Which begs the question, why are you still at that agency? And fighting other ad people, that sounds good to me. I'll warn you, though, I'll throw lots of leg kicks and try to take it to the ground]

If you can find a way of summing up what the client wants to feel about his company but cannot express himself, you’ve got him.

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. If instead you undersell, pointing out the possible weaknesses and how to resolve them, should they occur, you are not only building a trusting relationship with your client but you’re able to solve any problems.

What do you do when your client won’t buy? Do it his way, then do it your way.

If you know the your client’s logo or product has to be big in an ad, don’t hope that it will fit in the corner somewhere unobtrusively. It won’t. Start your layout knowing that it’s a problem to be solved as an integral part of the ad.

Truths from Sally

This article was written for one.a magazine by one of my favorite copywriters. The article is about a decade old, and the advice is even older. And it still applies to you and me today. Enjoy.

The Agency With

the Best Softball Team

Does the Worst Creative

By Sally Hogshead

I heard this one in the hallway. It was late, around 11 pm. We were in a pitch against an agency with an exceptionally good softball team.

I’ve learned a lot in agency hallways, bits of wisdom mentioned in passing while eating microwave popcorn. (This is especially true when you’re sharing the popcorn with Luke Sullivan or Jean Robaire.) Here are some of the more memorable words of advice I’ve heard, standing in line for the copier.


When pursuing a job, don’t send a fake foot to “get your foot in the door.”

Secretaries know more about what’s going on than we do.

It doesn’t necessarily matter if people say they don’t like an ad you’re working on. But think carefully if they say they don’t get it.

The wacky creative with noserings rarely does the coolest ads.

Brilliant ideas are fragile. They won’t get produced unless everyone in the agency is dedicated to helping them through.

The small space magazine category in the One Show has the least entries.

There are 5 elements to an ad. Headline, visual, body copy, logo, tagline. The more elements you can get rid of, the better the ad will be.

Warning: everyone’s seen too many fake warning labels.

Which agency you work for usually matters less than which accounts and creative director you work for.

It usually takes a hundred headlines to come up with one great one.

When a prospective employer makes all sorts of promises, remember that your salary agreement is the only promise they can’t flake out on.

That being said, don’t go for the money.

Most creatives can come up with a great idea. But the really successful ones keep coming up with them, over and over, as often as the client kills them.

Shock value only works if it’s tied to the product benefit.

In general, layouts look better when designed on paper first.

Don’t take anything into a presentation you wouldn’t want to produce. If we don’t present bad ads, we won’t do bad ads.

Concepts we’ve all used (proof of our collective unconscious?): Fake classifieds and Help Wanted ads... bugs smacking into windshields... Just Do It parodies... far-fetched comparisons to ancient cultures... fingerprints... long lines of people waiting to use a single public phone... anything to do with condoms or S & M.

Advertising people are the last great folk artists. Everything we do is anonymous, disposable, and useful.

Resist the urge to explain ads while someone’s looking at your portfolio.

A rule of thumb: The most interesting part of a headline goes at the end.

There’s an enormous difference between A- and A+.

It’s usually obvious in the first couple of weeks whether a new job is going to work out. Don’t wait around too long, hoping things will get better.

Donate your copy of Ogilvy on Advertising to Goodwill.

It’s almost always less expensive to give a creative more money than to try and replace him.

Don’t work for someone whose taste you don't respect.

Gangbangs ruin morale.

Agencies do not “turn themselves around.” The kind of work an agency does is an integral part of their culture. A freshly painted lobby, a big motivational speech, a new creative director can only do so much.

Scientific research has proven that good visual thinkers are bad spellers.

Repay the favor that someone once did for you. Meet with a junior.

Okay, we’ve all done it. But if you do an ad for a “freebie” client, it’s better to find something that sounds legit, instead of a veterinary acupuncturist.

Bill Westbrook’s concepting timeline: First, creatives come up with every pun and easy joke and really they have nothing. Second, they realize they have nothing and feel like hacks. Third, epiphany, a good idea.

Great radio spots are engaging within the first five seconds.

Politics happen when employees feel like they can’t let their work speak for itself.

Seek out the hidden emotions or insecurities that most people have, and few admit to.

So few people in this business use common courtesy. It’s always appreciated and remembered.

Smart beats clever.

When an agency is not totally committed to doing killer work, even talented and ambitious creatives have a tough time producing killer work.

Trust your gut, it’s smarter than you are.

Creatives usually come up with better work on the second or third rounds. (Don’t tell clients.)

Finally, we’re not all starting headlines with “finally.” Other headline formats to use with caution:
Think of it as a _(clever noun) .
If _(person or thing)_ had a __(noun)_ , this would be it.
It's like a _(noun) for your (noun) .

While we’re on the subject, fonts to consider packing away along with collarless shirts and Adam Ant CDs:
Caslon Openface
Remedy
Tekton
Crackhouse
And the other trendy grungy fonts. (Yes, I know this one’s difficult, but it’s time. Let it go.)

Being a good partner is half of being a good creative.

It wasn’t any easier in the good ol’ days.

An agency’s quality of life is usually inversely proportional to the quality of work it does. Unfortunately.

The kid who’s book you crap on could be interviewing you one day. Go easy.

Sooner or later, people end up where they belong.

Send more thank-you notes.

Pick out a last name that people can make fun of.

The Importance of Networking

Networking.

When I was in school, I believed that I would get jobs through the simple purity of my ideas. The word "networking" was on a list in my mind with other words like "selling" and "schmoozing"--words that I'd heard were part of our business but that I had no interest in. It was all about the ideas.

Well, here's a secret. I have never sat in an interview and shown anyone my portfolio. Not once. I got an internship through my school, I got a job through my internship, and I got a second job through connections I made at my first job. I hope you think no less of me.

The math is simple (actually, it's probably complex, but the idea of it is simple). In advertising, the usual stint at an agency is probably 2-3 years. So take however many people you know from school, or the agency you interned at, and imagine them all bouncing from agency to agency every couple years, and all the people they come in contact with at those agencies. That's a lot of people. That's a lot of contacts.

I'm not that old, but when I left school there was no Facebook or LinkedIn or Twitter. We had email address books and phone numbers. It's easy to keep in touch with people these days, or at least keep track of where they are and what they're up to. If you're not using at least one of these sites, you're missing an opportunity that you may regret if you find yourself in the market for a new job. Because when we need to hire someone at my agency, the first thing we do isn't look through the stack of portfolios in the corner. It's not call a headhunter. It's ask everyone in the creative department: "Hey, you know any talented people looking for a job?"

Here's a good post on how to use social networks to find a job.

I got this link from a very talented writer I know, Tony. How do I know Tony? He is a former student of mine. We've stayed in touch via Facebook and Twitter.

Makin' Ads turns 2

Makin' Ads began two years ago today with this post.

Thanks, everyone for making this bigger and better than we originally planned.

- Jim and Greg

The YouTube Test

We've just wrapped up award show season, when juries of the most respected minds in the advertising industry tell us which work is good.

I'm joshing you, of course. Awards are good to win, but any of us is perfectly capable of forming our own opinions about which ads are good. Opinions are known to be subjective, after all.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there's also something to be said for seeing what "normal" people think of your TV spots. You know, "normal" people, as in not award show judges, not jaded writers and art directors or adcritics. Just people who watch stuff on YouTube.

You have to take YouTube comments with a grain of salt. The person commenting could be in your target. It could also be a 12-year-old boy. But hey, how often are award-show judges part of the target market either? There's just something refreshing in knowing that the person judging it is just giving their opinion. Kind of like if they were sitting in front of the TV and your ad came on. And if you do an ad that someone else likes enough to take the time to post on youtube, well, that's a decent compliment in itself.

Are you as honest as Ben Folds?

I was just listening to an interview with Ben Folds on Sound of Young America.

One of the things that struck me was how he would use a tape recorder as a kid. He would record himself playing his music so he could go back and listen to it with fresh ears. If he thought he really had something, he'd take the tape to JC Penny's, put it in a stereo, push play, walk around the store a bit and kind of sneak up on his own music as if he'd never heard it before. If he didn't like it, he'd change it, or scrap it altogether.

I guess the alternate universe story would be Ben writing some songs he was satisfied with, stopping when they were "good enough," performing for a few people who thought they were okay, never signing a record deal and complaining about the fact that his work was just never really understood or that he never had a big break.

If we really want to do great, fantastic, killer work, it's not really about having a big break or finding an audience who gets us. We've got to be as honest with our ideas as Ben is with his. And we've got to be willing work to make the okay ideas much, much better.