In this excellent post, Refe Tuma points out that our most interesting friends may not live genuinely exciting lives. They're just very good storytellers.
He says, "Interesting people often lead surprisingly ordinary lives, but they are not ordinary. What sets them apart is their ability to tell a good story."
Not every assignment is going to be for Porsche or Burton snowboards or ESPN. You may have to do ads for pens. Or a bank. Or a furniture warehouse. Or an orthopedic mattress company. But remember, there are no boring products. Only boring ways of talking about them.
As Tuma points out, Jerry Seinfeld talks about vacuum cleaners and cereal. He just tells a great story about them.
(SIDE NOTE: Be sure to check out Refe Tuma's Dinovember. It's genius.)
Nate Burleson's Pizza
Here's a sweet example of a brand jumping on a news story in a timely, relevant way. As a football fan, I love this idea.
Back in September, Minnesota Vikings receiver Nate Burleson got the munchies late one night. He ran out for a pizza, but in the process managed to crash his car and break his arm, disappointing his team, Vikings fans and fantasy football owners everywhere.
It was later revealed that the wreck occurred when Burleson reached over to keep his pizza from sliding off the seat. He tweeted photos of his totaled, pizza-covered SUV this week.
In response, DiGiorno, who positions their frozen pizzas against delivery/carryout, sent Burleson a year supply DiGiorno pizza. Very simple, very smart, and right in line with what the brand stands for. It's also an example of the kinds of ideas we need to always be thinking of. Brands need to get into conversations, but they need to do it in ways that are relevant and add value. Great stuff. Though it doesn't do jack for my fantasy team.
Daily Routines of Creative Minds
Thought this article from The Guardian was worth sharing.
Wake up early.
Go on walks.
Stick to a routine.
Or not.
Wake up early.
Go on walks.
Stick to a routine.
Or not.
Setting Up A Premise
In this video, at about the 13:40 mark, Ricky Gervais, Jerry Seinfeld, and Louis CK are discussing how Chris Rock sets up a premise.
Chris Rock sums it up like this: "A lot of comedians have great jokes, and they don't - like - 'Why isn't this working?' Because the audience does not understand the premise...If I set this premise up right, this joke will always work."
I see the same thing in advertising. In an agency, before work goes to the client, a team will present a random collection of ads. Some of them may even be really good. But if there's no premise to any of them, even the really good ones will eventually fall to the wayside. But if a team comes in with a premise, and all of their ideas are tied to that premise, people start nodding their heads. Because we get it.
A premise could be "Saving money with Geico makes people happy." A series of ads could be ridiculous scenarios of happy people (a camel on hump day, a witch in a broom factory).
A premise could be "Interesting people drink Dos Equis." A series of ads could be biographical snapshots of the World's Most Interesting Man.
A premise could be "Bad things happen randomly." A series of ads could be Mayhem personified.
In other words, ads are like jokes. Concepts are like Chris Rock's premise.
Don't jump into your executions. If you have specific ideas for a spot, fine. Write them down. Share them with your partner even. But go into every meeting with your premise first. And make sure everyone in the room understands how each execution you present ties back to it.
Chris Rock sums it up like this: "A lot of comedians have great jokes, and they don't - like - 'Why isn't this working?' Because the audience does not understand the premise...If I set this premise up right, this joke will always work."
I see the same thing in advertising. In an agency, before work goes to the client, a team will present a random collection of ads. Some of them may even be really good. But if there's no premise to any of them, even the really good ones will eventually fall to the wayside. But if a team comes in with a premise, and all of their ideas are tied to that premise, people start nodding their heads. Because we get it.
A premise could be "Saving money with Geico makes people happy." A series of ads could be ridiculous scenarios of happy people (a camel on hump day, a witch in a broom factory).
A premise could be "Interesting people drink Dos Equis." A series of ads could be biographical snapshots of the World's Most Interesting Man.
A premise could be "Bad things happen randomly." A series of ads could be Mayhem personified.
In other words, ads are like jokes. Concepts are like Chris Rock's premise.
Don't jump into your executions. If you have specific ideas for a spot, fine. Write them down. Share them with your partner even. But go into every meeting with your premise first. And make sure everyone in the room understands how each execution you present ties back to it.
Pre-Write the Case Study
I'm taking a fiction-writing class, and last night my teacher gave us this tip: "If you're writing a novel, one exercise to help determine what the novel wants to be is to write a review for it."
Even before you're done, jump ahead and write what you'd like to see in the press once your novel is published. How would they describe it? Not just that it's awesome, but why and what it's about. It's basically a roadmap built on aspiration.
You can do the same thing when thinking about your ad campaign. Write a case study for it. Even before you have it figured out, see if you can write what you'd like the case study to be. What was the problem? Your insight? Your solution?
You'll be able to tell pretty quickly if you're idea's simple and if you actually know what you're trying to achieve. You'll also be able to see if, once all is said and done, you'll actually have a compelling story to tell.
Clever. But wrong. Or at least wrong-ish.
Adweek recently published this US map of agencies:
No doubt, this was inspired by this US map of brands which started its viral romp a few weeks ago.
I like it. Here's why: There are good agencies all over the country doing really good work that never get recognition. And maybe you should be working for them, helping them earn their spot on this map. This map kind of celebrates the little guys as much as the famous ones.
Here's why this map is silly: Choosing BBDO for New York discounts Mother, Droga 5, Barton F. Graf 9000, and even the other behemoths like Saatchi and Y&R who are doing great work. And even though it's hard to argue with Chiat/Day for California, that choice leaves out Goodby and 72andSunny.
But whatever. It's just a map.
They did get GY&K right for New Hampshire. Those guys are tearing it up.
No doubt, this was inspired by this US map of brands which started its viral romp a few weeks ago.
I like it. Here's why: There are good agencies all over the country doing really good work that never get recognition. And maybe you should be working for them, helping them earn their spot on this map. This map kind of celebrates the little guys as much as the famous ones.
Here's why this map is silly: Choosing BBDO for New York discounts Mother, Droga 5, Barton F. Graf 9000, and even the other behemoths like Saatchi and Y&R who are doing great work. And even though it's hard to argue with Chiat/Day for California, that choice leaves out Goodby and 72andSunny.
But whatever. It's just a map.
They did get GY&K right for New Hampshire. Those guys are tearing it up.
"Better Than His Book"
I don't know what to do with that. I totally trust the people passing these books on to me, but I can't help but ask why the person's book isn't as good as they supposedly are. "They're better than their book" is like saying "Our product is better than our ads make it seem."
Your book represents you. It represents the way you think. So if your book isn't as good as you are, you'd better get to work on making it better. If you're not getting the opportunities, do something on the side. Give yourself some fake assignments. You're competing with people whose books are probably better than they are. That's the reality of the situation.
If your book isn't as good as you are, then your book could be better. So why isn't it?
*We're hiring all creative levels. Drop me a line or send me your stuff if you're interested.
For Those Who Say "It Can't Be Done"
Over the course of your career, you'll have several people tell you something can't be done. It might be an account exec. Or the client. Or your partner. Or your boss.
If you're told, "It can't be done for this much money, but..." That's fine.
If you're told, "It can't be done by the deadline, but..." That's okay, too. These people are offering solutions.
But if someone's first reaction is simply, "It can't be done," there are three possibilities;
1. That person misunderstands something and I need to explain things better.
2. That person is just lazy.
3. That person should be fired, and find work outside of advertising.
Advertising is no place for people who don't think something can be done. That's what creativity is all about.
If you're told, "It can't be done for this much money, but..." That's fine.
If you're told, "It can't be done by the deadline, but..." That's okay, too. These people are offering solutions.
But if someone's first reaction is simply, "It can't be done," there are three possibilities;
1. That person misunderstands something and I need to explain things better.
2. That person is just lazy.
3. That person should be fired, and find work outside of advertising.
Advertising is no place for people who don't think something can be done. That's what creativity is all about.
Freytag's Pyramid
This week kicks off the summer quarter at Miami Ad School. I'll be teaching a scriptwriting class on Thursday nights, and I've been preparing my discussion for my first class. Part of what I'm going to be talking about is dramatic structure, starting off with Freytag's Pyramid (if you've ever taking a fiction writing, literature or drama course, you might be familiar).
As I've been thinking about it, I've been realizing how common this structure is, in various forms, in almost anything that makes us feel an emotion. Stories, music, movies, jokes, sports, roller coasters, tv spots, headlines, fireworks, conversations...they all have this same basic structure in some form or another.
Exposition, climax, denouement.
Context, conflict, resolution.
Flop, turn, river (Hold 'Em).
Pledge, turn, prestige (the parts of a magic trick).
Problem/solution.
Question/answer.
Fact/twist.
Setup/Punchline.
Basically a building of tension to a turning point, then release of that tension.
I've been seeing it everywhere. It's kind of a fun to break things down into their structural parts. And while it may not be completely helpful when you're concepting, it could be very useful when you're trying to figure out why a story isn't working or how to make it better. Even the way you structure your sentences or paragraphs, or the way you present your work, can benefit from an understanding of how drama is created and how stories are told.
Rick Rubin's Creative Process
There's a great interview with Rick Rubin that came out the other day. Some is about him producing Kanye's new album, but a lot is about his approach and creative process. Smart dude. Check it out.
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