This year's Cannes Grand Prix Winners have been announced. It's worth checking them out here.

As you view these, here's something to keep in mind: A few years ago, I posted an idea by Gideon Amichay who was the ECD at Y&R Tel Aviv at the time. You can read the post here. But the Cliffs Notes are that while creative is a good thing to strive for, brilliant is better, different better still, and innovative is the Holy Grail.

Volvo's "Epic Split," which won the Cyber Grand Prix and Film Grand Prix is creative, brilliant and different. But maybe not innovative. Same can be said about the Harvey Nichols "Sorry, I Spent It On Myself" campaign, which won the Promo/Activation, Press, Integrated, Film Grand Prix.

I'm not knocking either of these. They're both fantastic. But it shows how incredibly difficult it is to be innovative in advertising. Even the best pieces in the world have a hard time reaching that mark.

This year's Direct Grand Prix is from British Airways. And this year's Cyber Grand Prix is Pharrell Williams's "24 Hours of Happy."



Both of these, in my mind, hit the innovative bull's eye. Pharrell's video especially, because it reminds us that it's not just agencies like Goodby and Wieden and BBH and Jung von Matt that are competing for eyeballs. In the Attention Economy isn't driven by copywriters and art directors alone.

Advertising Lessons from OK Go

This is the new video from OK Go.

What does this have to do with advertising? Plenty.

In this post, I talk about how you need to have something surprising in your portfolio. These guys are always working to surprise.

In this post, I talk about the virtues of being a control freak when it comes to producing great work. You couldn't pull off a video like this without being a control freak. Or putting one in charge.

And in this article, AdAge points out that they're not just a band. They've become a brand. And probably a stronger one than some traditional companies.

#The50 Things Every Creative Should Know

If you're fresh out of portfolio school and looking for work, take the time to read #The50 Things Every Creative Should Know by Jamie Wieck.

The ones I wish I'd known:
#29 Negotiate
#30 Read contracts
#34 Embrace limitations
#36 Boring problems lead to boring solutions

The ones I wish the juniors whose books I see knew:
#9 Curate your work
#11 Make your work easy to see
#13 Time is precious: Get to the point
#39 Justify your decisions

Barbara Tuchman's Craft

Barbara Tuchman is not a copywriter. She is a writer of history. This is the opening paragraph of her famous book on World War I, The Guns of August:

So gorgeous was the spectacle on the May morning of 1910 when nine kings rode in the funeral of Edward VII of England that the crowd, waiting in hushed and black-clad awe, could not keep back gasps of admiration. In scarlet and green and blue and purple, three by three the sovereigns rode through the palace gates, with plumed helmets, gold braid, crimson sashes, and jeweled orders flashing in the sun. After them came five heirs apparent, forty more imperial or royal highnesses, seven queens – four dowager and three regnant – and a scattering of special ambassadors from uncrowned countries. Together they represented seventy nations in the greatest assemblage of royalty and rank ever gathered in one place and, of its kind, the last. The muffled tongue of Big Ben tolled nine by the clock as the cortege left the palace, but on history’s clock it was sunset, and the sun of the old world was setting in a dying blaze of splendor never to be seen again.

This paragraph is her most famous. It took her eight hours to write. How much time do you spend crafting your writing?

Austin Kleon's Books

Read these. They're full of really good advice for people working in a creative industry. It'll take you 90 minutes to get through both of them. The first (Steal) is about how the work of others can help you find your voice. The second (Show) is about connecting with others by sharing your work (your process of work, not just the finished product).

Hating Everything the Most Doesn't Make You the Best

My friend Peter is very opinionated. Sometimes he seems like a crank. I used to think he hated everything. Then I realized he also loved some really bad things. And some really good things. I noticed a method to his madness: he said he liked the things he liked, and he said he didn't like the things he didn't like. It didn't matter to him what other people thought. I respect Peter's opinion. I don't always agree, but I very much respect it.

There are other people I know (who shall not be named) who think that everything is shit. At least, they SAY they think everything is shit. With those people, I don't care about their opinion. Two reasons, really:
1) I already know what they think about whatever. They think it's shit.
2) They're lying.

I don't think anyone actually hates everything. But I do think in a creative industry where it's important to have high standards, there can become a kind of competition. A pressure to have the highest standards. And who has the highest standards? The person who doesn't like anything? They must have the highest standards, right?

It can seem like that person's opinion would become the most important opinion in the room. Because if they ever do like something, it must really be good, obviously. But that's not true. First of all, to my point above, hating everything makes your opinion irrelevant and people start disregarding it altogether. Second, that "everything sucks" attitude is usually the result of trying to win the non-existent high-standards contest, caring too much what others think of what you think, or just an unfortunate psychological predisposition. All of those are bad.

Don't love everything. Everything is not good. In fact, most stuff is not good. Have high standards. But base those on what you think (maybe with some good reasons as to why you think it). Don't worry about what other people think you think. And don't try to impress them with your mythically high standards.  Don't be a hater.

* Peter is not a crank. He's a great guy.

Advice To Juniors

"There's always too much to do in advertising. If you're willing to do anything that somebody asks, you're going to wind up getting opportunities. And if you don't mess up, they'll give you more."
- Alex Bogusky

So you really think it would be cool to live in California?

"Why do you love her?"

"Because she lives in my town." 

This is one of those posts that makes me worry I'm going to come off as some cranky old coot. But I still think it's good advice.

If you're interviewing with an agency, and the person asks you what you're looking for, as in like a job, or what you're seeking in life, that's really another way of asking "why do you want to come work at our agency?" So please don't let your first answer be, "I really want to live in California."

That may be true. California has its perks. But there are 1400 ad agencies in California. There are 26,000 creative companies. And there are 12.2 million available jobs, not including couch surfing. So answering that you want to move to California, while it's a fine lifestyle choice, isn't what your interviewer wants to hear. It's one step above a shrug and a mumbled "Dunno."

Maybe say something work related, for starters. You're looking to go to a place that does amazing creative? You want to learn and grow? You just want to make cool shit? That at least narrows it down a little. It implies something about the why you and the agency you're talking to are a good match beyond its physical location.

Bug Wisdom from B.Thibbs

Brian Thibodeau is our buddy who designed this blog's masthead. He also produced this content for Orkin which launched last week. They're not ads. Well, yes, they are. Kind of. But not. Enjoy.







More Bug Wisdom here.

The Rise of Sadvertising

"There's nothing more dangerous in advertising than following a trend."

That said, this is a very good article on one of advertising's most recent trends: Sadvertising.

Really nice spots embedded in here, too.