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Career Warehouse
Your career is a warehouse. It's got an inventory. And you decide what comes in, and what you keep in storage. Unless, of course, you stop paying attention.
That's when crates of 20-second legal copy start to show up in the shipping office. That's when the forklifts bring in palates of "ACT NOW!" starbursts. You sign for these deliveries because the client or your creative director promises "just this once." Or maybe you let them pile up because you're "just paying your dues."
But then the shipment for the One Show has to go out. And you look around your warehouse and realize you're out of creative stock. There's nothing good on the shelf. All you have are some moldy cardboard boxes marked "CONCEPT STILL IN TESTING" and "POLISHED TURDS."
The easiest way to keep your warehouse from being cluttered is to keep an inventory. I recommend monthly. Quarterly at the very least. Figure out what you need more of and find a way to go get it. It's the end of the month. Why not take inventory right now? It sounds like a Stephen Covey aphorism, but a little self-evaluation is better than hoping you catch a break on the next assignment.
Going a whole year without getting into the One Show isn't so bad. Going a whole year without having anything to enter into the One Show is.
It's the Music, Stupid, Part II
Eureka! After months of looking for this old article I knew I had somewhere, and finally giving up on it, I found it today. It's an adcritic article from August, 2003, that I printed and filed away because I thought it had some great advice on picking music for spots. It was written by Lance Jensen, who knows what he's talking about when it comes to picking cool, provocative music that can take a spot to the next level.He gives 11 great tips, which I'll paraphrase:
1. Don't use the words of the songs as your copy points. The lyrics can allude to the meaning, or have the right sentiment, but being too see/say takes all the fun and depth out of it.
2. Lose the voiceover. It ruins the vibe. If you have to include VO, keep it short and at the end.
3. Don't use the latest hit song. It feels like you're trying too hard. Find something great that nobody's heard. There's plenty out there.
4. Use "geeky" songs. Lance gives the example of his use of the Styx song "Mr. Roboto." A song he just liked, without irony.
5. Please someone use a Yes or Men Without Hats song in a spot.
6. Don't overthink it. Your first impulse may be your best. Overthinking takes the emotion out, and music is all emotion.
7. Avoid Demo Love. Demo love is what happens when you play a song in the early presentations and say "We're thinking of a song that feels like this." The client, and everyone, will fall in love with that song. If you don't know what to use, don't play one yet. It's not fair to the original musicians or the composers who have to rip off the song the client has fallen for. Give the music company room to do what they do best--create great music.
8. Stay open until the end. Listen to your director, editor, sound engineers. There are a lot of really talented people in this business. Your job will be much easier if you let other people do theirs and keep the process open and collaborative.
9. Try getting artists you love to write songs for you. Check out this great song for a Spike Jonze Adidas spot. The music is by Karen O. of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Squeak E. Clean. Rumor has it this wasn't the first choice--they had another song they wanted to get, but the artist wouldn't license it. Not bad for a plan B.
10. Stay away from lyrics with sex or drug references in them. I'd add that you might want to do a little research about the song meaning too. I laugh whenever I hear Iggy Pop's "Lust For Life" on those Royal Carribean Cruise Line spots. First, see #1. Second, I always picture all those old folks on a 7-day heroine bender.
11. Just pick something that moves you on a personal level. This could be said for almost all aspects of what you do. If you love it, odds are other people will too.
When it comes to picking music, Mr. Jensen's the man, and he gives great advice. The only thing I'd add, is don't mimic the new popular soundtrack. Once a year, a movie or show with a great score comes out, and you hear 30 commercials copying it. American Beauty. Amelie. Rushmore. You're trying to stand out. Having the same music as everyone else doesn't help.
Pictures and Lines
Last week, I had to write headlines for a headline-driven billboard. After an entire day, I had two that were worth anything.
The next day, I had to write headlines for billboards that had pre-approved but fairly interesting visuals. I had about 20 within ten minutes.
This isn’t coincidence.
It’s significantly easier to write headlines to visuals. This is partially because with a visual, something’s already being communicated. Maybe the idea has already been established.
Not every solution will be (or should be) a visual one. But if you’re stuck, try solving it with a picture. Maybe you won’t come away with an all-visual solution. But finding an interesting image to write lines to is better than reverse engineering from a headline.
The next day, I had to write headlines for billboards that had pre-approved but fairly interesting visuals. I had about 20 within ten minutes.
This isn’t coincidence.
It’s significantly easier to write headlines to visuals. This is partially because with a visual, something’s already being communicated. Maybe the idea has already been established.
Not every solution will be (or should be) a visual one. But if you’re stuck, try solving it with a picture. Maybe you won’t come away with an all-visual solution. But finding an interesting image to write lines to is better than reverse engineering from a headline.
Why I Suck at Foosball
I am a horrible foosball player. I ended up sitting out all the pickup games at my last agency, because office rules held that you played for a dollar, and I got tired of always losing dollars.I think one of the reasons I'm so bad is because I tense up. I take foosball much too seriously. Especially for someone with such poor foosball skills. Last December, when my nephew and niece were creaming me in a game, my wife made fun of me because because, in her words, I looked like I was "trying to save the world and losing."
I used to tense up when I sat down to make ads. A blank piece of paper. And I'm the one who has to fill it. I was trying to save the world, and I was afraid of losing.
I don't approach ads that way anymore. It's counterproductive and counterfun. I work hard. But I know that if I whiff on an assignment, I've got either another round or another assignment headed my way.
I'm a lot more successful and have a lot more fun coming up with ads than I do playing foosball. Because to me one's a game. And the other is a competition I'm trying to win.
Our Job In A Nutshell
Two unrelated pieces. But brought together, they make perfect sense. That's our job. It isn't always easy. But it can be a lot of fun.
Ideas?
I was trying to figure out why this video is relevant to this blog. Maybe it's a metaphor for ideas? I don't know. It's just cool.
Once It's Gone, Let It Go
"I just keep going and don't look back. I work very hard on the film when I'm working on it, but once it's over, it becomes over for me."
-Woody Allen in The Onion
There will always be something you could/would/should have done differently. Learn from those things, but don't dwell on them. Leave them behind.
-Woody Allen in The Onion
There will always be something you could/would/should have done differently. Learn from those things, but don't dwell on them. Leave them behind.
The Kevin Lynch Challenge
My old boss, Kevin Lynch, used to write a television commercial every day, as soon as he sat down at his desk. Not necessarily for one of the agency's clients. And not for an assignment or according to a brief. He did it just to get better at writing television commercials.
The sports analogy goes like this: If you’re a professional basketball player, of course you’ll show up for the games. Of course, you’ll show up for practice. That’s what everyone does. But how often do you go to the gym when you don’t have to? How often do you practice your jump shot when no one’s asking you to? What are you doing to get better?
The sports analogy goes like this: If you’re a professional basketball player, of course you’ll show up for the games. Of course, you’ll show up for practice. That’s what everyone does. But how often do you go to the gym when you don’t have to? How often do you practice your jump shot when no one’s asking you to? What are you doing to get better?
Being vs Saying You Be
Anyone who has ever taken a fiction writing class has heard "Don't say it. Show it." You can tell me that Mr. Perkins is a cantankerous son-of-a-bitch, or you can tell me that he kicks a stray cat in the ribs and spits his wad of tobacco into the cup of the blind panhandler.
The same is true of brands. Brand building is character development.
Or another analogy I like is the comedian who gets on stage and talks about how funny he is versus the comedian who tells funny jokes.
In short: don't say, do.
Here's a slide show from Zeus Jones. I couldn't agree more with their philosophy.
And here's something that my agency did which I think is pretty cool (I had nothing do do with it).
The same is true of brands. Brand building is character development.
Or another analogy I like is the comedian who gets on stage and talks about how funny he is versus the comedian who tells funny jokes.
In short: don't say, do.
Here's a slide show from Zeus Jones. I couldn't agree more with their philosophy.
And here's something that my agency did which I think is pretty cool (I had nothing do do with it).
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