advertising things
That’s my problem with most “strategy lines” – they assume uniform interpretation of the abstract.
Ad legend Bill Bernbach letter on creativity, written in 1947:
Dear ________:
Our agency is getting big. That’s something to be happy about. But it’s something to worry about, too, and I don’t mind telling you I’m damned worried. I’m worried that we’re going to fall into the trap of bigness, that we’re going to worship techniques instead of substance
... See moreWithout even mentioning the words ‘Gestalt theory’, Bill Bernbach spoke of ideas working as aesthetic wholes:
Most readers come away from their reading not with a clear, precise, detailed registration of its contents on their minds, but rather with a vague, misty idea which was formed as much by the pace, the proportions, the music of the writings a... See more
Martin Weigel • The subtle art of stepping into an idea — Martin Weigel
A good short story is, among other things, a highly organised system. Its parts feel in connection with one another. There’s very little waste or randomness. Many decisions have been made along the way, by different means, some conscious, some not. It feels fraught with intention, full of direction. It doesn’t necessarily know what it is, but it w... See more
How the work really gets done
In either case, the big idea is not another small logical step on the journey. It’s a giant imaginative leap. The big idea transports you to somewhere else entirely. You know you’ve landed in a good place, but it’s not where you expected to end up when you set off. It’s exciting. It feels right. But you’re not entirely sure how you got here.
So you ... See more
So you ... See more
How the work really gets done
Over-processing the work is too real a problem in a world of bloated middle management.
“I would have done this differently, but how you did it works too” is a sentiment not heard nearly enough.
~
plenty of fun metaphors for this one…
there’s a reason a car only has one steering wheel.
There are many ways to get somewhere. the most incorrect option is a... See more
“I would have done this differently, but how you did it works too” is a sentiment not heard nearly enough.
~
plenty of fun metaphors for this one…
there’s a reason a car only has one steering wheel.
There are many ways to get somewhere. the most incorrect option is a... See more
Extrapolate this out, and you’ll find the best agencies have a department of chameleons. Art directors that write. Writers that paint. Designers with $10,000 cameras. Creative directors with three unfinished screenplays and novels sitting in their bottom drawer. (We’ll get to them one day. One day...)
What this means for an agency is that there are... See more
What this means for an agency is that there are... See more
The argument for creative chameleons.
brands solve coordination problems. Advertising taps a basic need of people to conform to the norms of the community they’re in