Apr 21, 2017

Sic Semper Tyrannis

As I look at another series of all-too-soon deadlines, I'm reminded of a single, inescapable truth of working in advertising

The tyranny of immediacy is the biggest danger to creativity.

Everything is due yesterday—usually figuratively though often literally. There's barely time to fill the prescription as written, so there's certainly a limited time to actually review an ad brief and truly diagnose the problem.

So we have to be ahead of any brief. We must render it almost meaningless to the work except to tell us when, where and in what media our work will appear.

The only solution I can see is for copywriters to regain control of the brief.

The only way to regain control of the brief is to make it utterly obsolete.

You know what clients you have, what products they peddle, and what results they want. If you don't, you should. So find out.

Then spend time thinking about your audience. Use whatever you can to get a feel for how they think and work and live. Your own research is best. Primary research from your colleagues is second best. Everything else is lesser, but at least it's something.

Absorb the information. Memorize it if there's data involved. Make that customer your best friend. Then craft your messages accordingly, and in a voice that sounds like your client would say it.

Be the brief. Free yourself from tyrants at least a little bit.

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