Strat_Scraps v66
Client reviews, but Lincoln Douglas debate style.
Apologies for missing last week. I was returning some videotapes.
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Actually nvm. I’m not sorry. I just didn’t feel like it. And thats ok.
This is worth a watch in full.
I’m not sure why Sutherland isn’t talked about as much as some of the more “academic” planning folk, but IMO if you’re not familiar with people like Sutherland & Lois, you shouldn’t be allowed to read Ogilvy or Sharp.
(lol thats an unnecessarily hot take. Read whatever you want. But reading/watching this dude will make you better. Here’s a book he wrote that I recently finished)
Here’s an idea that is my dream job and maybe I shouldn’t give away for free:
So, you know how most publishers have built out branded content studios of one sort or another? It’s essentially an additional revenue stream enabled by what they have access to (production and eyeballs).
Do the same thing, but with Artist Management Agencies. Take someone like B&A Reps, hire a small “agency team” (strat, producer, client service), and let artists opt into being included in brand work. The client pays for their brand or product to be depicted in an artist’s work –however they see fit.
Lots of things to be figured out, but it feels like a good way to make ads beautiful while supporting artists.
Inspired by this post:
This photo sums up what a good ad should do…
“Deep down in their hearts, people in business know perfectly well that advertising creativity works. It’s simply that they do not feel comfortable with the fact that it does. It messes with the map of the world they hold in their heads. They would rather pretend that their success is attributable to efficiencies, economies of scale, cost-cutting or any MBA guff than to think that it might be due to psychological factors.”
Rob Campbell said something on his episode of Inspiring Futures that I really liked:
“Why would I do something that’s just a little better than everything else?”
This is the mentality to take into a pitch.
A few other highlights from that one:
“My problem with planning is they want to have all the answers. The creative is supposed to have the answers. The planner should have the problem”
“Great Strategy speaks to the people in the shadows and scares the crap out of the people in the spotlight”
These two images feel like apt metaphors for the industry.
Honestly, just try and find a work environment where you are the image on the right, not the left.
“Golfing while the world burns” is a great ad career memoir title.
I’ve talked about this before, but “does your agency make money from the process or the output?” is a question that every agency should have a clear stance on.
Nothing wrong with making $ from the process. There’s likely more money that way.
But making $ via the output doesn’t mean you’re a production shop. It means clients approach you for your ability move the needle, not by telling them how they should do it on their own. Are clients paying you for slides or ads? For opinions or results?
Tired of trying to decide whether to end an email with “best” “cheers” or “thanks” ??? This is a delightful collection of alternative sign offs.
Some highlights include:
oof,
with frosty fingertips,
soon we will be older,
sending my regards or whatever that translates to in modern parlance,
Eat bees,
sent from my theragun,
I said what I said,
and in case you forgot my name,
A thought: now that nobody is really optimistic about the future, we suffer from chronic cultural nostalgia. — This is dangerous.
“Attention is a finite resource, and how we choose to spend our attention online is, in some ways, a direct reflection of where human culture has gone in an era where access to information is basically unlimited.”
As a parent, this is how I will evaluate schools. Assuming we stay in the US, this means I will likely be very disappointed.
THIS is what the internet was supposed to be about: A forum for gum wrapper collectors https://gww.su/en/
I talk a lot about theory… But its really important to remember:
Practice over theory
Experimentation over safety
Intuition over process
Systems over objects
Emergence over authority
Resilience over force
Diversity over uniformity
Compasses over maps
“I'm very concerned that our society is much more interested in information than wonder.”
-Mr Rogers.
WEEKLY MONSTER:
Not a monster at all, but a lamp that I made.
It’s good to be proud of stuff you make. Even if it could be better.
“does your agency make money from the process or the output?”
This sounds as a great question to make at a job interview