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I went to a halloween party some friends of my parents (mid 50s) threw and noticed something interesting.
It was 80’s themed. Not an rare theme, but every 80’s theme party I’ve been to has been hosted by people born in the 80s. Not people who were young adults in the 80s.
At every 80s party I’ve been to in the past, people wear neon, acid wash, big hair sweat bands etc.
But without exception, every single adult at this party was dressed as somebody from the 80s. a character or real person. (My dad went as Robert Smith from the Cure and absolutely terrified my daughter).
Which made me wonder– would this same group have all dressed up as a character or real person from the 50s if that had been the theme? Or would they all just wear suits / dress up as functional alcoholics?
In other words, is the generational difference that people of that generation do theme parties differently (characters instead of generic aesthetic) or is it that living through an era makes it hard to think about in abstraction?
The answer is likely not important, but it was interesting nonetheless.
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Every person is working on two projects all the time: them against the world and them against themselves.
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When communicating, “know your audience” easily becomes “pander to your audience.”
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I have an ongoing keynote doc called “mocks” … Here are a few slides. Some are possibly helpful, others are just nonsense.
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We’re always trying to prove, not negate.
shout out to Julien for the 30 min sidebar on Statistical Significance that reminded be of the above point.
I think Strategists should know Statistics better. Myself included.
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Is there a single example of an ad that came from thinking about what the audience finds cool first?
Not a rhetorical question. Are cultural trends really that important to include in a campaign level briefing? Isn’t that an executional/PR kind of thing?
Happy to be wrong.
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NOTES FROM MY ANNUAL REVIEW IN 2021:
Chicken Scratch Expanded Translation:
Stop teaching the strategy, expect people to trust your expertise (I’ve experienced mixed results with this…)
Be more shitty about responding to feedback. (i.e. don’t always default to assuming feedback needs to be addressed.)
Stop sharing before I’m ready. (I have a note taped to my wall inspired by this: “just ask for more time”)
Be clear about what’s fixed when sharing work. Here is what I’m looking for notes on, but this stuff is set.
Don’t Screen Share while editing slides. I’m still guilty of this. Its easy to do when meeting through zoom, and it saves time compared to taking notes of small changes. But it’s distracting and a gateway to getting myself distracted.
Don’t move at the rate I think: not relevant to all, but to my fellow ADHD over thinkers – remember that most people’s brains are not full of jumping beans. While it is sometimes advantageous, sometimes you have to conform to the norm and slow down when working with others.
The best review I’ve ever received. Examined the root causes, not the symptoms.
Thanks Meg.
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Can’t remember where I read it but it stuck with me:
Strategy’s job isn’t always to write the strategy – but it is our job to make sure there is one.