Here's my latest Adnews column. It's written for those in advertising, but applicable to everyone - more or less.
I was once interviewing a chap who used to go to graveyards, dig up dead peoples bones, stand and masturbate over them (I was working in prisons at the time). When interviewing him once he swung his arm back, punched at me, diverting his fist at the last second to punch the wall behind me. Having left a fist sized hole in the wall, he flung back, collapsed in his chair and begin to cry ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ he said. He was odd – this was an odd thing to happen to me.
It’s not the most remarkable thing to happen to me at work – but it’s right up there. Nothing that remarkable has ever happened to me in advertising.
Think back over the last year whilst at work – how many remarkable incidences have you had? I’m talking about odd, remarkable, ‘out-there’, experiences? Stop. think about it. Please. Write it down. What are the most remarkable incidences you’ve been involved in? Could be a pitch? Could be a shopping experience with a ‘cond-sumer’, could be a prank the office played on the boss on April Fools Day. This is meant to be advertising right?
How did you go? Come up with anything? No? That’s why I’m scared.
We are becoming boring. As an industry I wonder if we are self-policing each other to such a degree we are becoming intolerant of new, different and odd, this is sad. What makes it sadder is this is meant to be ‘advertising’. What makes this thought (if true) truly tragic is that our industry, more than any other shapes the culture we live in. Therefore our industry – yes you and I, is making our culture boring and unremarkable. As I see it:
- Advertising, more than any other industry shapes our culture. Day to day people are exposed by and shaped by advertising more than anything else (debatable of course but you get the point).
- The more extreme the extremes of culture are the broader the playing field of experience for all of us.
- Advertising that broadens a sense of possibility broadens the playing field of culture.
- An advertising industry that is conservative is going to create a boring culture.
Unfortunately, as an industry we self-monitor, police, and pull each other down in a fashion that is rather unbecoming (read a marketing blog lately). We’re developing a culture that is risk adverse and shuns difference. We’re no longer avant-garde. We’re no longer ‘pushing boundaries’? Now out of these challenging conditions remarkable and possibility expanding work or course still makes its way though. The following have all made me think ‘fuck that’s interesting’.
- Lynx Jet by Unilever
- The sun sound campaign by The Cancer Council
- The Yellow Treehouse and chocolate campaigns by Yellow Pages NZ
- Queensland’s Best Job in the world
For whatever reason all of these pieces of work made me think the playing field just got bigger, the advertising world more exciting. The clients and agencies involved should be applauded (and of course though our ridiculously self-congratulatory awards culture all of these were well recognised again and again and again).
So let me loop back. The reason the poor grave digging, masturbating sod was so upset was because he saw himself as a freak, as a monster, His behaviour was abhorrent – no doubt. And he was odd no doubt and such behaviour should not be tolerated by a civil society. However, lets:
a) stop making a sing and dance and vilifying everyone who’s odd or unafraid to put their head above the parapet
B) stop ripping the shit out of creative work that’s not our own
C) act in a more fun, creative, inspirational, different way. Stretch the boundaries of possibility very day.
