Tag: Ad Agency

Who has creative control? It's a simple question with a complicated answer. When you're in the business of making money using your creativity there are many stakeholders, so no one person really has complete creative control. There's always someone else in the equation with whom you must negotiate. The boss,…

I'm a huge fan of process. Having a great idea can't really help you or your clients if you don't have the process that gets you from a great idea to a great execution. Without great execution you end up with a so so. All the great studios, production companies,…

I've worked as a writer/ad creative and producer for over 20 years. Needless to say, I've felt blocked more than a few times. The most important thing about breaking writer's block is not to freak out. It's called writer's block because we all experience it from time to time and…

I've seen a whole lot of change in advertising and media production business over the years. Mainly in the transition in the media we use to communicate with audiences and the technology we are using to create the communication. Back in the mid 90s I worked at an agency where the…

My grandfather wasn't known for communication skills. He rarely talked to me or anyone besides his golf buddies and my grandmother. He was also a man of conviction. One conviction was that Thanksgiving stuffing must contain copious amounts of sage. My stepmother did not share his conviction that sage was…

For those who don't know, scietism is the excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and techniques. This to me sounds a lot like the ad industry over the last decade with it's obsession over data, technology and measurement. In some ways, these obsessions have overtaken the core business…

Just make something already. Yeah, go make anything. Really, anything at all. Anything that speaks to you. Even better, something that will speak truth to others and should be heard. Something with a perspective that's worth seeing just for its beauty. Ad people are making too much shit these days.…

If you work in a creative field, you're an entrepreneur. Just like a brand, you are known in the marketplace by your product and you must develop a reputation for good work to survive. If the product you put out drops in quality, you'll be looking for another job. Possibly…

Doubt. Do you doubt yourself? Do you ever stare at a blank page and doubt you can fill it with something great? Do you doubt that your work is going to be as good as the next guys? Do you doubt that you're a good creative? Doubt is natural. But…

In advertising we deal with competing brands all the time. Logically thinking, you might assume that one brand really is better than another. But if facts and logic where what consumers were in the market for each product category would have one dominate brand and everyone else would just get…