I hate advertising. And I'll tell you why. Agencies want awards. That's how they build their reputation. Creatives are pressurised to come up with award-winning ideas. Now, I'm a girl and as such like the shiny things but here's the problem (or at least at the agency I'm at): you either create ideas for NGO's that the agency pays for (these are generally cheap, once-off things) or you try create ideas for existing clients and get them to pay for them. Often this leads to cheap but smart little ideas that are awarded the one year and forgotten the next. And here's the rub: They do not solve problems. They do not leave a real lasting impact on anyone or anything except the creative's ego.
I don't believe in scam adds or once-off ideas purely for awards. I want to create brands that people fall in love with. Brands people believe in and whose logos people want tattoo-ed on their pimpled butts. Now, this might sound a little idealistic but, hey, I'm a dreamer. I wouldn't be in this business if I weren't.
If you look at the Grand Prix winners at Cannes (Gatorade Replay, EOS Photochains, the Nike Livestrong chalkbot), they impacted people's lives. They allowed people to relive their youths, commemorate loved ones and give messages of hope. They allowed artists to be inspired and their talent exposed.
This is the kind of advertising I want to do. Advertising that changes lives. That creates memories. That becomes iconic. Advertising that impacts people in a meaningful way.
If I fail to do this, I will be nothing more than a magpie chasing after shiny objects.
Excuse the rant.
Tracey. Over and out.
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