Advertising is less about recognizing trends and running with it. We’re problem solvers, having more in common with the mathematician than the artist or poet laureate.
As an undergraduate with one semester left until I receive my BFA, it’s an odd philosophy to embrace, but I believe this is true. Here’s why:
We don’t say new things; we say old things in a new way.
When it comes down to it, advertising is about telling a story. In western literature there are only 7 stories. Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy and Rebirth. That’s it boom done. Any story you’ve ever told is one of those. The same is true with advertising. It doesn’t matter if it’s a two-minute spot or a print ad —it can be placed into one of those categories.
This is a wonderful thing because it gives us a creative rulebook to follow. We’ll never be able to break the rules, but we can bend them and create the illusion of something new.
Oldspice (Comedy) did this, Nike (Overcoming the Monster) did this and Allstate (Rebirth) did, too.
Advertising is a commodity.
I like to think of advertising as a product. I’m not creating a 30 second spot to sell something. I’m creating a 30 second comedy. If you think of advertising as a way to entertain, or to create a dialog with the consumer, then you’re off to a great start. What creates good advertising? The same thing that creates good products —that’s innovation.
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