Creative, Strategic, Dynamic, Fresh, ROI, Infusing, Digital, User Engagement, Interactive, Mindset, Value Justification, Benchmarking and Social, just a few of the buzz words and terms that fly around any Ad office, and clutter the minds of any Adman. However, as important as they may be in Adland, how relevant or understood are they to the consumer? Or is it even important whether they're relevant or understood by the masses?
Adland is what, if I may, liken to a box. As much as everyone within the box tries and encourages everyone to look 'outside the box', it still remains the sole place for all the words listed above. But with Ad accounts worth millions, and salary paying clients demanding the very best in creative work, the end result from any agency is essentially the best form of marketing for their specific target-market, at that very moment in time, from all the sources currently available to them, right? Well, for a moment I'd like to disagree and look at it from, well from 'outside the box'. It must be stated, Advertising has become more and more creative, there is more emphasis on the idea, the process, the interaction and social integration. However, are these objectives and 'value added' requirements for the fulfillment of a clients brief for the consumer, or merely for the enjoyment, admiration and bragging rights within Adland?
Creativity and Dynamism is undoubtedly rooted in confidence and self ego, it's a key factor in generating belief and passion within the work that you do. However, the distinction that needs to be made is between confident, ego boosting work for the consumer, which they can relate to at every level, interact with and engage in the underlying notions and messages, and the confident, ego boosting work that is done with Adland in mind, for it's appreciation acknowledgment first, and for the consumer second. Some may say it's a two way process, and what happens in Adland, and it's impression and influence on your work is for the benefit of Advertising, and the quality of work produced. However, should the work produced be for the better of Adland or for the benefit of the consumer? I feel I'm asking far more question than I'm actually answering at this stage, and there's some questions which are simply beyond me, as after all, it's all an opinion, and as we all know they vary from one person to the next, and mine seem to change from one hour to the other. One thing I am sure of is, the words at the top of this post are very important, and play a key role in any piece of work. However, yes, those words are for the folk within the so called 'box', and a pleasant box it really is I must admit, yet the work produced from those words should undoubtedly be firstly for the consumer, and then for anyone else you may want to 'advertise' your 'offering' or 'skills' to.
Creativity to a colleague, is not necessarily creativity to a consumer.
A final point I feel I need to make is that, as much as I've gone one way then the other in terms of the true objectives of any work, I must stress all Creative, Dynamic, Strategic and Interactive work is for the overall benefit of the industry. That may seem like a cop out in relation to what has been stated above, however, as an Adland lover and self-confessed creative geek, the consumer is important, yes, however, the quality of work is just a little teeny weeny bit more. I'm not sure if thats my ego seeping through there, or just the inability to look far enough outside this lovely, rather pleasant and finely brushed box.
