Getting a job in the advertising industry is about as difficult as drawing a straight line while on public transport. It's a constant struggle that leads to many false starts. Even when you do make it, the ride has been almost enough to put you off forever. This coming from someone who hasn't been through the process, but plans to in the future.
There is however, reason for my pessimism. Out of every graduating year at RMIT's creative advertising course, only 10% land jobs in the industry. One such lucky team is Trent Hendrick and Celeste Millot, who just scored a dream first job at Cummins & Partners in Brisbane. This was only achieved after being knocked back by an assortment of hardened agencies in and around Melbourne. Would their arduous journey have benefited from the new book released by Sydney adman Justin Lane? The creative group head at M&C Saatchi has compiled a collection of tips into an affordable bundle called 69 Ways To Get A Job In Advertising. We're yet to know if it's a worthwhile read, but at $15 it's only slightly more expensive than an issue of Campaign Brief.
I recently stumbled upon an interview with one of the fathers of modern advertising, George Lois. If you're a bit hazy on who the hell he is, all you need to know is that Bill Bernbach was his mentor, he created the "I want MTV" campaign that changed a generation, and art directed a host of unforgettable covers for Esquire Magazine. It was conducted in 2003 by New York magazine.
Here's his story on how he made it into the agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) and made a lasting impression...
"My first ad there—my very first day—was for a CBS show about how food gets delivered to New York. So I called a photographer and told him to get a fish—I wanted to have the fish saying, “How do I get to New York?” That first day, there was a memo from the business guy to all the art directors, saying, “You got to return props. I know you guys are keeping the props. I don’t care what the props are, I want them delivered to my office.” So after the shoot, I get the photographer to give me the fish. Then at ten o’clock at night, I leave the fish in the guy’s office with a note that says “As requested” and sign my name: George Lois."
In the few places I have stumbled across successful creative people, I find they all have one thing in common. That one thing being an undeniable vision. They know what they want and how to get it. Creativity has always been a subjective business, but it shouldn't be left up to everyone's interpretation. Someone has to captain the ship. With this in mind, George Lois was the Blackbeard of Madison Avenue. This is one quote which sums him up in a uniquely articulate manner: "I know what the fuck I know, and you know what the hell you know, and I’ll tell you what I think, and you tell me to fuck off." It's about not wasting your time or the time of others. It's a clear vision to communicate in the best way possible to the right people.
Another good example of his heralded insight and opinion is in this biting comment on the 1984 Apple Superbowl TVC: "And that great Apple commercial, which was horseshit, but it was Citizen Kane horseshit. It was the kind of thing that knocked you on your ass."
George Lois is a huge inspiration to me. And I'm finding it increasingly helpful to build a database of inspirational personalities to look up to before embarking on the ad job journey. Because most of the time, it's not what you know, or even who you know, but how you can make big things happen for influential people. Like a good friend and writer told me, it's all about the tone, and these people can be the signpost to making who you are the perfect fit for a lucky agency somewhere in the world.
5 Comments
Spoken by Tait Ischia Ischia
on Sunday, April 15 at 17:31.
There is however, reason for my pessimism. Out of every graduating year at RMIT's creative advertising course, only 10% land jobs in the industry. One such lucky team is Trent Hendrick and Celeste Millot, who just scored a dream first job at Cummins & Partners in Brisbane. This was only achieved after being knocked back by an assortment of hardened agencies in and around Melbourne. Would their arduous journey have benefited from the new book released by Sydney adman Justin Lane? The creative group head at M&C Saatchi has compiled a collection of tips into an affordable bundle called 69 Ways To Get A Job In Advertising. We're yet to know if it's a worthwhile read, but at $15 it's only slightly more expensive than an issue of Campaign Brief.
I recently stumbled upon an interview with one of the fathers of modern advertising, George Lois. If you're a bit hazy on who the hell he is, all you need to know is that Bill Bernbach was his mentor, he created the "I want MTV" campaign that changed a generation, and art directed a host of unforgettable covers for Esquire Magazine. It was conducted in 2003 by New York magazine.
Here's his story on how he made it into the agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) and made a lasting impression...
"My first ad there—my very first day—was for a CBS show about how food gets delivered to New York. So I called a photographer and told him to get a fish—I wanted to have the fish saying, “How do I get to New York?” That first day, there was a memo from the business guy to all the art directors, saying, “You got to return props. I know you guys are keeping the props. I don’t care what the props are, I want them delivered to my office.” So after the shoot, I get the photographer to give me the fish. Then at ten o’clock at night, I leave the fish in the guy’s office with a note that says “As requested” and sign my name: George Lois."
In the few places I have stumbled across successful creative people, I find they all have one thing in common. That one thing being an undeniable vision. They know what they want and how to get it. Creativity has always been a subjective business, but it shouldn't be left up to everyone's interpretation. Someone has to captain the ship. With this in mind, George Lois was the Blackbeard of Madison Avenue. This is one quote which sums him up in a uniquely articulate manner: "I know what the fuck I know, and you know what the hell you know, and I’ll tell you what I think, and you tell me to fuck off." It's about not wasting your time or the time of others. It's a clear vision to communicate in the best way possible to the right people.
Another good example of his heralded insight and opinion is in this biting comment on the 1984 Apple Superbowl TVC: "And that great Apple commercial, which was horseshit, but it was Citizen Kane horseshit. It was the kind of thing that knocked you on your ass."
George Lois is a huge inspiration to me. And I'm finding it increasingly helpful to build a database of inspirational personalities to look up to before embarking on the ad job journey. Because most of the time, it's not what you know, or even who you know, but how you can make big things happen for influential people. Like a good friend and writer told me, it's all about the tone, and these people can be the signpost to making who you are the perfect fit for a lucky agency somewhere in the world.
The State Library in Melbourne is getting better and better with age. Tomorrow (Thursday), the famous institution will be presenting a free forum discussing artists' zines and the spoken word.
The event will feature Steve Grimwade & Lisa Greenaway from Going Down Swinging, Jessica Tuckerman from City Library Street Press and Luke Sinclair from the catacomb zine palace that is Sticky.
But aside from these great talents, I am very interested to see the spoken-word performance by Sean Whelan. This poet turned an old copy of Dubliners, James Joyce's classic novel, into a modern salute called Melbourners. I hear the poetry is even better than the concept.
(I wish these people had links but it's hard to find much about them online. All the more reason to come along and see what they're really about.)
Useless products have plagued birthdays and the family Christmas for many years. Who hasn't at some stage bought their dad an exploding golf ball, their uncle a novelty mug or their unsuspecting mum an apron with tits on it? They seem like a good idea at the time, but realistically you may as well have stuck $20 in a bottle and thrown it from the top of a very high bridge.
No surprise Granny May's went under a few years ago. I'm surprised What's New is still in business. But unlike Australia, in the neon world of Japan useless products are a big deal. Most people by now have heard of chindogu. Coined by the Japanese inventor and author Kenji Kawakami, chindogu are useless inventions that on the surface appear ingenious but turn out to be humourously useless.
The French lads at ATYPYK have taken the idea a step further. (Thanks to Chris at NowNow for the link.) With products like a sponge microphone for singing in the shower, a sketchbook made from tablecloth for writing ideas and a piggy bank in the shape of a clock for saving time & money; Christmas will never be the same again. My personal favourite is the Revenge CD. The pack contains a set of earplugs and a cd with 20 ear piercing tracks to play loud next time your neighbours are having an early morning soiree at your sleep deprived expense. Tracks include the sounds of a drill, domestic squabble, practicing scales (violin), pigeons and an orgasm (outstanding).
I love these ideas. The only problem I have is that they're still useless. Who wants to pay money for a product that will solve problems that didn't need to be solved at all? They would however work wonderfully as added value for existing brands. The sponge microphone for Playstation's Singstar is an example. It may mean the idea has 'sold out', but it gives the products a little more relevance and ultimately more usefulness.
A pair of such people dreaming up beautiful ideas and matching them to brands are David & Phoebe. Although their inventions have not lived beyond the humble notepad, the ideas are solid gold.
The varied talents of mankind never cease to amaze me. You thought the Xtreme Games were cool when you were 13, now they're just another yawnfest and a not so cleverly disguised money making scheme to be wary of. The word on the street is that Parkour is the new cool. What Industrie Magazine (Issue Two) described as 'the bastard child of martial arts, gymnastics, yoga and capoeira', Parkour is finally making an entrance into mainstream culture.
How so you ask? McDonalds, through advertising agency TribalDDB Sydney, have just unleashed a new TVC onto our television screens. It uses Parkour to sell Bacon & Egg McMuffins. If you fail to see the connection then I'm with you. But I could be wrong. Parkour is the new cool after all, so maybe it will rub off on the ultra cool gen-y target market McDonalds is desperately trying to win back. The following video is the making of, and features the ad in its entirety at the end.
I'm not too keen on grabbing a fad or fashion and attaching it to an ad. It's not an idea. It's like putting a random celebrity in front of a camera and hoping young impressionable youths will listen because they identify with the personality. It definitely doesn't make your brand or product cool. (I'm looking at you Thorpie and your fully sick cereal.)
Having said this, if there is a solid idea, adding a fad or said celebrity to your ad can enhance it's effect. A good example is the use of Ron Moss for Australian Fresh Orange Juice. The story is funny on it's own. The success of the concept doesn't rely solely on the credibility of Mr. Moss.
Another good example is the Honda Cog TVC. It was originally an idea by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss created in 1987. The concept was updated and enhanced by the idea, without the two being mutually exclusive.
But to get back to the phenomena of Parkour, highly respected ad agency Wieden + Kennedy were on that bandwagon long, long ago. Back in 2002, they mixed the breathtaking images of Parkour with a hilarious idea to great effect for Nike.
Good try TribalDDB, but somehow I don't think the target will do anything but jump off the couch and into the kitchen for a distracting bowl of vegetables.
3 Comments
Spoken by Tait Ischia Ischia
on Monday, April 2 at 23:07.
How so you ask? McDonalds, through advertising agency TribalDDB Sydney, have just unleashed a new TVC onto our television screens. It uses Parkour to sell Bacon & Egg McMuffins. If you fail to see the connection then I'm with you. But I could be wrong. Parkour is the new cool after all, so maybe it will rub off on the ultra cool gen-y target market McDonalds is desperately trying to win back. The following video is the making of, and features the ad in its entirety at the end.
I'm not too keen on grabbing a fad or fashion and attaching it to an ad. It's not an idea. It's like putting a random celebrity in front of a camera and hoping young impressionable youths will listen because they identify with the personality. It definitely doesn't make your brand or product cool. (I'm looking at you Thorpie and your fully sick cereal.)
Having said this, if there is a solid idea, adding a fad or said celebrity to your ad can enhance it's effect. A good example is the use of Ron Moss for Australian Fresh Orange Juice. The story is funny on it's own. The success of the concept doesn't rely solely on the credibility of Mr. Moss.
Another good example is the Honda Cog TVC. It was originally an idea by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss created in 1987. The concept was updated and enhanced by the idea, without the two being mutually exclusive.
But to get back to the phenomena of Parkour, highly respected ad agency Wieden + Kennedy were on that bandwagon long, long ago. Back in 2002, they mixed the breathtaking images of Parkour with a hilarious idea to great effect for Nike.
Good try TribalDDB, but somehow I don't think the target will do anything but jump off the couch and into the kitchen for a distracting bowl of vegetables.
