Lord of the flies has SHIT on this.
Sep 7, 2008
Sep 5, 2008
Way beyond the top 40: Black Market Radio
I don't know when, but some time ago, one of my greatest rock god heroes had a change of heart and decided to create unmeaningful music that for lack of a better word sucks... Wait a minute, I take pride in bashing the shit out of crappy things so lets do it right.
If you're a fan of Chris Cornell, you've been wincing in pain the last year and a half asking what the hell happened to what many fans got to call THE Voice. That's one hell of a statement and it's ok if you have a rut, but Chris Cornell is seriously challenging my owning every Soundgarden and Audioslave CD with the shit he's pulling off.
Some people don't understand the trauma this represents for me and if you need clarification let me put it this way:
Try to imagine John Wayne in a tutu.
Imagine Dirty Harry lip locking with Charles Bronson.
Imagine Rocky quitting on his stool.
Imagine Superman having fishnet thigh highs instead of his typical tights.
Imagine Michael Jordan laying up in a slam dunk competition or Babe Ruth bunting when he'd promised a kid a homerun.
Trust me, this has fucked with my head beyond belief and you just have to see that his new album is produced by Timbaland to see why I weep and wallow on the toilet for 5 hours because I'd rather smell aged Joker poop than spend one cent on any of what he's done in his solo career the last year and a half (his first solo album is amazing though).
Now that I got that out of the way, lets talk about the positive. Chris Cornell has a brother who has a Seattle based band and they sound like Soundgarden. The music is tight, I own the album and I smile at the prospect of looking up to a Cornell even if it's not the first one I was into.
So is Black Market Radio as good as Soundgarden? That's a shitty question to ask regardless and I'm sure most everyone has asked it, so why not just answer it even if it makes the members of the band uncomfortable. No. Black Market Radio is not as good as Soundgarden... if you talk about Superunknown or Down on the Upside. But if you go back just a bit further, I think it's comparable to Bad Motorfinger and trust me, they offer enough to merit me mentioning them, linking you to their webpage and posting a video or two. So to Peter Cornell, keep it up bro. I hope you give your brother a wet willy to see if he drops the R & B lame parade, and if he doesn't at least you're showing him how to rawk.
Cheers
Click the title or the shiny word at the end of this sentence of this post for their website.
If you're a fan of Chris Cornell, you've been wincing in pain the last year and a half asking what the hell happened to what many fans got to call THE Voice. That's one hell of a statement and it's ok if you have a rut, but Chris Cornell is seriously challenging my owning every Soundgarden and Audioslave CD with the shit he's pulling off.
Some people don't understand the trauma this represents for me and if you need clarification let me put it this way:
Try to imagine John Wayne in a tutu.
Imagine Dirty Harry lip locking with Charles Bronson.
Imagine Rocky quitting on his stool.
Imagine Superman having fishnet thigh highs instead of his typical tights.
Imagine Michael Jordan laying up in a slam dunk competition or Babe Ruth bunting when he'd promised a kid a homerun.
Trust me, this has fucked with my head beyond belief and you just have to see that his new album is produced by Timbaland to see why I weep and wallow on the toilet for 5 hours because I'd rather smell aged Joker poop than spend one cent on any of what he's done in his solo career the last year and a half (his first solo album is amazing though).
Now that I got that out of the way, lets talk about the positive. Chris Cornell has a brother who has a Seattle based band and they sound like Soundgarden. The music is tight, I own the album and I smile at the prospect of looking up to a Cornell even if it's not the first one I was into.
So is Black Market Radio as good as Soundgarden? That's a shitty question to ask regardless and I'm sure most everyone has asked it, so why not just answer it even if it makes the members of the band uncomfortable. No. Black Market Radio is not as good as Soundgarden... if you talk about Superunknown or Down on the Upside. But if you go back just a bit further, I think it's comparable to Bad Motorfinger and trust me, they offer enough to merit me mentioning them, linking you to their webpage and posting a video or two. So to Peter Cornell, keep it up bro. I hope you give your brother a wet willy to see if he drops the R & B lame parade, and if he doesn't at least you're showing him how to rawk.
Cheers
Click the title or the shiny word at the end of this sentence of this post for their website.
Baldy has something important to say
Every year I look for opportunities to donate money because my way of reasoning is that if I'm going to be taxed anyway, I should at least send some of my money to causes I identify and/or believe in. Enter this clip and a good candidate to receive my money.
Way beyond the top 40: American Analog Set
It's been a while since I posted random music finds for people to enjoy so here's the first of a tetra header: American Analog Set.
If you like your rock controlled, mellow and more alternative than rawking AAS is a band I definitely recommend. How I found out about them is beyond me because I honestly forgot, but what I do know is that I'm happy I did find the band. It's great music to chill out and enjoy especially when all you WANT to do is chill.
Great tracks abound from the band though nothing supremely anthemic or anything of the sort. I'm talking minimallistic rock tunes that get in your head and stay there a while while you play sudoku, write a copy, design a layout or maybe just maybe, relax at home.
Check out their myspace page or any of the clips below.
Cheers
Joker
If you like your rock controlled, mellow and more alternative than rawking AAS is a band I definitely recommend. How I found out about them is beyond me because I honestly forgot, but what I do know is that I'm happy I did find the band. It's great music to chill out and enjoy especially when all you WANT to do is chill.
Great tracks abound from the band though nothing supremely anthemic or anything of the sort. I'm talking minimallistic rock tunes that get in your head and stay there a while while you play sudoku, write a copy, design a layout or maybe just maybe, relax at home.
Check out their myspace page or any of the clips below.
Cheers
Joker
Fortune Cookie 500 #'s 196-200
On fixed salaries in advertising
The more you work, the less you earn.
On success
The swager of the mule shall forever be more noticeable than the load it carries.
On headphones
Without music, mortality rates within agencies would soar.
On lonely Creative Directors
You inspire me to fail.
On new businesses
Let us celebrate augmenting our workload.
* Only 300 to go woohooo.
The more you work, the less you earn.
On success
The swager of the mule shall forever be more noticeable than the load it carries.
On headphones
Without music, mortality rates within agencies would soar.
On lonely Creative Directors
You inspire me to fail.
On new businesses
Let us celebrate augmenting our workload.
* Only 300 to go woohooo.
The Agency Commandments
People always ask, what makes a place great to work at? What would an agency need for one to like working there? What differentiates a good agency from a bad one? People think there’s some quantum theory to achieve this when there isn’t. Just think of all the shit places you’ve worked at and apart from realizing there’s an underlying pattern of redundancy, you’ll know what you need to make your work environ a better place. I’ve thought long and hard (which means this is a spur of the moment rant since I’m at the office past 12 again) and I was able to conjure up 10 wonderful little rules that if followed, won’t guarantee a perfect place, but at least it’ll have a healthy head start.
1. Thou shalt honor thy workforce.
Way too often worker bees are taken for granted. You know how I know that? Because I'm a fucking worker bee and I know to the extent one's efforts and sacrifices aren't appreciated. Employees have lives and guess what, so should higher members of the hierarchy. Treat your workers with respect and consideration and if there is one who is ungrateful or problematic, see the next commandment.
2. Thou shalt eliminate genuinely problematic employees.
It could be an asshole VP, a diva creative, an alcoholic media planner or a shitty receptionist. Shit can go anywhere if not flushed properly and honestly, you don't want a rotten apple giving bad ideas to people. Agency owners would probably say that the turnover rate is too high or that finding the right people is too hard. With the second comment I have no problem because really, it IS hard to find the right people for the right job. That's why you should do as the first commandment and honor them once you find them. Having trouble separating the crap from the cream? It's real simple. If someone is an asshole AND offers no corporate contribution then why do they still have a job? I'm fucking dumbfounded at the amount of shitty people who maintain their jobs via scare tactics and brilliant self selling. Don't buy the bullshit, offer two warning to be kind and if you are met with genuine non compliance, after passing through the correct channels. Fire them AND tell them why they are being fired just in case they want to try a lawsuit on for size.
3. Thou shalt do thy damndest to find good clients.
Good clients are NOT a dime a dozen. They might be hard headed, but they pay on time, at the very least occasionally allow good work, don't send revisions every 20 minutes and are either on the same page or out of your roster.
4. Thou shalt honor thy fine clients.
Keep a client happy and you will be able to work efficiently, do decent work and send them a fruit basket because you like them and not because it's protocol.
5. Thou shalt honor the Sabath and Sundayth.
Weekends should be sacred. Period.
6. Thy equipment shall forever be up to date.
Coming from a copywriter, you can bet your ass I consistently get the bottom of the stock pile of office equipment. I've had to work on Power Macs in the last 5 years and I've gone through more computers than a hooker goes through cheap condoms.
7. Thou shalt offer incentives to people who do excellent work.
For better or worse, we live in a capitalist society and we work on incentives. Just in case, incentives don't have to be cash prizes even though we love them. A dinner, a lunch, a weekend stay, a week off just because, products from the clients we slave off for.
8. Thou shalt preach, believe, and practice empathy.
This goes for everyone. Middle management and grunts consistently say this about a CEO, but this should work both ways. What busts my balls is that I do practice empathy, say hello and good morning and they still get my name wrong.
9. Thou shalt believe in creative work as long as it is based on strategy.
Do crazy shit but help an AE sell it. The better the strategy and the more it makes sense to a client even if your ad has a goldfish tea bagging an aardvark, the easier they'll buy it and the sooner you can get home to enjoy what normal people call a life.
10. Thou shall have good communication.
It is fucking unbearably pathetic how piss poor we communicate within so many ad agencies. It's a marvel clients still trust us with their money with the shit we pull off on a daily basis. By the way, good communication also includes professionalism, kindness, manners, respect and appreciation. I know it's a little hard to conceive but I know you can do it.
Could there be more rules? Why shit yes, but just imagine a company that does these ten things.
1. Thou shalt honor thy workforce.
Way too often worker bees are taken for granted. You know how I know that? Because I'm a fucking worker bee and I know to the extent one's efforts and sacrifices aren't appreciated. Employees have lives and guess what, so should higher members of the hierarchy. Treat your workers with respect and consideration and if there is one who is ungrateful or problematic, see the next commandment.
2. Thou shalt eliminate genuinely problematic employees.
It could be an asshole VP, a diva creative, an alcoholic media planner or a shitty receptionist. Shit can go anywhere if not flushed properly and honestly, you don't want a rotten apple giving bad ideas to people. Agency owners would probably say that the turnover rate is too high or that finding the right people is too hard. With the second comment I have no problem because really, it IS hard to find the right people for the right job. That's why you should do as the first commandment and honor them once you find them. Having trouble separating the crap from the cream? It's real simple. If someone is an asshole AND offers no corporate contribution then why do they still have a job? I'm fucking dumbfounded at the amount of shitty people who maintain their jobs via scare tactics and brilliant self selling. Don't buy the bullshit, offer two warning to be kind and if you are met with genuine non compliance, after passing through the correct channels. Fire them AND tell them why they are being fired just in case they want to try a lawsuit on for size.
3. Thou shalt do thy damndest to find good clients.
Good clients are NOT a dime a dozen. They might be hard headed, but they pay on time, at the very least occasionally allow good work, don't send revisions every 20 minutes and are either on the same page or out of your roster.
4. Thou shalt honor thy fine clients.
Keep a client happy and you will be able to work efficiently, do decent work and send them a fruit basket because you like them and not because it's protocol.
5. Thou shalt honor the Sabath and Sundayth.
Weekends should be sacred. Period.
6. Thy equipment shall forever be up to date.
Coming from a copywriter, you can bet your ass I consistently get the bottom of the stock pile of office equipment. I've had to work on Power Macs in the last 5 years and I've gone through more computers than a hooker goes through cheap condoms.
7. Thou shalt offer incentives to people who do excellent work.
For better or worse, we live in a capitalist society and we work on incentives. Just in case, incentives don't have to be cash prizes even though we love them. A dinner, a lunch, a weekend stay, a week off just because, products from the clients we slave off for.
8. Thou shalt preach, believe, and practice empathy.
This goes for everyone. Middle management and grunts consistently say this about a CEO, but this should work both ways. What busts my balls is that I do practice empathy, say hello and good morning and they still get my name wrong.
9. Thou shalt believe in creative work as long as it is based on strategy.
Do crazy shit but help an AE sell it. The better the strategy and the more it makes sense to a client even if your ad has a goldfish tea bagging an aardvark, the easier they'll buy it and the sooner you can get home to enjoy what normal people call a life.
10. Thou shall have good communication.
It is fucking unbearably pathetic how piss poor we communicate within so many ad agencies. It's a marvel clients still trust us with their money with the shit we pull off on a daily basis. By the way, good communication also includes professionalism, kindness, manners, respect and appreciation. I know it's a little hard to conceive but I know you can do it.
Could there be more rules? Why shit yes, but just imagine a company that does these ten things.
Sep 3, 2008
God is recording some great voiceovers right now...
Rest in Peace, Don. Watching trailers will not be the same without you.
Creative Guidance... almost over but not quite
81. As submitted by ANON: "Write notes on your hands and arms - reminders, illegible scrawlings, expletives, the more random the better." See Memento for reference material.
82. Agree with what the man in the big leather seat agrees to. you are supposed to be completely capricious and independent in your opinion unless your owner AKA CEO is kind enough to give you the opinion you should have.
83. Stay late every day. Having a life and any type of existence outside of advertising means you're not working hard enough. Interpersonal relationships should be disastrous at best.
84. Change opinions and strategy midway through developing a campaign. Only in the tossles of confusion and erratic disaster will the best work come out.
85. Get divorced. Nothing pumps the creative juices more than losing money, respect and sleep.
86. You need a checkered vest. I'm not talking about plaid. I'm talking checkered all the way. Being painful to the naked eye is a testament to your creativity expressed via your fashion medium of preference... especially if it's checkered and especially if it's a vest and or jacket. Having an ensemble gets you extra bonus creative points.
87. Always have a play on words where palindrome words and or sentences should be your North.
88. Always use random meaningless references for visual approaches to your advertising. For instance if you have to make tampon ads, think Zack Snyder or the visual look of Fight Club.
89. Always develop a mood piece that will make any normal person uncomfortable that you're even presenting said ambiance.
90. Keep the drama on high and the logic on low. This has been mentioned before but merits repeating, elaborating, repeating again and insisting so here goes... keep the drama high and the logic low.
82. Agree with what the man in the big leather seat agrees to. you are supposed to be completely capricious and independent in your opinion unless your owner AKA CEO is kind enough to give you the opinion you should have.
83. Stay late every day. Having a life and any type of existence outside of advertising means you're not working hard enough. Interpersonal relationships should be disastrous at best.
84. Change opinions and strategy midway through developing a campaign. Only in the tossles of confusion and erratic disaster will the best work come out.
85. Get divorced. Nothing pumps the creative juices more than losing money, respect and sleep.
86. You need a checkered vest. I'm not talking about plaid. I'm talking checkered all the way. Being painful to the naked eye is a testament to your creativity expressed via your fashion medium of preference... especially if it's checkered and especially if it's a vest and or jacket. Having an ensemble gets you extra bonus creative points.
87. Always have a play on words where palindrome words and or sentences should be your North.
88. Always use random meaningless references for visual approaches to your advertising. For instance if you have to make tampon ads, think Zack Snyder or the visual look of Fight Club.
89. Always develop a mood piece that will make any normal person uncomfortable that you're even presenting said ambiance.
90. Keep the drama on high and the logic on low. This has been mentioned before but merits repeating, elaborating, repeating again and insisting so here goes... keep the drama high and the logic low.
Fortune Cookie 500 #'s 191-195
On Creative directors
Direction should come from within, not above.
On late nights
Ordering expensive food as revenge quickly loses its appeal.
On maturity
Being stubborn and using big words does not make me believe in you.
On lack of direction
Lead through example or just tell me what you want me to do.
On being consistent
A lapdog shall always look above for its own opinion.
Direction should come from within, not above.
On late nights
Ordering expensive food as revenge quickly loses its appeal.
On maturity
Being stubborn and using big words does not make me believe in you.
On lack of direction
Lead through example or just tell me what you want me to do.
On being consistent
A lapdog shall always look above for its own opinion.
LOCK. YOUR. LUGGAGE.
Imagine for a second. You are traveling tomorrow. You packed your bags, beaming with joy. You are going on that really long vacation you were waiting for. The beach, the city, the country, snow, water, sand, jungle... it doesn't matter, picture the greatest place in the world according to you. Now imagine yourself checking the bag, getting on the plane, eating your nuts, sleeping... and finally getting there. Just one thing. You need to pass Customs and you have to show your bags.
Suddenly, 10 pouds of Marijuana are inside your luggage. You certainly didn't put it there and you cannot prove that single fact. Oh, did I mention you arrived in a country where corruption is the word of the week? What do you do then?
Ganja Queen is one of those documentary that scares the living shit out of you. First of all, because you start to think how many times you just check your bags at the airport, thinking that no one will just open it. In fact, trusting that it will be remain closed, just like you left it - and it will get to your hands again the same way. Schapelle Corby sure learned the hard way that a lock can actually prevent a shitload of problems.
This australian woman had traveled to Bali in October 2004 for a two week vacation. She is now serving a 20 year sentence because a 10 pound bag of weed was found in her unlocked boogie-board bag while being searched by customs officials. Is she a lesson for all of us? For me, definitively. Yes, I will lock the shit out of my bags. But I won't even check them anymore. Period. Even if I have to wash my Wonder Woman panties by hand when I travel because I didn't bring enough for the trip, I won't care. I'll smile and wash away because I know that I will be avoiding being turned into a mule.
Look. I know it can happen to me, it can happen to you. Some miserable piece of shit can either steal my camera right from my bag or place something really unholy inside it and me you pay for it. But do I have to make it easier for him? No way man. I am saran wrapping the hell out of my carry on and then duct taping myself to it. Period.
Traveling soon? Watch. This. Film. You better not check yo self, beeyatch.
Sep 2, 2008
Joker’s 20 on 20 -- From the Bottom of Everything --
If anything is clear from within Blog Land it's that there is an extensively varied buffet of writers to feed your brain with. All countries, all disciplines, all ages, all levels of experience and it just so happens that for X or Y reason you come in contact with some very excellent blogs that definitely make you want to read more of how that person's brain works. This 20-20 is especially curious because there's a great blog by the name of From the Bottom of Everything. Why is it curious? Well simply because seeing an ad student/intern with such a disciplined and mature view of advertising is always inspiring, especially when lackluster work days make me think long and hard of why I got into this business in the first place. Here's #11 in the 20-20 series.
20 questions
20 answers
some comments
no editing
enjoy slightly chilled
1. What motivates you to be in advertising?
I have an insatiable curiosity and a desire to create. I am also highly motivated by happiness in life, not money, and despite what I've read on this blog and others, I believe advertising can make me happy. Besides, do you know how hard it is to become a professional lego builder?
JOKER:
Power to you and may you have a better path than us jaded ones, though don’t lose that professional lego builder dream.
2. Describe Denver in a 100 words or less.
I'll give you some words and let you add some of your own to make your own sentences. I'm convinced any sentence you make out of these words will be true about Denver:
Denver mile high low is Broncos the great place Nuggets Rocky Mountains Avalanche weather are sucks awesome art museum to live Rockies sunshine plains cowtown capital of was were can be no 16th street mall LoDo hip cool lame DNC fun rocks a in west cowboys urban parks outdoors cars bikes ride fly beer water drink drunk scene lifeless worth not ski snowboard snow cold heat hot humidity
JOKER:
In that case…..
In the mile high Rocky Place called Denver, there was a cowtown whose art museum was as urban cool as a LoDo snowboard among awesome water plains. The sunshine is not lifeless though the drunk scene was not worth the cold. A 16th street mall is the Bronco capital and the hot cowboys ride flying beers. Avalanche road on Denver Mountains can be no fun but low west parks rocks in an awesome Rockies way. Nuggets of weather makes it fun as the DNC is a great place to live, where cars and snow were hot and hip, not lame and the humidity of bike seats outdoors sucks the drink out of ski heat.
How’s that? :)
3. What hardships do you expect to receive from advertising?
I expect to be dirt poor for a while. During that time I expect to want to prove myself so much that I forsake something else in my life whether it's a credit card payment, a date with my girlfriend or a sibling's b-day party. Then I expect to learn the hard way about work / life balance. I also expect stress, heartburn, car repair bills as a result of my commute, and constant self-doubt. And that's just what I expect in my internship.
JOKER:
Your clarity is astounding and your pessimism is reassuring.
4. Great advertising begins with _______
Hard work or blind luck. Sometimes both.
JOKER:
Don’t forget about a good client.
5. When does your internship start and how anxious are you to get into the biz?
It started two weeks ago and I'm stoked! I've actually been able to work on real client work alongside real, live, copywriters! It's been great to be put to the test right away. I wish I could give them more time, but I've still gotta pay the bills (it's an unpaid internship.) I just hope my experience is better than the one you described in your intern diaries.
JOKER:
My intern diaries are a mix of what I lived, what other people lived and told me and what I was able to see in all the places I’ve worked at. Seems you’re getting a good deal experience wise, then again, you’re doing it for free so there’s your catch.
6. Name 3 beers I should definitely try before dying.
1554 from New Belgium Brewing - It's black, stout-like appearance scares a lot of people off, but with one sip you'll find out it's the most delicious black ale you'll ever have.
Old Chub from Oskar Blues Brewing - You might not be able to find this outside Colorado, but if you see a plaid green can in your local liquor store buy it up! It's a Scottish ale with little carbonation and a higher alcohol content that's the perfect flavor companion to a freshly grilled steak.
La Folie from New Belgium Brewing - You can only get this at the New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins Colorado, but the brewery itself is so awesome it should be on any beer connoisseurs bucket list anyway (and Ft. Collins is home to several other microbrews and a Budweiser plant so just taking all the free samples from each brewery is enough to get a buzz going.) La Folie will hit you straight in the palette with a sour / sweet tart taste you never expected from a beer. Chances are you won't necessarily like the beer, but the experience of something so different is worth a try.
JOKER:
I never thought I’d ever travel for beer but I might have just changed my opinion on that stance.
7. How would you define success in the advertising industry?
I don't think it's industry specific: if you're happy with where you're at or where you're going that's success to me.
JOKER:
Write this down and look at it every day. If ever there were a mantra one would have to follow, that would pretty much be it.
8. Name ads you think that suck and why do you think they suck?
There's a local billboard that I see everyday on my drive to work. It's for the local Honda dealership and it features the Colorado Rockies player Troy "Tulo" Tulowitzki. It reads "Tulo Prices" on a big picture of Tulo and it makes me want to gag. I just imagine how it was conceived. Sometime last season, as the Rockies made a run at the pennant, there were a bunch of salesmen sitting around the dealership break room. They were supposed to be coming up with new advertising ideas for their genius sales pitch of "low prices". Instead they were talking about the Rockies. Suddenly Bob put two and two together and spouted off "Tulo Prices". From that moment on, Bob was a legend at the dealership. To this day, other employees buy Bob twix bars during their breaks just to show appreciation for his genius.
On the other hand, I have mentioned this ad (albeit how stupid it is) to nearly everyone I know, so maybe it's served it's purpose.
Also, the McDonalds Olympic commercials. McD's has a long way to go before anyone is going to believe that athletes of any kind get within 50 miles of their stores. They might as well focus on something reasonable if they're going to run that many commercials during the Olympics.
JOKER:
Good point regarding McD’s, I just think they want the media exposure and any type of endorsement usually reeks of hypocrisy so why change the formula? As for the other ads milking off the success of a local team? Well, that’s reason #234,567 why advertising sucks.
9. What are some of the goals you've set for yourself regarding advertising?
First off, I want to get an actual job in advertising. But not just any job. I want to get into a place where I can truly learn from those around me. I want to scratch my way up from the bottom and make a name for myself in a decent agency. I'd rather be a small fish in a big pond than visa versa.
I want to be proud of my book, in its entirety.
I'd like to win an award of some type. Just so I could let it go to my head and introduce myself as "An Award Winning Copywriter" at the local douchebag convention. It'd be fun for a night.
I want to do some work that earns the client outrageous amounts of money (whatever that means at the time.)
I want to do some work that brings about outrageous amounts of good to the world (whatever that means at the time.)
JOKER:
The fishpond scenario is something I think might change. I was a medium sized fish in a small pond and it was ok and I’ve been a small fish in a small pond. Being a big fish at any place? Not yet because I’m still not an ACD or any other such title.
10. Word association time, I say a word you say what you think:
a. Ads – TV (weird, cause it's dying)
b. Internship – Time to prove yourself
c. Copywriting – No one knows what the hell I'm talking about outside advertising (copyrighting? That sounds boring, who wants to work with patents all day?)
d. Creative – Sometimes I don't feel so
e. Account Executive – Lots of stories
f. Progress – Means challenging conventions
g. Future – Uncertain, but bright
h. Girlfriend – Erin
i. Health – I should ride my bike more
j. Career – Aim high and never settle for average
11. What difficulties do you think some students might have to get into advertising?
Well, there's no set "path" to working in advertising. Everyone has a different journey to get there. A lot of people struggle with that. They see friends who want to be accountants or teachers and that's a pretty clear path.
You also have to go make your own opportunities. Agencies (usually) don't come looking for you. You have to beat down their door and fill up their voicemail boxes just to get your book seen. And then, after all that, you might get an internship, which won't be paid. So then you'll have to figure out how to devote 20-30 hours a week to something you love and want to do, but don't get paid for while still holding down a paying job to take care of the rent. If you want to be successful in advertising you can't half ass it and that's hard for a lot of people.
12. What is your take on self-promotion regarding people, products, services and/or endorsements?
There's a fine line between confident and cocky. I feel as though I'm constantly balancing between the two. On one hand you want to put yourself out there, but on the other hand you don't want to seem like an un-humble dick.
JOKER:
Un-humble dick… I so wish I could paint right at this moment though I think I could settle for a t-shirt.
13. If you could have designed your own Bachelor's Degree in Advertising what would you include?
Belittlement 101- Getting torn down to your core on a regular basis to build up your thick skin
Ad History 105 - You gotta know the classics before you can create the future.
Why Advertising Sucks 150 - Students read every WAS post. This weeds out the weak. The final involves Joker dressed as David Ogilvy (complete with pipe) as a guest speaker telling everyone why advertising will ruin their lives. Anyone left in the room gets a C-.
Ad Skills 190 - Get the foundations you need for your area of expertise (i.e. english, grammar, writing, etc for CW's)
Ad Blogs 201 - Stay current on the industry without the pricey textbooks.
Your Portfolio Sucks 250 - Mandatory every semester until you graduate just to make sure you're pushing yourself in your book.
Encouragement 280 - Taken halfway through and at the end of your degree to give you the kind words you need to keep going. Cannot be taken concurrently with Belittlement 101.
And Now for Something Completely Different 295 - It's like GenEd, but instead of a bunch of rules there's only one: take whatever you want, but one class a semester is totally random, just to mix it up.
Think outside the box 301 - A class in creativity that teaches you techniques that help you through writers block / creative block.
Art Direction for Copywriters / Copywriting for Art Directors 310 - Learn just enough about the other half to not make their life a living hell. Not enough to think you can do their job.
Try Everything Once 350 - CW's write ads for every medium at least once. AD's direct for every medium at least once. Everyone learns the process and quirks of each unique medium.
Long Nights and Weekends 390 - A class where you meet at 11pm to get an assignment. That assignment is due the next day at 8am. Coffee is complimentary.
Put it all Together 400 - Small "agencies" are formed from all the different advertising disciplines. They then act as an agency as they compete in things like the National Student Ad Competition or similar local / national events.
Internship 490 - Go out and get some real experience. Then meet once a week with your class to talk about how things are going. After the 5th week this turns into a support group and is studied by psychology students.
JOKER:
I will make sure to buy some red suspenders ASAP. Excellent curriculum by the way and any further comment would take away from it, so lets leave it at “shit I hope some colleges read this 20-20”.
14. Ten things that inspire you:
Art
Music
Conversation
Movies
Nature
Failing
People Watching
Beer
Listening to opposing viewpoints
Boredom
15. How did you find our blog and what if anything have you taken away from what we write and post?
I read a link to a late night rant Joker had about why the client sucked and all the revisions they had to make. I can't remember where I read it now. After reading the post I grabbed the RSS and the rest is history. My favorite part is probably the rants and raves because it's a view into the real ad world. It also challenges me to re-evaluate my choice to get into advertising because let's face it, I don't want my life to suck. That challenge is good because it strengthens my commitment to pursuing a career in advertising and if the day comes that it doesn't then I'm in trouble.
JOKER:
You have just made a shitty week seem worthwhile. As to the rant that brought you to our fucked up blog, not sure which of the countless rants it was, but glad it got you interested and hey, we try to keep it as real as we can.
16. Speaking as earnestly as possible, what do you think influences a consumer and what ultimate role do you think advertising plays in the buyer's process?
That's tough. I think a lot of purchases are based on what's on sale / the best price. There are lots of people out there with zero brand loyalty who just want the best deal. In that case advertising really doesn't matter, unless it's to inform you of the low price.
On the other hand, there is some advertising I absolutely love but yet I'd never use the product. Burger King and Sonic come to mind here. I adore Sonic's commercials. I've had hour-long conversations about them. But I don't care for their food. Same with BK. There's a disconnect there that advertising alone cannot overcome.
Recently, I think word of mouth has influenced me more than anything else. A resounding endorsement from a friend has introduced me to more new products / music / food / etc than ever before. I think this is in direct response to the onslaught of ads we're subjected to today. People are recoiling and going back to what they know rather than taking a chance on the latest crap being peddled on TV. Either that or the rise of the Internet has leveled the playing field so much that smaller, previously unknown or locally known companies have been able to compete without an ad budget.
17. What do you think your average ad person could learn from looking at and studying old advertising?
On some level history repeats itself. Even if it's not in the same form as it was 20 years ago I've found that old ads can spark a new idea or new execution of an old idea. Sometimes it's just interesting to see what passed for good advertising in different eras.
JOKER:
Totally agree, the problem is when I see people copy pasting Archive ads and still getting short-listed.
18. What is your dream job?
Splitting my time between screenwriting and being a big idea consultant for companies (i.e. having the idea but not having to actually execute it.)
JOKER:
Freaky part is I was wondering last night if I could ever become a consultant, what methods I would use and how much I could charge for giving good advice that wouldn’t be followed by a company.
19. How has blogging changed your life?
It's made me pay attention to the ad world more, which is why I started in the first place. It's been a bit of an ego boost at times like being selected for this interview, but also a humble reminder when I look at the traffic reports. It's probably also made me one of those assholes who says "yeah, I blogged about that like two weeks ago." from time to time.
JOKER:
I’m actually humbled people have thought so highly of being selected for the 20-20 series, honestly. It’s extremely rewarding to see people so into it and though I often question our relevance in the blog side of life, this has been an awesome little run. At the very least I just thought a lot pf people might have some very interesting insights to share and I haven’t been disappointed by any of the people who have been cool enough to go with this series.
20. A question you'd like me to answer would be:
You're CD at an agency where I just interviewed to be a copywriter. I aced it and you've offered me the job, what did I (or didn't I) do during the interview that made you want to offer me the job? How much was me and how much was my book?
JOKER:
There should always be a balance between book/portfolio, the way a person projects themselves and references. I would never hire someone blindly and would do my best to pick at their brain during an interview in part to see how they think and in part to check if there’s any bullshit in their book. I know people who have literally lifted other people’s ads for their book and have gotten hired largely because of their book. Attitude also has a lot to do with hiring someone or not and though talent is always welcome, diva bullshit should be kept to a minimum. I’m not saying don’t be confident or proud of your work, just don’t be a cock about it. If I were a CD though, I’d also take into account how the group flows and what personalities would work best with that group because no matter what, you’re introducing something new to a recipe so you want something different, a new spice, but not something that’ll screw up the flavor of the group. Basically if I see potential in someone, see that they’re willing to put in the hours and seem like someone I wouldn’t mind being in ‘Nam with, I’m good and you’re hired.
As far as a clear-cut answer, they’re both important but I think it’s more important what I get from an interview regarding gut feeling comparing that with references from people I trust. If you’re completely unknown it’d be a gamble but I think it would have to do more with what you show me in person than what I can get from a book. Anyone can have a fantastic book, not everyone can have a great interview.
Then again, who says I’m cut out to be a CD? :) Also of note, every CD and every interview is different. Some people actually look for people with diva shoulder chips, humility or dalai lamaness, depends on the douche CD or nice guy in charge in question.
Finally a no labor Labor Day
It's been the first time in 3 years I haven't had to work on a labor day because of some bullshit new business or anything. Funny part is that this year was no different in the sense that there is a new business, but incredibly so, I was able to enjoy my full Labor Day weekend. I wasn't given bad news on Friday or had to partake in some bullshit powwow for the benefit of the company. We actually got to stay home and do nothing or everything or whatever the hell we wanted… which gets me thinking as these things often make me think.
Just how many Labor Days and official holidays have we had to work on? In my case I’ve worked four Fourth of Julys, four labor days, one Thanksgiving (never again because, well no thanks) etc, etc. How many times have we rolled our vacations to not be inconsiderate to our companies? In my case, 4 times. Four times I’ve changed a plane ticket or modified plans and all for what? I looked into how much I earn an hour after all the free extra hours I work and in an average work week, it’s not much more than a well paid waiter, maybe a little more. If I have a shitty all nighter month, you know how low my wage goes? $9.28
I actually calculated how much I earned in a three month rut that was anything but fun and with all the extra hours, I earn less than $10 an hour and I still get shit and asked why I don’t stay more often. Trust me, I’m always looking for tangible reasons why advertising sucks and screw me if I haven’t just given like 4 major ones. Now true, if bitching were an Olympic sport I’d be a Jamaican runner, a Chinese diver or an American swimmer, but the whole point is that wow, I’m so sure advertising is not exclusive in its suckability but since I’m neck deep in the stool pool, then it’s a bit clearer to me.
Take a second and think about it. How many 16, 17, 18 or even 19 hour work days have you had in your career? Shit; when that happened in college it was because you’d been dicking around for 4 weeks not because you were doing your job to the best of your abilities. And yet again, like a broken fucking record, what do we get? Hell, even pats on the back are scant these days because apparently they’re not tax deductible.
But guess what… none of that matters because at least for today, I celebrated the day of working by not working. I wrote, played Wii, had a nice steak dinner with Mrs. Joker, saw an old friend and read me some good ole literature. It’s a good day and even if I have to pull a Ferris Bueller sometime in the next month or so, trust me, I’m going to celebrate working in the same fashion as today, because after all, what good is work if you can’t celebrate its existence?
Just how many Labor Days and official holidays have we had to work on? In my case I’ve worked four Fourth of Julys, four labor days, one Thanksgiving (never again because, well no thanks) etc, etc. How many times have we rolled our vacations to not be inconsiderate to our companies? In my case, 4 times. Four times I’ve changed a plane ticket or modified plans and all for what? I looked into how much I earn an hour after all the free extra hours I work and in an average work week, it’s not much more than a well paid waiter, maybe a little more. If I have a shitty all nighter month, you know how low my wage goes? $9.28
I actually calculated how much I earned in a three month rut that was anything but fun and with all the extra hours, I earn less than $10 an hour and I still get shit and asked why I don’t stay more often. Trust me, I’m always looking for tangible reasons why advertising sucks and screw me if I haven’t just given like 4 major ones. Now true, if bitching were an Olympic sport I’d be a Jamaican runner, a Chinese diver or an American swimmer, but the whole point is that wow, I’m so sure advertising is not exclusive in its suckability but since I’m neck deep in the stool pool, then it’s a bit clearer to me.
Take a second and think about it. How many 16, 17, 18 or even 19 hour work days have you had in your career? Shit; when that happened in college it was because you’d been dicking around for 4 weeks not because you were doing your job to the best of your abilities. And yet again, like a broken fucking record, what do we get? Hell, even pats on the back are scant these days because apparently they’re not tax deductible.
But guess what… none of that matters because at least for today, I celebrated the day of working by not working. I wrote, played Wii, had a nice steak dinner with Mrs. Joker, saw an old friend and read me some good ole literature. It’s a good day and even if I have to pull a Ferris Bueller sometime in the next month or so, trust me, I’m going to celebrate working in the same fashion as today, because after all, what good is work if you can’t celebrate its existence?
Sep 1, 2008
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