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046: Go make a ruckus

[During - Session 15] The course is over, but creativity continues

Tim Brunelle

May 9, 2023

If you want to learn something, teach it.

That adage has served me well. The mechanics of researching, framing, and presenting the newfangled has helped me gain fluency and capability. I can’t tell you the future, but I’ve got a keen sense of where we’re headed.

When the Future of Advertising course began in January it sure seemed like ChatGPT could be running the course by now. But one of the things we’ve learned is Large Language Models aren’t a threat to leadership. They are, however, a powerful adjunct to leading projects and teams and have definitely helped me teach this course.

TL;DR

A recap of what we’ve covered since the Future of Advertising began in January
Creative Director David Mackereth, self-described “professional surfer of the Internet” stopped by class
The students presented their work for Assignment 3: Launch Gavin Newsom’s bid to win the 2024 Democratic nomination
I sent them packing for the journey ahead

Before we move on… Last week I complained about the state of AI chatbot UX and design. Seth Godin’s team built a chatbot that solves some of my issues. Maybe the design answer is just better writing?

What a long, strange trip it’s been

Over the past five months we’ve covered historic context, behavioral economics, marketing strategy frameworks, creative briefing, and major themes of the Future of Advertising: Commerce and Selling, Infrastructure, Social Media and Influence, AI and ML, the Metaverse and AR/VR, Data, Gaming and Esports, and Efficacy and Results.

Most important, we’ve welcomed 11 generous guests to share their career journeys, their insights and unique perspectives.

“People often describe me as a sloth.”

The drive from BBDO Minneapolis to Hormel Foods in Austin, Minnesota is roughly an hour and 40 minutes. One of the rewards of the journey, provided we had had a successful meeting, was a pit stop along Highway 218 at the Dairy Queen in Blooming Prairie. It really doesn’t take much to reward creative people.

Julie and I had paid, and were keeping an eye on the order. So we noticed the clerk over-filling David “DMack” Mackereth’s Oreo Cookie Blizzard. It got messy. So the clerk wipes off the extra, and double-cups the result.

If you know anything about DQ and their infamous Blizzard, you likely know what happened next.

It really wasn’t DMack’s fault.

See, the Blizzard is so thick, you can turn it upside down and the frozen dessert sticks to the container. They act this out in the Blizzard advertising. It’s a known ritual. Unless, of course, your Blizzard has been double-cupped by a well-meaning DQ clerk. Then you really should listen to your co-workers who are reminding you, louder and louder, not to repeat the Blizzard ritual.

The good news is the clerk owned it. “Everyone turns them upside down, so I shouldn’t have double-cupped it. Don’t worry! I’ll make another one.”

Here’s the thing: Like many creatives, DMack moves through the world at his own unique pace, noticing what he needs to notice, or not notice. It’s part of what make him distinct; hence the self-described headline above.

I have many fond memories of working with DMack. He identifies as, “a professional surfer of the Internet, exploring lots of diverse data sets, lots of dots. My job [as a creative] is basically a large game of connect the dots.” And that capability to see links between culture and human behavior and to generate brilliant ideas has served him, and his clients, very well.

So it was an honor to have DMack share his career journey, his creative process, and comment on Assignment 3 presentations last night.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, DMack!

Assignment 3 Presentations

This one was labelled, “thinking fast and weird.” (I was looking for a contrast to “sell something new” and “retain loyalty,” the other two assignments.) The premise being, we’d explore the obscure, innovative edge of advertising. And what better prompt that a presidential campaign launch?

A moment of differentiation?

A certain gold elevator will remain in the history books to define a candidacy announcement. Assignment 3, prompted by a prediction I’d heard on a podcast, asked for something similar: Define a moment when and where California Governor Gavin Newsom could announce a presidential run, a challenge to a sitting President in his own party—and make it stick, make it resonate. Can a moment, and a specific target audience give an idea enough breathing space to be taken seriously, and thrive in the political arena?

Zamira, Kamryn & Hallie: Look up

Kamryn, Hallie and Zamira (who unfortunately couldn't attend the pitch) brought their focus to technology and its impact on the lives of people, specifically Gen Z. They walked through candidate Newsom’s track record advocating for and advancing policies which leveraged tech to benefit the people of California. Then suggested a bold idea: Using drones, Team Newsom would “install” a QR code over 20 major cities on the same evening—perhaps the one year mark ahead of the DNC convention. The code links to a multi-platform livestream of Newsom demonstrating how his experience with technology positions him to be “the best candidate to continue advancing the policies and ideals more Americans favor.”

Annalise, Armel & Lux: Listen to the music

Annalise, Armel and Lux connected the dots between a desire for change, the appeal of festival culture for Gen Z, and the power of music. As DMack noted, there’s a long history of music serving to provoke and sustain political movement. Their idea—turn a music festival on its head. What appears to be a star-studded affair is secretly a means of seeding policy positions (i.e. each artist performs a new song that speaks to a specific issue), and setting up Newsom’s announcement. The song lyrics themselves–once combined and delivered by Newsom—serve as a bold summary of a new approach to leading the country forward. The “hidden in plain sight” approach positions Newsom among cultural influencers, and offers a memorable means of launching his campaign.

Packing for the journey

Before the course wrapped last night for the last time I shared four perspectives.

Seth Godin wrote the book in 2015. But it remains a valuable lesson. Weird is more than good. Weird is the secret sauce which elevates talent above the status quo. The challenge is noticing, identifying and nurturing your particular brand of weird. DMack has honed his!

I believe weirdness can come from a variety of sources, and the pandemic is one of them. What we all have just experienced, especially 17-22 year olds, is profound. Spending 2-3 of your formative years mostly alone and online—and now graduating into a world where AI might radically change everything… that’s a potent recipe from which weird can take root. But only if you notice it, if you allow it, and if you use that weird to strengthen character and create meaningful distinction for yourself and others.

And yes, the world is tough. People have expectations. Especially global law firms. I think Paul Hastings LLP has a point, and a right in framing their collaboration and culture. But let’s apply tune their mandate to those of us working marketing and advertising…

The best thing you can do early in your career is to figure out how to be valuable to your clients, whoever they are. Doesn’t mean subservient. Means, “add value.”
I don’t know an agency that would bother to mandate 24/7 online presence, but that’s not the point. It’s about listening, and being responsive. In whatever shape or form your client prefers.
Having standards, maintaining craft, having an ethic to your work will distinguish you. So your partner can’t spell. It’s your work, too. Fix it.
I’m not convinced Lyft CEO David Risher will be found “right” in requiring Lyft employees to return to work. That said, I do agree WFH is a necessary luxury, and all of us (especially new, young employees) are wise to treat it with respect so we can continue to extract its value.
My favorite point in the PH memo: “I don’t know” is never an acceptable answer. Amen. The unavoidable truth is we have the Internet in our back pockets. We have access to ChatGPT. We have the means to try and figure it out. So do that. Employees are not allowed to be clueless.
The boss isn’t responsible for your reputation. She is only responsible for hers. How any of us show up, the care and concern we apply, the craft we bring, that stuff makes all the difference.

The world of work can be challenging. But how you choose to feel about the world, how you choose to feel about the work you do is an option you control. It’s 2023 and we have clothes on our backs, cookies in front of us (I brought cookies and fruit to class), we have access to the Internet, we have access to all kinds of connections and resources, we have all kinds of newfangled AI tools available to us… and most important, there’s a world out there that wants brilliant ideas. I will argue it is a choice to see that world, to see opportunity in front of you. It is a choice to keep trying, to keep shipping your work. And it’s a choice to not wait for someone else to tell you what to do. It’s a choice for you to own your work, own your reputation, and have the courage to show up, and deliver. Over and over and over.

Most of life is status quo material. I want you to make real, meaningful, necessary change in the world. Do you think you can do that?