No-one cares about anything you’re doing.
Not your usual uplifting and inspirational LinkedIn opening sentence but it’s true.
And keeping it in mind will make your work a lot better.
I remember eagerly checking out whether anyone was talking about ads I’ve been proud of only to discover that not everyone was as impressed as my mam.
Feel my pain in the images below (I’ve not including the NSFW ones).
Putting that aside, once you accept that the big wide world isn’t very interested in your work then you know your most important job is to create work people do notice.
Because you’ve forced them to.
Whether they like it or not.
There’s loads of ways to create impact. But often it’s about doing something that’s different to what everyone else is doing.
Find something that stands out from the surrounding noise. Both in category and in media.
If competitors are shouting, try speaking quietly.
If it’s all very worthy, try humour.
If they’re talking product, try highlighting benefits.
If everyone else acts classy, cause a stir.
Look, act, speak and say the opposite.
The creative industry’s often too internal facing. Concerned about awards, impressing other agencies or keeping client stakeholders happy by playing safe and just doing what’s expected.
Real people don’t care about any of that, we should care about what they do pay attention to.
And to those commenters who slagged off my work, not only did you notice the ads but you felt strongly enough to comment on them.
Who’s the idiot now?
