Ford

Cool. My most successful ad over the last while was one that I made, like, I actually presented four years ago. And I've always loved it, but they were too scared of it. And it took me four years to make it, and eventually we made it as a [inaudible 00:16:23] job on the back of another commercial. And it was just so, so successful. We didn't even put it on TV, because they still hadn't bought into it, but it just leaked on the email, the internet, and went all over the world through South African communities, very South African idea. [7229]
And it happened like that. And for me, the lesson was to have faith in your ideas. 'Cause that idea, I'd have rejected so many times, but I really, really believed in it. And it was such a relief when I made it. It was such a ... almost a affirmation. Do you know what I mean? [7247]
So, I don't quite know how to say that, but often the best and most successful projects are ones that happen completely outside of the system. You know, the system wants to do things in a very specific way, and will make it easy for you to do them, and will reward you for doing them one way. But often you have to act outside the system and believe in it and make it happen yourself. And just trust. [7248],[7260]
Yeah. Trust yourself, trust your instincts. Unless you're an idiot, and then don't. [7249]
Yeah. Half-tonner. Basically, the ad ... I'm gonna show you the commercial. It was a really dangerous commercial, because it's social commentary, and it deals with racism. And the ad, it's ... such a typical ... You see, there's a thing in South Africa with bakkies that no one talks about, but people drive to work, and there's a white guy driving a bakkie, with all the black guys in the back. It's a truth. But no one ever really acknowledges it. [7250]
Yeah, well, like I said, we had to make it, and it had to be successful on the internet before they started going, "Well, we may be onto something." [7257]
Yeah. Well, it didn't exist. They didn't buy it, and so we made it on the side. [7251]
Well, just me for four years, and then at the end I got my art director involved. It was two of us, basically. Literally it was [inaudible 00:20:58] the suits. No one ... it was my little project. [7230]
I think eventually it kind of was one guy. When we've done our best stuff was when we had a client who was brave enough to make decisions, and there was one guy who was brave enough to say yes. Because the minute there's more involved ... Sorry, I'm jumping around. But a very good friend of mine, who's one of the top [inaudible 00:21:35] in the country, probably the top one. He said, "Creativity's not a democracy. And it can't be. Someone has got be brave." You know, it's one person's vision, normally, that is often at odds, and you have to defend that vision until it happens. And you need a client who sees the vision, believes in it, and says "Yes." The minute you start committee approvals, you're fucked. Because nothing will get through a committee unless it's been sanitized to the point of ... you know. [7238],[7242],[7231],[7254]
Yeah, me, and then I've got a very good suit who's really good and supportive. And that's why I call, because if you don't get buy-in from them, you're fucked. [7255]
Zero. There's a corporate defense mechanism that, if you back a decision and the decision's a failure, then you're bad, so they'll do everything they can to make sure. They may take it to their bosses, but they'll never check in anything, because if it fails, there's ... It's horrible. It's pathetic. But zero, yeah. [7258],[7259],[7232],[7261]
Yeah, they did, and it came second to a much more inferior idea. And I actually told the research lady that she was wrong, we had a huge fight, and since, she's apologized to me, because I was proven statistically to be right. It's a fantastic ... it's such a cool case study. [7243],[7253]
I did, I sent the list of awards that we got for this one, and the one that they ... you know. 'Cause my thing was that research will always help you to find the safest ad. Won't help you to find the best creative ad. 'Cause a lot of creativity doesn't make sense initially. And it's often ... if you ask people, "Does it offend you," they may say, "Yes," because it may be on an edge, you know. The most successful ads I've done have always been complained about. [7234],[7233]
You know what, I've been arguing with them that they have to in some way build in the bravery factor, and I said to them ... she said, " What are you basing your thing on?" I said, "My intuition." That I've been doing this job for 16 years, and I'm eventually getting good at it, because I've made mistakes. And that's not measurable. But surely that's what the clients pays me ... that's what my experience is there for, is to make better judgments, you know? If research could do that, they wouldn't need creative directive. [7244],[7228],[7235],[7236]
It was very simple. All our briefs are extremely simple, to the point of generic-ness. Which can be hard. But at the same time, I think often JWT veer in the other direction in that they create briefs that are so tight and are so specific and so strategically targeted that it's really tough. I like the brief to have a bit of leeway in that, so that a range of creative solutions can meet it. So generally, I would say vague. [7256]
So generally, I would say vague. [7262]
Yeah, time was just as long as I could ... long as it took me to find someone who would make it for me. [7252]
Always been excellent. And, you know, the funny thing is that particular project has always done a huge amount for the relationship in that they've developed a lot more trust. So we sell them all sorts of crazy shit now. [7239]
If it's a small team, that's crucial as well that we get along and we like each other and we all pull in the same direction. [7241],[7240]
Our strategy is cool, because if the guy disagrees with us, we intimidate him till he changes his strategy. [7245]
Strategy at JWT, as a whole, I find is hugely problematic. In that a lot of JWT, to me, think that they sell strategies, and often ... whereas all a strategy is really there to do is help us make better advertising. But somehow suits seem to thing the strategy is the end result, and then the advertising people try and fuck it up by making something. It's the wrong focus. The focus is too much on coming up with a kick-ass strategy, instead of creating a strategy that will help us make kick-ass advertising. Our strategy is cool, because if the guy disagrees with us, we intimidate him till he changes his strategy. [7237],[7263]
We've only got one guy, so we get away with it. [7246]
Reference Tags
[7229] Ikea effect,[7247] Believes one has high agency,[7248] Believes one has a hopeful path,[7260] Lack of organizational encouragement,[7249] Believes one has high agency,[7250] Believes one has a hopeful path,[7257] Trust,[7251] Believes one has a hopeful path,[7230] Ikea effect,[7238] Decisive leadership,[7242] Forceful conflict about ideas,[7231] Pro-innovation bias,[7254] Promote autonomy & sense of ownership,[7255] Organizational encouragement,[7258] Insufficient Feedback,[7259] Internal changes/challenges,[7232] Risk compensation,[7261] Zero-risk bias,[7243] Forceful conflict about ideas,[7253] Unresolved relationship conflict,[7234] Overconfidence bias,[7233] Selective perception,[7244] Forceful conflict about ideas,[7228] Man blaming woman,[7235] Overconfidence bias,[7236] Selective perception,[7256] Promote autonomy & sense of ownership,[7262] Vague goals,[7252] Believes one has a hopeful path,[7239] Trust,[7241] Organizing effectively,[7240] Trust,[7245] Forceful conflict about ideas,[7237] Declinism,[7263] Internal changes/challenges,[7246] Forceful conflict about ideas