In the lead up to Cannes it’s always fun to speculate on what type of idea will be lauded. Whether the print ad is dead, if charity work will be overlooked and which network will be snubbed.
One thing is for sure though – the work that wins big this year will shape the work for the following year. And will set the bar for what ideas an advertising creative should be putting forward.
When we talk about the virtues of a creative person we think of things like ambition, defiance, enthusiasm and may often describe them as industrious or spontaneous. But interestingly, due to the ideas that we applaud as best-in-class, we’re seeing the virtue of persistence rising to the top of that list.
And this is because the ideas that are a measure of what our industry is capable of doing often take a shit load of time to execute.
Ideas like The Swedish Number and McWhopper are best in class and have been accordingly awarded so. But, damn, they took a long time to enter the real world. I think, what’s most impressive about these campaigns is the persistence of the team behind them. We’re talking over two years of it. That’s serious persistence.
The degree of difficulty with ideas of this calibre is enormous too. More chance to fall over, to fall out of love with, to be hen pecked and, most importantly, more chance to lose the people who championed the original nugget of an idea.
Isn’t it funny how a classic, dare I call it traditional, print ad can seem small? Sometimes even labeled now as a ‘quick win’. We’ve raised the bar in terms of what we, as an industry, consider brilliant creative work.
And don’t get me wrong, I think putting work like this on a pedestal is a good thing. A very good thing.
Because persistence is that passionate and relentless nature inside us that creates things, and creating things is exactly what creative people need to do in order to be fulfilled.
Persistence also breeds loyalty; to the people that work alongside the project and to the agency who supported the epic commitment. And loyalty never goes unnoticed.
The value of a creative who can hold onto an idea and withstand all the ups and downs is priceless.
If you find one, create an environment for them to put this relentless energy to good use. Then join them on stage in two years.
By Grey Group Australia ECD Chad Mackenzie