Now don't be offended.....I'm having a bit of a rant!
As a Creative, you always get knocked back, made to compromise and the end result is basically crap.
It doesn't work.
The strategy is lost. It's a naff campaign.
And as this image get's across - don't let feedback wreck your masterpiece.
The vast majority of brands and businesses nowadays are run by men and women terrified of doing something creative with their advertising, going against the status quo, offending someone, taking a stand, etc.
I received edits on a sales page I wrote for a company in an industry where everyone sounds exactly alike. The edits involved removing any and all language that made them unique, interesting and ultimately different from the dozens of other competitors gunning for their necks.
Due to the fact that I am not in this game to simply collect fat fees and retainers and watch 75% of the copy I write get edited out by individuals who've never picked up a pencil and a yellow pad, I'm fighting them, tooth and nail, on every phrase.
Shitty, safe, watered-down copy riddled with industry-specific jargon is a very micro-example of a phenomenon going on with brands everywhere at the moment.
And, as a result, we're getting underwhelming brands that could best be described as shrug-inducing, WTF.
When brands choose to play it small... when they choose to play it safe... they avoid making enemies but they also avoid making customers.
"Not offending anyone" and being "agreeable" isn't an advertising strategy, it's a race to the grave.
In closing, if you have an advertising idea that gives you that "standing at the edge of a massive cliff" feeling, it's probably a pretty good indicator that you should jump.
And, if you hire me, don't wring my fucking neck when I tell you how to make your brand strut its stuff.
Be brave, start Doing it Differently or just end up where you are right now?
Marketing and Sales tips, my views, experiences, free resources and advice about growing your business - all yours for free!
​
Love this, love the Mona Lisa example, made me chuckle. Every now and again we all get one of those clients, design by committee (of none designers) that won't take your expertise onboard, why hire me in the first place? I always walk away once the project is complete.