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    Monthly Archives: June 2009

    The Monday Morning WHIP // 32

    THEBESTJOB

    There is a common perception in the creative industries that a big idea is a complicated one. A loud and zealous client might complain, “This idea needs bells! It needs whistles! Throw in some cornices! And shebangabangs! Would someone please give this idea some shebangabangs!” To hell with shebangabangs! We need simple ideas. The ones that seem so simple it’s a ‘risk’. Well kids, the best place to start is research. And this week, Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) has just the thing…

    Unless you’ve been living in a rural community in the outback for the last six months, you’re sure to have heard of The Best Job In The World.
    The job was for a caretaker position on a Queensland island.
    Last week The Best Job In The World picked up an unprecedented 3 Gold Lions at Cannes.
    That makes it one of the greatest ideas of the modern advertising age.
    There are 2 things about this campaign I love.
    The first is that it is an Aussie idea. Gotta love that!
    The second is that the entire campaign was built around the most humble form of advertising available – the classified ad.
    How many classified ads have you got in your folio? I’d hazard a guess and say none.
    So what have you got?
    Most likely a collection of print ads and perhaps some so called ambient ideas.
    Well guess what – so has everybody else!
    So why not do a bit of an online search about The Best Job In The World and discover the richness of this campaign.
    Then see if you can create something just as simple (and doesn’t get any more simple than a job ad) and turn it into an idea so amazing that someone would be prepared to invest in it.

    ADVERTISING, WHIP | Tags: ADVERTISING, IDEAS, WHIP

    Junior Event // 07

    10-06-09/01

    And then there was another. It was fucking freezing but we’re glad that those who showed their faces still managed to make it. Photographer Chris Tovo (http://www NULL.christophertovo NULL.com/) gave us some handy hints at what he thinks it takes to make it. More importantly, Juniors, he was talking to you when he said ‘Never be scared to ask a photographer to shoot your work, specially if it’s a shit hot idea’ (melbourne null@null cistudios NULL.com NULL.au?subject=Attention%20Fran). Enough said.

    10-06-09/02 10-06-09/03 10-06-09/04 10-06-09/05 10-06-09/06 10-06-09/07 10-06-09/08 10-06-09/09 10-06-09/10 10-06-09/11 10-06-09/12 10-06-09/13 10-06-09/14 10-06-09/15 10-06-09/16 10-06-09/17 10-06-09/18 10-06-09/19 10-06-09/20 10-06-09/21 10-06-09/22 10-06-09/23 10-06-09/24 10-06-09/25 10-06-09/26 10-06-09/27 10-06-09/28 10-06-09/29

    DRINKS | Tags: DRINKS, PHOTOGRAPHY

    The Monday Morning WHIP // 31

    whip31

    Everyone knows you don’t make friends with science. But what many don’t know is that it can build your contacts. And make your ideas bigger. AND make you a better creative. It’s an age-old but relevant theory. Today, professor Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) has his white coat on and what he’s got to say ain’t boron (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Boron).

    Those of you who managed to stay awake during science classes at school are sure to be familiar with Newton’s Laws of Motion.
    My favourite is #3: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
    This law applies just as much to getting into the creative industries as it does to movement and science. Here’s how:

    Work on your folio – It will get better.
    Think big – You’ll have bigger ideas.
    Ask for advice – You’ll increase your knowledge.
    Seeks criticism – You’ll become a better creative.
    Show your work to other people – You’ll build a network of industry contacts.

    Somehow I don’t think old Isaac Newton had getting a job as a junior in mind when he developed his Laws of Motion.
    But I’m sure he’d agree that you should definitely be applying his 3rd Law to your job search.

    ADVERTISING, DESIGN, WHIP, WRITING | Tags: ADVERTISING, COMMITMENT, CREATIVITY, DESIGN, FOLIO, HUNGER, INSPIRATION, JOB HUNTING, NEWTON'S LAW OF MOTION, SCIENCE, TIPS, WHIP, WRITING

    Junior Event // PN7 Melbourne Special

    PN7-12-06-09/01

    We think that whoever had the idea of giving us the role of being Media Partners at PN7 (http://portfolionight NULL.com/7/archives/1901) was pretty onto it. We got to stand around with a big table of pizza while we watched multiple games of Junior vs CD. See below for the evidence, and get ready for next year. If you didn’t get much out of it, at least you got a Corbis (http://corbis NULL.com) goodie bag. Nice one!

    PN7-12-06-09/02 PN7-12-06-09/03 PN7-12-06-09/04 PN7-12-06-09/05 PN7-12-06-09/06 PN7-12-06-09/07 PN7-12-06-09/08 PN7-12-06-09/09 PN7-12-06-09/10 PN7-12-06-09/11 PN7-12-06-09/12 PN7-12-06-09/13 PN7-12-06-09/14 PN7-12-06-09/15 PN7-12-06-09/16 PN7-12-06-09/17 PN7-12-06-09/18

    ADVERTISING | Tags: ADVERTISING, FOLIO, PN7

    The Monday Morning WHIP // 30

    WHIP30
    You know that feeling when you look at your work again after a long night of sitting at your computer? ‘What was I thinking!?’ you say, and then you go forth and make it better than it ever was. Well this week, that’s kind of what Stan’s (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) getting at.

    Apologies for the name drop, but last weekend I went to the football with Dave Bell, the creative director of KesselsKramer (http://www NULL.kesselskramer NULL.com/).
    He’s a Scot who’s lived in Amsterdam for a large part of his adult life. So as you can imagine, he knows bugger all about AFL footy.
    Prior to kick off, I tried to explain a bit about the rules of the game to him. Much of what I told him was quite straightforward. At least it seemed that way to me.
    Because of his complete lack of knowledge, many of the game’s idiosyncrasies became sources for discussion during the game.
    “Why” said Dave, “are those guys in fluoro jackets running onto the pitch during the game?”
    They’re runners, I explained. “What are runners?” he asked.
    “Did you see that!” he exclaimed, after a player laid a hip and shoulder, causing a player without the ball to hit the turf.
    That’s a shepherd, I explained. “A what?” he asked, puzzled.
    Those are just two of the many things we discussed during the game. Which was kind of weird to be honest, because I’d never discussed them before. And I go to the football a lot.
    This is because I was discovering the game anew, because I was seeing it through fresh eyes.
    Fresh eyes sees things you don’t. Fresh eyes see things you can’t. Fresh eyes see things you may never have noticed. But most of all fresh eyes see things you may actually have stopped noticing.
    That’s why it’s so important to get someone with a fresh pair of eyes to take a look at your work.
    If you want to be a writer, show your work to a designer. If you’re a young art director, show your work to a photographer. Just show your work to someone with a different mindset to yourself.
    Now this may sound like the worse advice ever, but it’s not. It’s about getting people with a completely unbiased viewpoint (a fresh set of eyes) to take a look at your ideas.
    I guarantee you’ll come away from the meeting with a completely different view of your work. And also, hopefully, a couple of totally unexpected directions to pursue.

    ADVERTISING, WHIP, WRITING | Tags: AMSTERDAM, DAVE BELL, FRESH EYES, KK

    Portfolio Night 7 Melbourne

    prtflo7

    Hey guess what? We’ve teamed up with our friends Badjar Ogilvy (http://www NULL.badjarogilvy NULL.com NULL.au/) and ihaveanidea.org (http://ihaveanidea NULL.org) to present Portfolio Night 7 Melbourne (http://portfolionight NULL.com/7/archives/1901) this THURSDAY JUNE 11.

    For those of you who are out of the loop, basically it’s a chance for anyone with an advertising folio to come along, meet with a bunch of Melbourne’s best Creative Directors, get some feedback, ‘network’, drink beer and meet nice people. It’s NOT scary at all. It’s actually really fun and could land you a job. And even if you’ve already got one, you’re still welcome.

    Yes, we hear what you’re saying, and we think your excuses are shit. You have no reason not to come. Swallow your pride and buy a ticket! (http://www NULL.eventbrite NULL.com/event/350666854) Sheesh!

    We’re also giving away free tickets to the first 20 kids who email us (wtf@lifeatthebottom.com) stating your full name with the following subject heading:

    “I’m too poor to afford $10 ’cause I spent all my centrelink money on baked beans!”

    ADVERTISING | Tags: ADVERTISING, BAKED BEANS, FOLIO

    The Interview Series // 14 // PN7 Melbourne Special

    jancy

    In celebration and preparation for Portfolio Night 7 Melbourne (http://portfolionight NULL.com/7/archives/1901), we got in touch with two of its greatest supporters – Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin of Ogilvy Toronto. Not only are they responsible for Dove’s ‘authentic virals’, Evolution (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U) and Onslaught (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=321Kb8pBu5s), but they write a column for juniors called ‘Ask Jancy (http://www NULL.ihaveanidea NULL.org/askjancy/)‘ on ihaveanidea.org (http://ihaveanidea NULL.org), and have used the best bits to pen a book aptly titled Pick Me (http://www NULL.ihaveanidea NULL.org/pickme/).

    Junior: Hello Nancy and Janet! Thanks for climbing aboard the Portfolio Night 7 Melbourne (http://portfolionight NULL.com/7/archives/1901) special! OK, so first up, what seems to be the greatest and most common failing of juniors who swing by your office?

    Janet & Nancy: A poorly edited portfolio would be at the top of the list. It’s really hard to be objective about your own work, so it pays to get people you trust and respect to help you weed out anything that isn’t measuring up to your best work. One so-so idea can drag down a bunch of great. Creative directors worry that the creative person they’d get is really the person who on an average day might deliver that kind of ‘only OK’ idea. Honestly this is true for people at every level — even quite senior people make this mistake. Good editing makes you look better and worth more. It really is the difference between getting the job or not.

    Jr: We know you’re big supporters of women in advertising, is there a particular piece of advice you like to give young women on their journey to creative success?

    J&N: Authenticity is highly valued in anyone. You don’t need to try to be someone you’re not. Be assertive. Ask for what you want and need to be happy; don’t expect it to just come to you — be cognisant, it’s not a meritocracy. You have to go after what you want in a creative partner, pay, accounts, etc. Be seen (many women let a more confident partner do most of the talking. Big mistake.). Network (women don’t make the time to do it and don’t particularly like to do it. Big mistake.) Find a mentor if they haven’t found you, male or female. Even “big names” are flattered to be asked and are often happy to share their learning. It’s an incredible help up the ladder. Choose the right life partner. Some men won’t be supportive of the creative woman’s long hours, or may actually resent her success. You can’t make it far without an equal partner. That’s really underscored if you have a child.

    Jr: You’ve released a book to rave reviews titled Pick Me (http://www NULL.ihaveanidea NULL.org/pickme/). We think it’s the most respectful book to juniors and their plight we’ve come across. What was your experience writing the book while juggling jobs and a personal life?

    J&N: It took a year and it was hard to juggle all the balls. Fair to say it put a strain on children, employer and Janet’s husband who helped us with his IT skills. It took every spare moment and considering we took on extra duties like the design it was pretty all-consuming. The really fun bit was enlisting 14 superstars to contribute, and we loved that interaction with them. But rounding up Mr. Droga, et al was like herding cats. It was well worth it and we said well we’re glad that experience is under our belts. Wrote a book, check! Never do that again. In November HarperCollins approached us to write another book, this time not about advertising. We couldn’t say no to that experience so there you go: never say never. How we’re going to fit it in is just a leap of faith. The research itself is pretty fascinating; we’re talking to senior women from many fields about how they’ve made it. It’s an education. One doctor we spoke to said a pig-headed boss refused to approve a deeply needed clinic for women in her hospital. Ultimately one night she literally threw out the gift shop with two other female doctors. Their boss showed up the next day to find them in front of the door with arms linked and Army helmets on. “What are you going to do about it?” A clinic was born. Yes we will find a way to get this book done.

    Jr: Your Ask Jancy (http://www NULL.ihaveanidea NULL.org/askjancy/) column for ihaveanidea.org (http://ihaveanidea NULL.org/) has obviously become quite a popular destination for juniors with burning questions. Is it possible to tell us what the most common question you get asked is and what the answer might be?

    J&N: “How do I get a job?” kind of sums it up. The answer is right on the cover — be the little red bag among the hundreds of black ones. Stand out. From getting through the gauntlet to see the CD, to how you help him/her remember you and how you follow through will make all the difference. We just brought in a summer intern who charmed us into a job with a song she wrote for us. We would have hired her just from that potentially fatal gimmick. She really pulled it off and in doing that showed she’s a great writer, a born performer (a huge asset when half the job is selling your ideas), an extrovert, gutsy, a risk taker, smart (she really did her homework about us for her lyrics), fun, and incredibly likeable. Yes she had a really strong portfolio but without question the lengths she went to to impress us made the choice a no-brainer. Intelligent kissing-up: it works. Note that this was the opposite of a common mistake: a generic “I really, really want to work for ______.” So many people don’t do their home work before coming in for the interview; they’re showing up with the same pitch for everyone. You get many more points for trying to convince that CD that your agency is THE place you want to work, and why. Of course it helps on the sincerity scale if you actually mean it, but given you will need to see a lot of places to land that elusive opening, well, work hard on faking it convincingly.

    Lastly, here are some pointers for all thinking of attending PN7:

    - Be prepared to talk about your work.
    - Remember it’s the ideas that matter most, you don’t need to run out and buy a fancy folio – heck a sweet PDF on your laptop might do the trick!
    - Quality not quantity.
    - Bring a pen.

    ADVERTISING, THE INTERVIEW SERIES | Tags: FOLIO, IHAVEANIDEA.ORG, JOB HUNTING, MELBOURNE, OGILVY, PORTFOLIO NIGHT 7, THE INTERVIEW SERIES

    The Monday Morning WHIP // 29

    whip29

    Has anyone seen that new Charlie Kaufman (http://en NULL.wikipedia NULL.org/wiki/Charlie_Kaufman) film Synecdoche (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=XIizh6nYnTU)? It’s pretty great. There’s a scene where the aging protagonist/writer is shown a best-selling book of apparent genius written by a four-year-old named Horace Azpiazu. You see, there’s always someone younger than you, doing something better than you, more authentically than you, and winning more praise than you. So chill the fuck out, realise that you’re younger than a lot of people and get to work. Because Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com/) reckons you’ve much more to offer than just enthusiasm and a will to work for nuthin’.

    Big news from the fourth estate this week, with the appointment of 23-year-old Ben Naparstek as editor of The Monthly (http://www NULL.themonthly NULL.com NULL.au/) magazine.

    Yes you read that correctly – he’s 23 years old!

    So I guess that puts him in the Junior demographic. Except he doesn’t see himself that way and neither should you.

    Talent is talent. Ability is ability. Age should be irrelevant.

    As Naparstek himself said (http://www NULL.theage NULL.com NULL.au/national/ben-who-20090526-bm4u NULL.html), “I’m old enough to be well used to people telling me I’m young.”

    Despite what he himself thinks, Narparstek is very young for the position he now holds.

    Yet he is, if memory serves, two years older than Aussie advertising legend Siimon Reynolds was when he was made Creative Director of Grey in Sydney.

    “I’ve been an adult for, what is it, five years now,” said Narparstek. “I’m 23. How much longer is this going to continue?”

    Obviously Ben Narparstek doesn’t consider himself a junior. So why do you?

    If you have talent and ability, you’re just as capable of having a great idea as someone ten or twenty years older than you.

    So rather than thinking of yourself as someone looking to get a foot in the door, start selling yourself as someone who can contribute to a business.

    Someone with so much more to offer than just enthusiasm and a low salary expectation.

    PUBLISHING, WHIP, WRITING | Tags: AGE, SUCCESS, THE MONTHLY, WHIP, WORK, WRITING
              

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