Advertising — Nobody cares.

It’s true.
Well, unless you’re in Advertising.

Dave Trott got me thinking. He said:
“You knew more about Advertising before you got into Advertising”.
It was like a Eureka moment.
Before I was an Art Director, I saw adverts as noise.
A distraction.
I probably ended up ignoring them.
And certainly didn’t analyse them.
I either liked them, or I didn’t.
I either talked about them, or I didn’t.
I suspect that‘s true for a lot of people.

So an ad really needs to stand out.
It needs to be mad.
Unique.
Against the grain.
It needs to grab attention and give someone something to talk about.
It doesn’t matter if they love it, or hate it as long as they remember it.

Advertising is like you’re talking to someone about football.
Someone who doesn’t like football.
It could be a hard sell.
Well, portray it in a new light.
Make it interesting.
Make an impact.
Even if they don’t like what you‘re saying — Make what you say memorable.
So even if they disagree, they’ll still remember what you said.
They may find themselves quoting you next time they’re having a similar conversation.
In the end, you’ve either convinced them, or you haven’t.
But, if they’ve remembered what you had to say — and talked to someone about it, in Advertising terms, that’s a win.

Most Advertising fails because it’s vanilla.
It’s wallpaper.
Be a neon pink wallpaper instead — as that would stand out, wouldn’t it?
Someone may love it.
Some might hate it.
A few might even mention it to their better half.
One thing they wouldn’t do though, is forget it.

So stand out.
Be flamboyant.
Be extreme.
But be relevant.
If you want people to take note — shout.
Remember, you're talking to people who don’t care much about Advertising.
And by standing out, the client gets remembered.
They get talked about.
Wrote about.
Sometimes in a good light, sometimes bad.
Either way, they’re in peoples mind.
Then naturally there’s a better chance their sales will go up.
And that’s what advertising is all about.
Making clients money.

My advice?
Make adverts for people that don’t like advertising.

Adam McGowan
Art Director.
Creative.
Thinker.
Against the grainor.