Sometimes when you visit an agency site, you will find a section describing the company’s approach, philosophy, beliefs, what have you. Sometimes you’ll get a flow chart. That’s always cool.
Well, my experience has led me to a few guiding principles about how to work, too. Ten of them, it so happens. Over the years, I’ve tried to apply these in my work and creative direction. I’m not much of a flow chart maker, but I’m nails at making lists. So here you go, my Word Interactive 10 Principles of Good Commercial Communication:
10.) You don’t know everything: There’s always a different way to do it. Be open to possibilities. Remember that the best creative often comes out of the process of discovery – the most creative process there is.
9.) Know why: It’s your responsibility to know more or less what the hell you are doing. Maintain your foundation. If you are an artist, know how to draw. You have to be able to rationally justify everything you do creatively. If you can’t, revise your work until you can.
8.) What worked for something else worked for something else: Not knowing why is sometimes symptomatic of this root problem: You’re ripping off someone else. Don’t be derivative. Of course, in advertising especially, many creatives have made lots of money and won tons of awards by being copycats. But to me, being derivative is boring.
7.) Be real: We’re not really selling a car, we’re selling an experience. No. You are really selling a car. That’s what people are paying for. Focus on what’s real. The tangible. What people can touch and feel. Tell true stories.
6.) Don’t get in the way: Don’t let your voice, style, or gimmick get in front of what people want and need to see. For me, in advertising, it’s helpful to remember this one this way: Don’t sell the Chihuahua, sell the taco.*
5.) You have to like it first: Before you can convince anybody of anything, you have to like and believe what you are selling. If you honestly like your idea, others will too. Trust that. But always be honest, especially with yourself.
4.) Think “How”: When you see bullet points, they should be outlining how you work, not what you are. You are defined by how you do business, not by what business you do.
3.) Compete positively: Sometimes you have to draw a contrast. But do it right. Find the negative truth about your competition and contrast it with the positive truth about you. Don’t be a hater. Leave people feeling good about you, not bad about the other guy.
2.) Be on the people’s side: Don’t make people look or feel stupid. You might get a superficial laugh, but you gain little. Be helpful, friendly, and informative. Don’t push. Don’t be ugly.
1.) Sell the Truth: Truth in advertising isn’t just a virtue. It’s smart business. I’ve found that when you find the thing that’s fundamentally and factually true about a product, service, or issue, you’ve also found the main selling point.
So that’s what I think based strictly on my experience. Can you think of any more based on what you know?
*The reference is to an old commercial you might remember. Or you might have not been born yet, so you don’t. Whichever, it was very popular. The point here is that beyond its extreme cultural insensitivity and implication that a Taco Bell taco is dog food, when the ads ran, sales of tacos actually went way down – while the popularity of Chihuahuas went way up.