The likelihood of Trump making America great is remote but it’s a very fine campaign slogan. So The Stable has borrowed it for a series that also borrows, without shame or apology, from the attention that the US election race is getting.
Here is its premise: You’re running for president of Adland. Your campaign slogan is Make Advertising Greater. What would you promise? What would you like to make happen?
Maybe it’s something from the past that Adland has forgotten was wonderful. Maybe it’s something that hasn’t been thought of yet (except by you). Maybe it’s just a frustration you could live without or an opportunity it pains to see being missed.
Some of Adland’s smartest creative leaders have already put forward their campaign promises (come back to read them). All of Adland’s smartest creative leaders are welcome to add theirs. (Email candide@thestable.com.au to do that.)
Here is the Make Adland Greater campaign platform of Kirsten Rutherford, ECD at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA:
Hi. My name is Kirsten Rutherford. I’m executive creative director at TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles. I’m a Kiwi turned Brit, who then became a Cali girl over a decade ago.
As a green card holder, I can’t vote in our upcoming elections, so when I was told I was eligible to run for President of Adland – well, of course I was going to throw my hat into the ring.
Whilst I appreciate the sentiment behind Make Advertising Greater, I’d rather take inspiration from elsewhere.
When Advertising Goes Low, we go High.
What I mean is simply this: advertising can be hard. Really, really hard. Whether that’s tighter budgets, shorter deadlines, fragmented campaign asks or testing work to within an inch of its life. In our search to make things smart and beautiful, we often forget to make things fun.
On top of all this, you can’t make people want to come up with good ideas. You can only create an environment where they want to do so.
My platform? The Unreasonable Accelerator: Unreasonably High Creative Standards… paired with Unreasonable Humanity.
At Chiat, we believe that good enough is not good enough. We hold ourselves to the highest standards, because hey, nothing great was ever easy, right?
But what if you pair those (perhaps unreasonable) creative expectations with unreasonable humanity?
When you give someone more than they expect, something remarkable happens. Not only does it feel bloody fantastic, but what you get back is tenfold – in loyalty, passion and commitment.
Being seen, heard, understood and supported are things everyone appreciates. From a leader’s perspective – it’s not that difficult to implement. Get to know when someone’s birthday is. Ask what they most like to eat on their special day. Find out what they like to eat or drink when they’ve had a terrible day. What brings them comfort? How do they like to receive feedback or praise? I can guarantee it’s probably very different from how you like to receive it.
Know that one size only ever fits one. An extrovert might only feel appreciated if you shout their name from the rooftop. An introvert might have their toes curl at the very thought. They’d much rather you offer a quiet word of acknowledgment for a job well done, and don’t wait until review time to do it.
As the old saying goes – at the end of it all, people will forget what you did or said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
So when times get tough, and advertising makes you feel low…go high. Go big on humanity. Unreasonably so.
