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// DON’T PANIC, and other advice from Douglas Adams

09-Mar-10

Today is National Panic Day. I will not be observing it. Instead, I will be following that advice Arthur C. Clark dubbed the best ever given: DON’T PANIC.

These words were written by the late Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, specifically about the guide itself. In the book’s introduction, Adams outlines the two important reasons the Hitchhiker’s Guide has supplanted the great Encyclopedia:

First, it is slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.

These two words got me through many hardships. And today, on National Panic Day, I decided to delve into more advice given by Adams to see what insights we can draw on.

A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.

In other words, don’t try to please everyone. There will always be someone who doesn’t get it. Don’t design your product or advertising around what you’re afraid others will think of it. Design it to be the best you can offer.

Now, I’m not advocating ignoring your customer altogether. A product or ad needs to keep the end user in mind in order to provide the greatest solution. But do not avoid tackling issues solely because they may offend or turn off a small group of people.

The best products and the best ads will attract the best people. Let the fools figure it out for themselves.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

Deadlines are important. In the advertising industry, they live up to their prefix – you live and die by them. However, don’t overpromise a deadline just to please a client or customer. Chances are, you’ll miss the target and make a bigger mess than if you were honest with yourself in the first place.

Also, going back to the first point, don’t reach for the deadline at the sacrifice of quality. Deadlines do have a habit of whooshing by. Work in this business long enough, and you’ll become accustomed to that sound.

Try not to delay, but do so if you must in order to provide the best product possible.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.

Be flexible. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, and neither do ad campaigns. Things come up – new products, new ideas, new directions. Don’t be afraid to change with them.

Stay true to yourself. Be consistent with your overall strategy and brand. But adjust the details, the route. In advertising terms, adapt the message, delivery, timing, whatever it takes to get the best results.

With that said, I’ll leave you with a last grain of wisdom by Adams,

You live and learn. At any rate, you live.

I hope you learned something today. And remember, DON’T PANIC.

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// Lessons From the Olympic Losers

02-Mar-10

The 21st Winter Olympic Games are officially over. Everyone will probably remember the winners: the U.S.A. winning a record 37 medals, and Canada winning it’s first and 14th gold medal on home soil. What people won’t remember, however, are the losers, the failures, the falls.

I watched more Olympics this year than I usually do. And yes, it mainly was to watch the best of the best. But what I noticed the most was how often these competitors fall down, wipe out and possibly not even finish their event.

NBC even put together a slideshow of the best Olympic wipeouts.

Above, I use the words losers and failures with a strong sense of sarcasm. There are the athletes who show up and don’t even qualify for their event. But they are still among the best in the world.

They train for nearly four years just for this opportunity. And if they do fail? They pick themselves up and train for another four years to compete next time.

Even America’s superstars like Bode Miller, Lindsey Vohn and Apollo Ohno didn’t medal in every event. It’s rare to see a winter athlete dominate, and you never see a performance like Michael Phelps in the winter games. Canada itself made fun of itself for the gaffe in the Opening Ceremonies.

So why are the rest of us so hard on ourselves when we fail? I’m certainly not the best in the world at what I do, and chances are, you aren’t either. If these competitors can brush off failure at such a high level, certainly you and I could handle it a little better.

Go ahead. Celebrate the winners. They deserve their time in the spotlight. But don’t forget the failures. Or more importantly, how the failures were treated. The next time you come up short, brush yourself off and get ready for the next opportunity.

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// Olympics, YouTube and Slam Poetry

15-Feb-10

Friday night the world watched Vancouver. An estimated 3 billion people tuned in to see the 21st Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony. Here in the U.S., 32.6 million people saw the spectacle, the second highest Nielson rating for a winter games ever.

Gauging the early response (plus my own impressions), they were not disappointed. While not to the grand scale of Beijing two years ago, this ceremony was more intimate and story-oriented.

Being a Canadian native, I couldn’t help by swell with pride, remembering everything I loved about Canada. The music, the effects, the choreography, and not to mention that amazing floor – all of it captivated an audience for hours, which is no easy feat nowadays.

But one thing did stand out for me. No, I’m not talking about the technical glitch with the torch; I still think that was handled in the best way possible. I am referring to the slam poet who performed “We Are More.” I couldn’t find a video of him at the Olympics, but here’s a clip of the piece he recited that night.

What intrigued me was his backstory. With all the grandeur of the games, showcasing the best Canada has to offer, they gave the entire stage, uninterrupted to this one guy who they found on YouTube.

That’s right. Even Canadian superstars like Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan shared the stage. But Shane Koyczan, a YouTube sensation, enjoyed sole attention in font of billions thanks to – as the head of the Olympic committee put it – the magic of TV.

To be fair, Shane was the first Canadian to win the Individual Championship title at the National Poetry Slam, so he wasn’t a complete unknown. But the fact that the committee found him on YouTube and upgraded him to the largest stage this side of the Super Bowl is a profound statement of the state of media, both online and broadcast.

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// Never Fall in Love (With an Idea)

12-Feb-10

Broken Heart from AdvertisingSunday is Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air. But beware. When it comes to creativity, love can turn into a toxic gas.

You see, there is one thing you should never do in the creative process. Never fall in love with your idea. It’s only natural to think that your idea is better because you came up with it. It happens to all of us. But as soon as you fall in love, you give in to that bias and become defensive to everyone who tries to change or build on it.

I’ve heard this put another way. Your baby is a monkey. You see, every new parent thinks their baby is the cutest in the world, and woe be onto the person who even implies otherwise. In this analogy, your baby is your idea. You can’t possibly see it the way other people do.

Ideas flow best through open minds. Unfortunately, when you’re in love, all you can think of is the object of your affection. That’s why they call it being lovesick.

Only in an environment of collaboration do the best ideas rise to the top. Instead of bickering about whose idea is better, a brainstorm session should be about throwing out every idea, see what parts stick and how to make the very best parts work.

So keep your objective in mind. Are you trying to be the smartest, most clever one in the room? Or are you trying to come up with the best idea?

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