I just found this batch of rejects for The Economist.
I was surprised at how many shots we’d had at the brief.
I knew the work was getting past the Creative Director, because I was he.
It must’ve been the client.
I can’t remember who first coined that phrase ‘bouncebackability’, (I think it was a footballing Ian, Holloway or possibly Dowie), but it’s a crucial, if unglamorous skill every creative needs.
Your ideas are torched every single day.
As good as you get at debating, persuading and plain arguing, you’re still going to go again, again and again on the same brief.
You need to be positive every time.
Anyway, The Economist, it was a tough brief, after years of using advertising spaces to flatter the readers intelligence, we now needed to tell them ‘Great news – Colour pictures!’
It was difficult to think how this wasn’t a clash with the high brow image of our reader that had been carefully built up over the years.
We tried to be Economisty, but talk about colour.
1st GO.
REJECTED: ‘Too like the regular Economist work’. (Spelling ‘hear’ wrong probably didn’t help.)
2nd GO.
Maybe we should do something more visual.
REJECTED: ‘Not Economisty enough’.
3rd GO.
We got a bit sarcastic this time.
REJECTED: ‘Too sarcastic!’
4th GO.
Maybe we should do something more businessy, more office based.
We could write them from the point of view of the people on the receiving end of this technological breakthrough?
REJECTED: ‘Bit chatty, not really our tone’.
5th GO.
More intelligent maybe? And technical sounding?
Rejected; ‘Too clever-clever’.
6th GO.
‘Too clever-clever’? Really? Isn’t that a compliment from The Economist? Whatever, they still wouldn’t buy.
Maybe this time we aim for a ‘single clever’ campaign.
BOUGHT, RAN.
Although in retrospect, I think I prefer the ‘clever-clever’ campaign.
So do I.
Hi Dave. Just wanted to say that as a fairly junior creative, I’m finding this blog incredibly useful. It’s refreshing to see so much concrete advice and so many practical examples, where advice from seniors so often veers towards the vague.
I do a lot of work with students and will be steering them firmly in your direction. Hope you keep it up.
Thanks Martin,
It’s a useful brain dump and loft expander for me,
if it’s any use to others that’s cool.
Best,
D.
Great blog Dave, thanks for sharing your thoughts and work.
Interesting to see this process. I think I prefer the work that ran, and, if I’m honest – after that, the first concepts.