Imagine, if you will...
That time is reversible - That you took the risk - That it never happened to you - That the epitaph on your tombstone will start with the words, "What if..." - That saying I'm sorry could change that which you are apologizing for - That seconds tick based on memories and not on time - That when you dream, you wake up to find it has become your new reality - That CEOs understand creativity and the artist mentality - That Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley are performing next week - That the Middle East will lead the technological revolution - That having your heart broken means someone else's has healed - That Saddam Hussein captured George W. Bush - That the South won - That trust was our only form of currency - That black people now have white slaves - That the imagination we possess when we dream was present while we are awake - That life is a dream and sleeping is the gateway to reality - That Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are all preaching belief in the wrong God - That emotions do not interfere with life - That video recording capabilities were available during the time of Jesus Christ - That tomorrow no gun in the world would be fired - That governments see "the people" as more than nameless faces - That an emotion could not cause physical pain - That you should already know the true meaning of your life - That you just spent 5 minutes of your life, reading something that will lead you to revert back to the imagination you possessed as a child - The imagination that allowed you to believe that anything is possible - The imagination that disappeared when reality had to matter...
If You Have Nothing Nice To Say... Log Out
It’s rare to see a good ad on TV or on a billboard or making use of any of the vast media outlets available to bring a message to life. It’s not because groundbreaking creative work isn’t being done. It’s because there is so much crap flooding the advertising/branding world that unless you are looking for it, or it comes to you, as it should, even good advertising has the potential of being lost, which is a total contradiction to say the least, but it just so happens to be true.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to start talking about creativity and advertising and people. I’ll leave that to the ones who get paid to talk about it. I do however, want to mention a topic that has come up in recent conversation regarding a similar subject matter.
It’s no secret social media has revolutionized our world. Facebook had 100 million users signed up within 9 months. The App store saw a billion downloads in the same amount of time. Bringing me to my point. Sorry it took so long. As cool as all these socially innovative achievements have made our daily mode of living, it is becoming harder and harder to sift through all the crap to find something worthwhile. I can’t remember the last time I logged onto Facebook, posted a status update, and returned in an hour to see it still up and not buried under a barrage of meaningless dribble in the form of my Facebook “friends’” status updates.
Believe it or not, there are people who take the time and put in some thought to writing a status update. Making it enjoyable for others to read while bringing something new to the table of thought. And then there’s everyone else, whose status updates have absolutely no relevance to even that person’s closest friends and family. Gibberish is a good word to describe it. Here’s a solution. The next time you want to tell the world of social media what you are thinking about cooking for dinner... Just don’t do it. Instead, call the person that this selfishly groundbreaking news actually might affect and tell them. And when they tell you they don’t care, you might actually get the point that if that one person doesn’t care, chances are, neither will the network of people you think want to read about it online.
Stop Leading and Start Thinking
It’s a shame that our elected leaders continue to reveal themselves as followers. Now, I’m not one of those people who think, “If I was elected president, I would fix the multiple problems we're facing, no problem.” I know better than to think that. However, I am shocked by the direction our commander and chiefs continue to take us in.
Let’s take 9/11 for example. We all have our theories on why we invaded Iraq. But let’s look at what may have happened if we took an opposite approach. What if instead of playing offense, we decided to play defense? What if what we learned from the attacks on 9/11 was not that we need to go fight terrorism, but that we need to protect the country from terrorism? Because let’s face it, we’re not going to stop what we can’t see. What if instead of sending thousands of troops, and by troops I mean men, women and children, to go fight a war, we kept them here to protect the country. What if we spent all the money we’ve wasted on a war that has been going on for thousands of years, in a part of the world that refuses to conform, on airport security, and education, and the economy? What if the idea of doing the opposite of war was presented as an option? And not after the war had already been going on for almost 10 years, but before the war started. It’s easy to know what the right decision is after the wrong one has been made.
Our leaders are elected to lead. It’s a gargantuan task to take on. But when will they wake up and realize that sometimes, the only way to lead, is to stand down.
The Life We Chose
“This is the life we chose. Where friends become foes. And the only way out is death or going broke. This is the life we chose. And they're aren't too many happy endings. That's why they're aren't too many happy people in it. And I'll admit it. This life is fucked up, but it's the only life I know."
Okay, so it's not quite as serious as Nas's life, but this business of advertising and branding may just be overseen by the devil herself. And she is wearing the sexiest red dress you will ever see.
Granted, I'm still a rookie, or as we in the biz like to call a person in my position, a junior, but since the very first day of classes two years ago at the VCU Brandcenter, up until this point in time, I have seen more and more of my life being given to wanting to push myself past the boundaries of that which is “known” just to see over the wall surrounding the realm of the unknown. But with this, comes the dedication needed to be willing to give what is necessary to see over that wall.
I’ve been in New York for almost three months now and have yet to establish a social life. At 26 years old, I feel like I should be taking advantage of weekends and happy hours during the week but I don’t. And it doesn’t quite bother me as much as I want it to. I’ve somehow learned to adapt to the life demanded from a junior copywriter. When I try to explain to people the creativity needed to reach people in order to deliver a single and clear cut message, they just don’t comprehend why I am putting so much passion and time into this. They see advertising as TV commercials, magazine ads and billboards. They don’t get what I’m doing or better yet, why I see it as art. Which is where ego comes in. Do I want to be recognized for my work? Of course. But in the end, I realize that being recognized for our work doesn’t come from people knowing we’re the ones who created it. It never has. Except for award shows and such. It comes from seeing the brand we’ve guided through the dense fog that is the consumer marketplace, chosen over the other guy’s brand. And while people may never fully understand what truly goes into what we do, it all pays off when they find themselves influenced by a form of art that makes them behave differently in in a world defined by choices. We’re the guys and gals in the background. The ones who sit back and watch. The ones who see the cup as half full, even after it’s been sucked dry.
Stand Up For What Is Right. But Only After You're Told To
New York has found it necessary to re-teach us self-absorbed city dwellers the concept of respectful and courteous behavior. The MTA, NYC’s subway system, has a message on a continuous loop that comes on over the loudspeaker informing the passengers to remember to give up their seat when they see an elderly or pregnant person standing. I recently found out that the MTA is even going as far as fining people for not following the rules of common sense. And yet, everyday I ride the subway and see people standing when they should be sitting and people sitting when they should be standing.
New York has found it necessary to re-teach us self-absorbed city dwellers the concept of respectful and courteous behavior. The MTA, NYC’s subway system, has a message on a continuous loop that comes on over the loudspeaker informing the passengers to remember to give up their seat when they see an elderly or pregnant person standing. I recently found out that the MTA is even going as far as fining people for not following the rules of common sense. And yet, everyday I ride the subway and see people standing when they should be sitting and people sitting when they should be standing.
I’m not sure exactly what emotion is evoked in me when I hear that unfortunately necessary message, but what I do know is that we as a society may very well have already seen the best of times and are now facing a grim decline. Forget for a second that the economy sucks, we’re still at war and crime is and always has been on the rise, but if we can’t even be good to each other when we need each other the most, why would we be good to each other during any other time we face. Not giving a shit about those around us isn’t a problem the media or technology will be able to solve, and yet, this is where everyone seems to look for the answers to life’s conundrums. There is of course the chance that Apple will develop an iPhone application that sends an electric shock through our pocket and into our bodies every time we fuck up, but that may not be the best solution considering every iPhone app is updated pretty much everyday in order to work out all the bugs that keep them from functioning properly.
By no means am I suggesting that everyone is an ass but I do believe in the psychology of mob mentalities and that we, just as a herd of wild animals, will follow the pack in whichever direction those around us are running in. Except of course for the ones who dare to separate from the herd and therefore have the ability to make a difference. Sure this difference may be small and insignificant when looking at the big picture in front of us but where there’s a will there’s a way, and the only way I see real change happening won’t be coming from any catchy slogans that eventually die off, or a scientifically proven, but celebrity inspired movement that seems to get everyone on board until it is asked for action to be taken. No, this is going to take something bigger. Common decency can’t be forced upon society. It must happen naturally. Unfortunately, the only way I can envision this natural occurrence actually taking place, is by somehow taking society back to the drawing board and starting over from scratch.
Phillip Morris... You Genius
When I was in school, one of the motivating factors driving me full speed ahead into the work force was thinking that once I became a part of the “business” world, the laziness of fellow classmates I had to put up with in school would become a thing of the past. I was under the impression that people would take their work seriously. And when an assignment had to get done, there would be no need to hold a person’s hand through it.
But I digress. I now see that laziness is among us. Or maybe it’s stupidity. Or maybe, just maybe, the people whose hands we have to hold through life have been placed in the job market by Phillip Morris. It’s quite brilliant actually. Because of these lazy, inadequate people clogging the already backed up job market, people like me look for any excuse to take a five minute break every two hours just to get away. And what better way, to get away, than to step outside for what I like to call, “A little fresh air.” Better known as, a cigarette break.