AMG's Blog

Well, nay sayers and people who have written blogs before me have given you—the reader—low expectations for the writing skills of the creative department. I won’t disappoint.

My name is Blais. I’m a 12-year-old trapped in a 29-year-old’s body. Or, to be more precise, I have a 12-year-old’s mentality. All the other people that have written on this blog are right there with me. They may use big words and talk like they know a thing or two. But, when you strip them down to their raw form, they are hanging out with me at the mall, trying to look cool and not make fools out of themselves.

At a young age, I knew I couldn’t work a job that required me to do repetitive work everyday. So I checked my options: become an astronaut or do what my family does best. It was a hard choice between space exploration or art. On one hand, I wanted to be Ender Wiggin, a great space command leader. On the other hand, I wanted to be HR Giger, the designer of the “Alien” movies sets. Both involved space. What I have taken from both people is that space is important in either case, or as comedian Brian Regan would say “they’re both good”.

I’m not referring to the ever-expanding empty area somewhere above us. Rather, the delicate area on a page where a good designer finishes his masterpiece; the area that allows the readers’ eye to rest and absorb the message.  People get caught up on the price they pay for an advertisement and then decide that what will sell is a huge logo and large text. Not so. Space is good, and as a child I dreamt of it. And as an adult, I strive to help ensure that people remember to include their childhood dreams in their advertisements.

As I grew older, I began school. I found out really quickly that if you couldn’t create waves, you would be lost in the sea of other children that are told not to rock the boat and just go with the flow. That wasn’t me. I was the child that the adults were like “Does that child have parents?” I was a child of the ‘90s—I had long blond hair, wore alternative rock band shirts and rocked a set of headphones that blasted hip hop non stop. I was a walking dichotomy. By looking at me, you would think I was into grunge music and that I hung out on the corner smoking cigarettes being mad at the world. Not true. I was into hockey, tennis, golf, snowboarding and anything that involved athletics.

 My music preference, which most people even today would say is suspect, was hip hop. I loved this genre of music. To me, it was far different then “the crap you hear on the radio.” I loved the poets with something meaningful to say. But I’m straying from my underlying meaning. I stood out, I was loud, sometimes obnoxious. I would say things others would just think and keep to themselves. I was known by everyone. Either hated or loved. But at least I sparked a response.

And if there was one thing I learned from this time period, it’s that advertising needs to be that kid in school. The one the faculty and student body knows. Not because he fits in and does what others are doing, but because he is different, bold and wants to make sure people understand who he is.

For instance do you remember ads that were like all the others ads? Or do you remember the ads that shake the foundation of what is “normal”? The ones that defy logic or defy the current state of the advertising community? This is what people notice. Not the minutia, but the creativity that strives to be truly unique. A brand with a voice. A brand that thinks differently, that adds value to its customers.

But like this growing child you must also let go of your advertising. Let it experience life. Grow with a new set of friends and experiences. Release it into the world because you need to let it go. Get back to what you do best and know that you have raised your advertising right. Trust that other people can help grow your brand and make you and your company stronger. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 12:54 am and is filed under Author, Recent. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.