Think Less. Do More. by @_hunterfargo
By Michael Hutton
Think Less. Do More.
A common theme in my head recently has been the notion of getting people to actually give a shit about the work I do.As with anything in life, understanding human behaviour is the real battle. What will make someone stop and interact with an ad. Maybe it serves you beer, or maybe it highlights a thought you’ve been carrying for eternity. Finally, someone gets you. You’re connected with the brand in an individual and unique way.It’s easy to get bogged down in why people won’t give a shit about our ads. Why will they just walk-by? Perhaps they’re late for a meeting. Perhaps they’re texting. Perhaps they’re blind.The list of possibilities is endless. It can be crippling to the creative processes to imagine why someone won’t stop and look at your ad; because you can find holes in pretty much any idea if you dig deep enough.This is what I’ve been struggling with recently. The constant voice in my head telling me every idea I have is shit, irrelevant, and unlikely to promote interaction or a deep connection with the target audience.But who actually gives a shit?The realism is, people quickly forget – about everything. Something else replaces it. One idea isn’t the beginning, or end, of the world. No one will die because of it. It may change a few minds, but people will ultimately forget about it.The prime example is Protein World’s ‘Are you beach body ready?’ ad. Huge uproar. Now no-one cares. It’s over. And what about ISIS? That hasn’t been splashed over the newspapers recently. As far as I know, no-one has been beheaded recently. If people actually cared, they’d be in Syria fighting to end the mayhem.The world has largely forgotten. We all have other things to worry about. Like what topping to have on our morning Frappuccino.I’m starting to realise obsessing over one idea isn’t healthy. I’m not going to win at every brief, so wasting energy on the shit briefs merely reduces the time I have to crack the good briefs.“Think Less. Do More.”My new mantra for the rest of SCA. Here’s hoping anyway.
