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The following is a collection of articles either written by myself or borrowed from fellow writers.
The power of a good brand story
What's in an opinion?
I recently met with the head of a London creative agency. She wanted to talk to me about the possibility of some work.
We chatted for a while and seemed to be getting on fine. Then she pulled out three alternative designs for an ad they were doing and a 10-page brief from the client. She asked me to speed-read the brief and asked which concept I preferred.. Happy to oblige, I did as she asked.
I pointed to the design that appealed to me most. She asked me why and I explained that it was the one which met the brief and that the others were not as strong. I was met with a wall of silence After twenty seconds and now feeling slightly uncomfortable, I asked if there was anything wrong.
“That isn't the one that either I or the client likes the most. I think you're being negative. I'm sorry, I just don't think that we're compatible.”
Now, under normal circumstances, say after a lengthy meeting, a brainstorm session or perhaps a stab at a project, I would find that acceptable, but she asked for my opinion.
If someone asks for my opinion I'm more than happy to give it. That's not to say that you'll necessarily agree with me but then that's the great thing about opinion. If we all thought the same the world would be a very dull place.
If you're looking to work with someone who will nod at everything you say and then send you an invoice, then I'm not the person you're looking for. If you want someone who will give you their genuine opinion and use it as a basis for discussion, then I'd like to meet you.
If you ask for someone's opinion, then you should take it as just that - a personal preference and not a negative criticism. If you don't like criticism, constructive or even negative, then I would go as far as to say that you've got the wrong industry. You might think that I'm being arrogant. Of course, you're entitled to your opinion. Except I didn't ask for it!
My Worst Ever Job
My worst writing job started out full of promise. A glamorous international business who 'wanted to do something really special with the words'. Everyone agreed the first draft really did have something special about it. But slowly the requested changes started to strangle what was good.
By draft seven I had lost the will to live, a feeling no doubt shared by anyone who had to read it. A number of conference calls took place to 'gain the input of others in the organisation'. Someone in sales asked why the company was referring to itself as 'we' and 'our'.
By draft nine I was drinking a lot of coffee, liberally taking Pro Plus and listening to Radiohead between phone meetings.
I think draft ten was 'done in house'. For draft 11 another writer was brought in, briefly. It was then broadly agreed that draft eight had been pretty good. So I heard draft 12 was a lot like draft eight, but with some additions from the Canadian office. And liberal use of the serial comma.
That was nine years ago. I learned some important lessons about process, payment and caffeine. As for the client, I'm not sure what draft they're on now.
