There’s No Monopoly on Good Ideas (and Other Cliches)

So here goes amp160Ten homilies to make you a better youDo as You Would Be Done By amp160Sooner or later youamp8217ll find yourself in a position of power and authority amp160Be nice amp160That does not mean be a pushover amp160Just treat people as you would like to be treated with respect fairness and honestyNever Forget the Business You are In amp160I have always believed firmly that I am in the advertising business amp160That suggests an interest in ads as opposed to an interest in blocking them amp160As a media guy my job was to improve the chances of the ad being seen remembered and acted upon So shouldnamp8217t I know what the ad saysamp160 When I hired people my killer interview question was amp8220Whatamp8217s your favorite ad and whyamp8221 amp160It really didnamp8217t matter what they said as long as they said something and argued for their choice enthusiastically and with passionWatch What You Do amp160Media people are reasonably at home with surveys and numbers amp160Sometimes we forget there are people behind the stats People like you and me amp160How do you shop amp160What are the thought processes you go through in choosing a brand amp160How do you consume media when and where amp160If you really want to go crazy watch your friends family colleagues and fellow citizens too amp160Youamp8217ll learn something you wonamp8217t get from surveysRemember the Client Rules amp160Ultimately for most of us the client pays our salaries Look after him or her amp160Meet your deadlines take the calls work every hour to help him or her deliver amp160Be interested in what they do their problems their challenges amp160Buy their product or at least try it McDonaldamp8217s always used to insist on their agency teams working in store for several days a brilliant idea amp160Be respectful but stick to your principles amp160After all theyamp8217ve hired you because you know more than them on your specialist subject amp160Be honest and open as to what you can and canamp8217t do amp160Donamp8217t overpromise amp160Donamp8217t pretend you know everything You donamp8217t amp160No one doesKnow That There is No Monopoly on Good Ideas amp160Youamp8217re not the fount from which all creativity springs amp160You may be a fount but others have good ideas too amp160Collaboration is hardly a new notion I sometimes used to ask media owners in to meet our creative teams at Leo Burnett and to ask them to discuss with us ways to use their particular medium in as impactful a way as possible amp160A hole cut in the front cover of a magazine was a particular highlight amp160Involve amp160CollaborateNever Stop Learning amp160Read articles and books amp160Go to serious conferences amp160Follow interesting people online amp160Be forever curious Contribute to industry committees and debates amp160Appreciate that not everything good was done for the first time in the last few years Principles donamp8217t change all that much whatever the latest shiny thingTreasure Your Contacts amp160The people you know or have met are a great source of wisdom amp160Keep in contact your address book is a valuable assetSend the Lift Back Down amp160I started my career in a fullservice agency as a messenger amp160I was helped by many kind people to whom I owe a great deal amp160You owe it to others to help them amp160Have a coffee with them take the call answer the email support mentoring schemes amp160No one is so busy as to be unable to do somethingHave Fun amp160We work in an industry populated by creativeminded people amp160OK it may all be a bit amp8220holdingcompanyamp8221 these days but thereamp8217s still fun to be had especially in independentsBe thankful amp160You could have been a lawyer for goodness sakeClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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There’s No Monopoly on Good Ideas (and Other Cliches)

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Brian Jacobs

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There’s No Monopoly on Good Ideas (and Other Cliches)

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