Dairy dilemmas
Ten years in this field of creating stories out of thin air and I still haven’t quite figured out the ‘magic formula’ for a ‘great ad’. The reason is simple: there is none. Arriving at that one simple idea that will change the world (so to speak) is a tenuous journey that begins with ‘unlearning’. Look at all the references you want, all those amazing ads that have won awards, visuals that make your heart swoon and then ‘do the exact opposite’. Sift through gazillions of borrowed images, rooting them out one by one, slowly, consciously, until you are once again left with a blank canvas. And this is your start. The beginning of a story told.
All great stories come from understanding what makes people human. Not restricted by religion or geography, but as beings who think, love, believe and bleed in the same way. And once we get to the heart of understanding who they are, we then strive to tell their tale, chipping away at our own biases until we are just the medium for an idea. I wish I could say that reaching this stage comes with experience. Actually it does, but not through the accumulation of years. Rather, it comes from having heard a million ‘nos’, failed at a thousand things you thought you were great at, of never being happy with the work others have thought to be good, of being restless and stupid for more. More than anything, telling a great story means taking a chance – and cautious beings that we are, this is one thing we try to steer clear of. The most important barrier to break is the one within. This issue focuses on the dairy segment and I was asked to concentrate on some of the most recent campaigns in the category.