Once upon a time George Lois, ‘the original Madmen’ threatened to jump out the window to save his campaign for Goodman’s Matzos.And then there was the legendary British copywriter David Abbott, who put his reputation on the line by laying under a Volvo 740, just to prove to us all how strong its welding was. These were the men of the Creative Revolution who stood up for their work.
Bad advertising comes from fights that didn’t happen. Between you and the client. You might say the client acts all smug and full of knowledge, tweaking headlines and endless art direction. Part of it is true, but when have you stood your ground.
If you are really serious about creating good advertising, drop all that excessive good guy baggage. There is no room for soft talk and weakness. Be good at what you do. In fact stop at nothing. Create work that’s stops people in their tracks. And then defend it with all you got. Maybe threaten to jump out the window. Only threaten.