Blasts from the Past

What's the first ad you can remember? The second? The third?

Maybe I was destined for advertising at a young age, because I can distinctly remember some classics I saw on the old black and white tube.

First one: Red Ball Jets, a predecessor to Nike. The ads specifically promised what Nike hasn't ever dared say, that being, that I would "run faster and jump higher."

Here's the second one that comes to mind. Salem cigarettes. They used a catchy little jingle, and then in the last stanza of their TV spot, left off the final the four or five words. My mind always automatically filled them in -- and does to this day. Oh, the shame of running cigarette ads during programs a grade-schooler would watch. By the way, the ditty went, "You can take Salem out of the country but...you can't take the country out of Salem."

Number three: Twenty mule team Borax. Oh yeah, Ronald Reagan himself would ad lib how effective Borax soap was during breaks in my favorite cowboy show, Death Valley Days. He was the host of the show, and sounded as believable then as he did when running for President.

But my favorite of all from boyhood days was a bumper sticker that caught my attention in 1963. I pondered over it briefly, and then the light came on. I suppose that's what any good ad does -- invites me to participate mentally, and rewards me for that participation. The bumper sticker simply read: AuH2O. Translated: Goldwater. Barry Goldwater was running against Lyndon Johnson, and if I had been old enough to vote, that bumper sticker would have earned my nod.

Just One of Those Days

At a recent ad conference, I heard Alex Bogusky state that this business (advertising) is a tough one, and many days are rather rough -- often coming with a kick to the gut. It kind of reminded me of this photo.

Credit goes to my beloved grandson, who, by all appearances, had just suffered through a difficult client meeting -- although his mother didn't seem to care. I feel your pain, Graham.

Taking Detours, Back Roads & Byways

Back in 1928, as I understand it, the Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming was studying bacteria under his microscope and noticed something odd. A strange mold had appeared on his samples, disrupting his experiment. He then noticed something even more intriguing. Bacteria wouldn’t grow near the mysterious mold. Completely by accident, Fleming made one of history’s great medical breakthroughs – he discovered penicillin.

In advertising, especially during my 15 years at Richter7, I’ve seen that same experience repeat itself over and over. You head off in one direction searching for a solution -- be it creative or strategic -- and a smart, fresh solution suddenly appears while taking a side road in the thought process. (The photo in the accompanying Harley ad perfectly portrays what I'm saying.)

I’ve found, however, the side road doesn’t usually appear until after traveling the main highway for while. Sweat and effort typically precede any magical moments I have had in the creative realm. This process was reinforced by a paragraph I ran across in the Harvard Business Review. It was written by a former Disney V.P. who is now co-chairman of a company called Applied Minds. It went like this:

“Everyone knows that innovation is risky, and it’s rare that you arrive at your expected destination. But maybe that destination isn’t so important. Maybe what you should be paying attention to are the little detours you take along the way: It’s down those back roads and byways that the real payoff usually is found. Maybe, in fact, the biggest risk in innovation lies in sticking too closely to your plans.”

Good food for thought in a business based on creativity.