Have you ever met a grave digging masturbator?
Here’s my latest Adnews column. It’s written for those in advertising, but applicable to everyone – more or less.
I was once interviewing a chap who used to go to graveyards, dig up dead peoples bones, stand and masturbate over them (I was working in prisons at the time). When interviewing him once he swung his arm back, punched at me, diverting his fist at the last second to punch the wall behind me. Having left a fist sized hole in the wall, he flung back, collapsed in his chair and begin to cry ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ he said. He was odd – this was an odd thing to happen to me.
It’s not the most remarkable thing to happen to me at work – but it’s right up there. Nothing that remarkable has ever happened to me in advertising.
Think back over the last year whilst at work – how many remarkable incidences have you had? I’m talking about odd, remarkable, ‘out-there’, experiences? Stop. think about it. Please. Write it down. What are the most remarkable incidences you’ve been involved in? Could be a pitch? Could be a shopping experience with a ‘cond-sumer’, could be a prank the office played on the boss on April Fools Day. This is meant to be advertising right?
How did you go? Come up with anything? No? That’s why I’m scared.
We are becoming boring. As an industry I wonder if we are self-policing each other to such a degree we are becoming intolerant of new, different and odd, this is sad. What makes it sadder is this is meant to be ‘advertising’. What makes this thought (if true) truly tragic is that our industry, more than any other shapes the culture we live in. Therefore our industry – yes you and I, is making our culture boring and unremarkable. As I see it:
- Advertising, more than any other industry shapes our culture. Day to day people are exposed by and shaped by advertising more than anything else (debatable of course but you get the point).
- The more extreme the extremes of culture are the broader the playing field of experience for all of us.
- Advertising that broadens a sense of possibility broadens the playing field of culture.
- An advertising industry that is conservative is going to create a boring culture.
Unfortunately, as an industry we self-monitor, police, and pull each other down in a fashion that is rather unbecoming (read a marketing blog lately). We’re developing a culture that is risk adverse and shuns difference. We’re no longer avant-garde. We’re no longer ‘pushing boundaries’? Now out of these challenging conditions remarkable and possibility expanding work or course still makes its way though. The following have all made me think ‘fuck that’s interesting’.
- Lynx Jet by Unilever
- The sun sound campaign by The Cancer Council
- The Yellow Treehouse and chocolate campaigns by Yellow Pages NZ
- Queensland’s Best Job in the world
For whatever reason all of these pieces of work made me think the playing field just got bigger, the advertising world more exciting. The clients and agencies involved should be applauded (and of course though our ridiculously self-congratulatory awards culture all of these were well recognised again and again and again).
So let me loop back. The reason the poor grave digging, masturbating sod was so upset was because he saw himself as a freak, as a monster, His behaviour was abhorrent – no doubt. And he was odd no doubt and such behaviour should not be tolerated by a civil society. However, lets:
a) stop making a sing and dance and vilifying everyone who’s odd or unafraid to put their head above the parapet
B) stop ripping the shit out of creative work that’s not our own
C) act in a more fun, creative, inspirational, different way. Stretch the boundaries of possibility very day.
Fritz Bachen is a Consumer Psychologist and Founding Partner at Naked Communications. Fritz can be seen, read or heard at; The Gruen Transfer, ABC Radio (Sunday nights), Adnews columnist, as well as The Australian, Cleo, Mumbrella, Shop Till You Drop and so on. He speaks at numerous conferences on marketing, ideas, contemporary culture, and consumer behaviour. Fritz has degress in clinical psychology and commerce (marketing). A registered psychologist and has worked in private practice, forensic settings, advertising (Saatchi & Saatchi) and marketing consultancy (Added Value). He was also state under 12 chess champion on WA, and has a board game called The Analyst selling well in the Benelux countries.
Comments
Daniel Oyston
May 2nd, 2011I agree with all that. Put it another way … how often do you go home or see friends and say “what about what happened at work today” and its a great story. But we go to work and tell remarkable stories about what happened outside of work.
Most people take life way to seriously (especially at work), almost like they are just getting through it each day so they can leave work. Plus, and don’t take this the wrong way because it is important, but we get half the fun scrubbed out of us by having to undergo EEO training because some person might take offence to a good natured joke.
As a qualified psychologist I am sure you will agree that the world has gone mad
Fritz Bachen
Jun 5th, 2011Hi Daniel, thanks for your response. However, I think the direct opposite. The world hasnt gone mad – that would be interesting, the world indeed has gone so sane and normal that its a little dull. Know what I mean?
But yep agree with you in sentiment – absolutely.
escort roma
Jul 27th, 2011It won't work in actual fact, that is exactly what I suppose.
mizchief
Sep 4th, 2011No i have not met a GDM but i am about to write a psych paper on a 52 year old sex industry worker with Tourettes Syndrome, psychosis and pyromanic tendencies. She is entirely fictional but i like to think that she exists, THIS is education
muebles chinchon
Oct 8th, 2011The thing you're writing is a big blunder.
Trackbacks and Pingbacks
Leave a Comment