Cannes 2016 / Bonus Lesson: Take risks to stand out.
“It takes the same amount of energy to do great as it does to justify average.” - David Droga
And we’re an industry that spends much time justifying average. Often the biggest budgets generate greater fear of mistake and a smaller share of audacity.
Telling our users what they already know, is nice and inoffensive, but also extremely dangerous, because its not breaking through and it’s not really doing anything for your brand. It’s the kind of stuff that might not get you fired, but it’s also the sort of stuff that burns a lot of money.
Clients are often afraid, like a small kid in class. Scared of losing their jobs, scared of not getting that promotion. It’s the agency’s job to educate the client. To keep pushing and teaching until they’re not afraid anymore. Great creativity is within reach of any brand or agency, but it does require an investment of time, bravery and trust.
If you take risks, it could create controversy, people can ridicule you…but what’s the alternative? The alternative is that you do stuff and no one even cares, and you’re totally irrelevant. The safest thing you can do is be brave and take chances. That’s the way you grow brands.
“If you stand for something, you will always find some people for you and some against you. If you stand for nothing, you will find nobody against you, and nobody for you.” -Bill Bernbach













