Thanks to the TO Adland

So, the Friday night Rant this week is about as much removed from a rant as you can possibly get. It’s an appreciation. An affirmation that the advertising business does, in fact, have soul.

Let me provide some context: this week, I found myself displaced by the buy-out of Bos by Dentsu. Obviously, no holding company buys an independent to assume 100% of their staff and salaries. And being on the Bos side of the coin, I anticipated that most of those changes would likely happen to us. And they did. Truth be told, I expected them to. So, I bear no grudge against my former agency. Tough financial decisions had to be made. But I express much love for what I learned during my tenure with Bos and I’m proud of what I accomplished there. And furthermore I wish DentsuBos the very best in their future.

But what I’d really like to say, is how much I appreciate the warmth and support I’ve received from the Toronto ad community since this happened. An old friend had me in to freelance on a very important, high-profile pitch yesterday. This morning, I got up early and sent out LinkedIn updates to my network and I was humbled and overwhelmed by the responses I got. Super busy CDs and partners at agencies took the time to write back with messages of support and avails to meet for a coffee/beer. Phenomenal!

I think I’d once said that this industry is narcissistic and self-absorbed. But I was proved so wrong today.

So, I just want to thank everyone for their words of support and encouragement. I’ve never doubted my talent and abilities. But to know that others feel that I still have so much to offer was just what I needed.

Thanks to everyone (and you know who you are).

Just bring the work now! garwatson@hotmail.com and/or 416-856-0530

And that’s my brainfart for Friday, July 20, 2012.

Peace.

5 things I love/hate about advertising

Seeing as Season 5 of Mad Men premieres this week – and given the fact that I’ve had 6 days off to reflect about my industry (and some other shit that’s gone down just recently) – this week’s rant focuses on the advertising industry. And the things I love and hate about it.

First, what I hate about this business:

1. The “ranking system.” We have this bizarre system in advertising that amounts to people equating their net worth to the number of awards they’ve won. This is ridiculous. I’ve been in the business for 22 years and haven’t survived and continued to be relevant because I’ve won more awards than anyone else. Far, far from it. Yet, this is still how many people in this business judge themselves. And worse, what many prospective employers are preoccupied with on resumes. Not by how they’ve helped their clients reach and exceed their sales objectives. But by criteria that few, other than self-absorbed creative people, care about

Let me put this in perspective: there are few, other creative industries that define their individual worth by the accolades bestowed upon them by their peers. In fact, many artists, actors and fashion designers have pushed on and succeeded despite what their peers thought of them.

2. The “anti-support system.” This very closely relates to point one. Very few industries tend to systematically and intentionally resort to the “eat your own” philosophy that advertising creatives do. The “attack” syndrome. Case in point, this week, PR went out about a business card we produced for a Toronto head shop. And within 20 minutes, there were a dozen comments from anonymous cowards shitting on the idea and saying it’s been done before. Well, let me tell you this: because I thought that someone, somewhere, may have done this idea before, I researched the fuck out of it. I checked almost every award annual I could. I did Google searches for every iteration of Head Shop/Business Cards/Filters I could. And nothing turned up. Satisfied that I may actually possess a cool idea that hadn’t been done before, we produced and launched the business card. The homework was done. And if it had been done before, it was below any radar I could find.

Oh, and get this: the most outspoken detractor, who supposedly developed a similar card for another head shop in Toronto, was called out to be an utter fraud. They never produced the “spec idea” they had. And furthermore, the owner of the shop they claimed to have produced this card for publicly took them to task for their fake card.

But I digress. What I mean to say, like so many before me like Paul Lavoie, Alan Gee, Geoffrey Roche, etc… is that Canadians spend far too much time beating each other up, crapping all over one another than supporting the Canadian advertising community. I suspect, most of it done by juniors and embittered ad folks that don’t have a real job.

What’s even worse is that the vast majority of people hide themselves behind pseudonyms and anonymous names. Fucking cowards all of them!

3. The self-importance factor. There are people in this business that have such inflated egos it’s a joke. Reality is: we hawk products or services. That’s it. We’re not solving complex math problems or providing insight into the ways of the world. We’re not doing brain surgery or curing cancer. We’re not saving lives. So, why the fuck do people in advertising think that they’re more important than they really are? Grow up people. We are the thorn in people’s sides. We are the necessary evil. We are the hemorrhoids on capitalism. So, get the fuck over your self-importance and take a big dose of humility.

4. The “snake oil” syndrome. I hate that I work in one of the most distrusted industries on the planet. Yes, ad folks, we’re right behind lawyers on that list. And I hate that. But there have been numerous “ad scandals” in the past 5 years that don’t exactly help.

It’s funny, when I go to social events outside the industry and tell them what I do, one of the first responses is, “how do you get away saying what you do in ads?” This turns my stomach. And reminds me that, in general, people despise us practitioners.

5. The politics. At best, it forces you to compromise. At worst, it causes you to betray all that you hold dear in terms of integrity. Fortunately, I’ve never had to leave my morals at the door and sell my soul for a piece of business. Or any account that I’ve worked on. I can hold my head high knowing that whatever has come my way, I have tried my best to do the right thing. (Please refer to point 2).

What I love:

1. Helping my clients succeed. This is why we’re truly in this business and any “creative” that thinks otherwise is lost. I have never done a campaign that I have not been intimately involved with what the sales outcome was

2. Innovation. I’m stoked by all the non-traditional ways we have to connect with consumers. Whatever the platform, the old ways of doing a TV, print or radio ad, is antiquated. And I, for one, am happy for that

3. Collaboration. In the Mad Men era, clients trusted agencies to solve all their problems. They rarely challenged them and the agency/client relationship was established. Buzzer! Not that way any more. Agencies need to stop talking and start listening. Share ideas. More heads are better than one. And any agency claiming to possess a magic bullet is one you want to run as fast as you can from

4. Co-workers. Look around you. You spend more time with your co-workers than your spouse and your children. If they don’t inspire you, inspire them. Your working environment is only as good as you make it. Make it better

5. Knowing I have an exit strategy. I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life. I’m looking at other opportunities that my skill set is transferrable to. My advice: don’t stagnate. Move forward and capitalize on what you do best. Advertising for me, is but one channel. There are others. Mine them.

So, what has this week taught me? That, for the most part, a lot of advertising people (especially those from the last decade) are navel-gazing, self-absorbed, ego-obsessed individuals that define themselves by awards and peer approval. But don’t really understand why they’re truly in the business.

Oh, and give your collective heads a shake. Because, at the end of that day, it's a job.

I’d rather be known as a great father and mentor to my children than any fucking ad award I could ever win.

And that’s my brain fart for Friday, March 16, 2012.

Automatic Gratuity This...

This week’s Rant is coming to you live and direct from Key West via Miami - and that’s where we’ll start.

So, this past week, I really got to witness what “entitlement” does to individuals.

Now, to begin, I’ve often heard from Creative Directors that many young talent in our business have a sense of entitlement. They don’t want to role up their sleeves, do grunt work and start at the bottom of the food chain. I’ve even heard horror stories about some juniors over the last 2-3 years who think that working on a piece of POS or collateral material is beneath them. For those not in the ad biz, let me put it this way: it’s like someone that’s been hired at Tim Horton’s sucking their teeth and giving a ton of attitude about having to clean tables. Yeah, it sucks, but it’s gotta be done. Fortunately for me, I haven’t had that experience. Every intern or junior that’s worked for me has worked their asses off.

But I didn’t put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keyboard) to discuss advertising. This week, I saw this same sense of entitlement displayed in the service industry. What I speak of are the restaurants and bars in Miami that include an 18% gratuity “for my convenience” on their bills.

First of all, “for my convenience”? Do they think I’m a moron that can’t calculate a tip? Even if I was, every frickin’ phone has a calculator on it nowadays. So, let’s be honest, it’s not for “my” convenience. It’s for their’s. And it should be phrased more like, “For our greed, we stuck you with an 18% gratuity.” And here’s the other thing. Do you think they add that 18% before or after taxes? After, of course: it means they get more money. Not just for the food and beverages - I’m now tipping the government for screwing me with a 14% tax (or whatever the fuck it is) on the aforementioned food and beverages.

Second, how dare they assume that their service merits an 18% tip. Think about that for a moment: 18 fucking percent! On some of the tabs I saw this week, I’d half expect a happy ending with my coffee. Unbelievable!

Which brings me back around to what a guaranteed gratuity does to service. They don’t need to try hard. They don’t have to be polite. They don’t have to ask how your food is. They don’t have to refill your wine glass. They don’t have to clear away your plates until they damned well feel like it. They can ignore you when you raise your hand. And they can take a goddamned eternity to bring you the bill that they have to gall to shove an 18% tip up your ass.

And to me, that’s a real shock. I mean, I’ve travelled quite a bit. I’ve always had great service in the U.S. in particular. And yes, I’ve heard of places putting a 15% tip on groups 8 or larger. But almost every bill here in Miami, from pool bars to restaurants ding with a gratuity for which, in every case, they did not deserve.

Oh, and one more thing. In many of these cases, they “hide” the fact that they’ve automatically added the tip in mice type on the menu or bill. So, a lot of suckers end up adding an extra 15-20% on top.

Luckily for me, I like to read the small print.

And that’s my brain fart for Friday, January 27, 2012.

What to do with Facebook Page Pirates

I was going to his do a piece about SOPA And PIPA and the ridiculous bills before U.S. Congress regarding Internet privacy laws and censorship when another, more personal event occurred, on a somewhat related topic. So, this became my subject matter instead.

And it has to do, once again, with social media and groups on Facebook. Yes, it’s not the first time I’ve broached this subject matter.

I was added to a group called Growing Up In Rexdale – now 1,200 plus members strong. Yes, I did grow up in Rexdale. No, there’s no need to say “Sorry about that.”

Anyway, I was totally digging a lot of the threads on the page. The memories it sparked, the catching up with friends, seeing old photographs…all quite priceless. And the dialogue from the members was, for the most part, really sincere and quite hilarious at times. Great banter.

But then, it happened. Some guy, Matt Bradshaw, threw down the following thread: rexdale sucked, sorry kids! and all hell broke loose. People totally lost their shit about it. I simply asked the guy why he’d join a group to post that. No response. Within hours there were over a hundred comments from “offended Rexdalians.” A day later, there were over 200. People were tossing daggers at this guy. So, what does he do? Naturally, he keeps going and starts making random comments about “rubber dolls and masturbation.” I could just tell, this guy was having the time of his life stirring up shit.

Now, if you had a child and they started throwing a temper tantrum and acting up, what would you do? Scream and yell back at them. Or turn the other cheek and ignore the bad behaviour until they realize that it isn’t getting what they really want – attention?

What did several members of this group do?

One person decided to hold a survey on the page and ask people to Like her post if they wanted Matt to be allowed to stay or Comment and say No if they wanted him evicted from the group. There were 29 comments – 6 of which were from Matt himself asking if both he and his rubber doll were going to be hung? I thought it was pretty funny.

Other people in the group were demanding that the Admin ban him from the Group. It really got out of hand to be honest.

The result: the Admin caved to a very small minority of the group and had him removed.

Which brings into question: what’s the best way to handle this type of intrusion on a Facebook page?

The reaction to Matt’s post(s) was strong. And I think that if you’re a brand on Facebook, these would be your true brand ambassadors rallying around you. But is it right to ban people altogether, especially from social groups? That is the question.

To me, I’d say no. It amounts to censorship. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and if you don’t agree with it, it’s your right to air a rebuttal. Or, as was the case with my child tantrum example, ignore the fucking moron. But to remove someone just because they post a contrary view to what the prevailing attitude is or throw down a few likely drunken lewd comments seems knee-jerk. They didn’t even give him a chance to redeem himself. And what’s offensive to some isn’t offensive to all.

Don’t get me wrong, the guy seemed like he definitely had a few loose screws. But his complete lack of couth, abundance of spelling mistakes and general uneducated self made him good food for comedy fodder to me. Who knows, this blog post might even get me banned.

I’ve community-managed a few Facebook pages for my clients and I would never remove people from posting negative comments. Spam (Work from Home Now), yes? But other than that, let the chips fall where they may.

And that’s my brain fart for Friday, January 20, 2012.

Send Quality Meat Packers Packing

So, this week’s rant has been brewing for a couple of weeks (probably a lot longer actually) but only really came to a head when I was driving into work and saw a couple of protestors from Toronto Pig Save on the corner of Lakeshore and Strachan. They were holding placards decrying the slaughter of pigs.

I don’t eat pork or red meat. But for me, the morality of the issue is a moot point. If you want to eat pork, knock yourself out. Stuff your face with a dozen of those bacon-covered doughnuts for all I care. I’m abstaining to eat healthier – simple as that. And to Toronto Pig Save: good for you. As citizens of a free country, you have every right to make your views known and condemn swine slaughter if you so choose.

My bigger beef (pardon the almost meat-correct pun) is where the processing takes place. In downtown Toronto at 2 Tecumseh, basically a stone’s throw from the heart of the city. A city that is trying to establish more urban retreats and communities like Liberty Village. A city that is trying its best to accommodate the influx of people who want to live downtown instead of the burbs.

First, there’s the simple aspect of transportation. The pigs sure as hell aren’t raised in the city. They come from all kinds of places like Burgessville and Milldale. Think about it, huge rigs filled with pigs, dozens of them every day clogging up our main thoroughfares into the city. And god forbid if you get stuck behind or even half a kilometer away from one of those transport trailers – they smell like shit and death. Besides, there have been numerous cases where these trucks have been involved in major accidents – pigs were either killed during the collision or had to be put down at the side of the road which I find detestable. Check out this picture from the National Post, almost a year ago.

The second big problem is the fucking smell. The odour that is emitted by Quality Meat Packers is sickly, putrid, disgusting and as many other like-minded adjectives you could come up with. You simply cannot go down to King Street West and sit on a patio if the wind is blowing from the southeast. You’d lose your lunch. I really feel bad for the people that buy townhomes or condos in Liberty Village. How the fuck do you live there? And it’s not just Liberty Village. It’s pretty much all of Parkdale and on the flipside as well towards Portland. If you’ve never personally experienced it, consider yourself lucky. It’s truly horrible!

Finally, you can’t tell me that there isn’t some kind of ecological impact of having a meat processing plant in the downtown corridor. I’m convinced that soil samples taken from around the plant would reveal some pretty interesting biohazards leaking from the abbatoir. Or the air quality from incinerating the pigs’ remains. There’s gotta be some funky shit coming out of that place.

I could give a flying fuck if Quality Meat Packers has been located in Toronto for 125 years. The city looked one helluvalot different and far less populated back then too. So, that argument to me doesn’t hold water. It’s time that Toronto City Council either bought or expropriated the land and told Quality Meat Packers to pack their bags and get the fuck outta town.

But that’s just my opinion. I only work in Toronto. I don’t live there.

So, here’s an article from the local community newspaper that looks at both sides of the debate. Decide for yourself:

http://tinyurl.com/6zbfh6b

And that’s my brain fart for Friday, September 23, 2011.

Stop Cutting My Summer Short

So this week's rant must tread on very delicate grounds. For professional reasons, I will forgive the sins of retailers, some of which I work on.

But, from a completely personal point of view, I have but one thing to say: please, I implore you, let me enjoy my summers the way I used to when I was a kid.

When I was young, summers seemed endless. The toll of the school bell in September was always something that lingered forever on the horizon. And the realization that we had to go back to school only sunk in when we found ourselves sitting in the hydro field with the entire neighbourhood gathered around for a blistering fireworks displays on Labour Day weekend.

In the summer, I didn't watch TV. I was too busy playing SPUD or Hide 'n' Seek until the streetlights came on. And then, it was in the bath and to bed.

Those were the days. And it was all so poetic. The world seemed right. Youth was revered and given every minute of the summer for first kisses, truth or dare, skateboarding and cut knees...pure innocence.

But here we are in 2011, barely the first week of August, and we are being bombarded with the "buy, buy, buy" message of back to school. A full month-plus of when the actual event takes place.

Look, I'm all for getting a jump start on things - I'm a "planning" type of guy. But I really don't want to think about back to school and all that it represents at this stage. After all, it's still summer right? We should be focused on making sandcastles, staying up late and watching meteor showers and singing songs by campfires. Not worrying about whether we'll have enough sheets to fill the binders we may or may not have purchased.

It has become the curse of marketing to be "first" to put a message out there. Beat the competition. But at what cost? Increasing the stress on already stressed-out families?

Here's an idea. Instead of spending millions of dollars on back-to-school TV ads a month ahead of schedule, try re-allocating that money into things that will really endear people to your brand. Sponsor pop-up movie nights in parks to give families a chance to bond before everyone gets "back down to business." Give me something nostalgic with my purchase like a burning school house. Whatever...But just stop hawking your wares without due consideration of the emotional needs of your audience.

It's not "the most wonderful time of the year." Far fucking from it. It's hard watching your kids go off to school for the first time. It's a burden hoping that they'll get the grades they need to get into the university of their choice. I, for one, hate back to school. It is ultimately the time when everyone goes their separate ways, each one with their own goals and aspirations. It is a time of parting as a family unit and the summer wanes...

The last sunset. Pink sky. Solitude. And then, chaos.

Let's hope that some retailer will figure this out. It is a huge emotional time for so many people and no one is even close to fulfilling that role. What a missed opportunity.

And that's my brain fart for August 12, 2011.

When highschool doesn't grow up

This week is a mini trip down memory lane. It concerns a highschool reunion that’s happening next September. My alma mater, North Albion Collegiate Institute. In 2012, NACI will celebrate its 50^th anniversary.

Now, I’m not too sure how I feel about highschool reunions. To be honest, the people that I cared to stay in contact with, I still hang out with. Some are my best friends.

But there is something intriguing about the possibility of getting together with people you haven’t seen for 30 years and see what they’ve been doing with their lives. And ooooh, what about seeing the celebs that went to NACI – Bruce MacDonald, Dean McDermott (I wonder if he’d bring Tori and her fake jubblies). Then again, there are others that I couldn’t give a flying fuck about. In fact, I’d prefer not to even see at all.

Anyway, on Facebook there has been a Group set up to try and reconnect people and spread the news. I was “friended” by some people that I didn’t even remember. Hell, I’m not even sure they went to school at the same time I did. But, for old time’s sake, I accepted their requests. All of a sudden, it seemed everything I posted was being Liked or commented on. It kind of weirded me out a bit to be honest. But, again, for old time’s sake…

Which brings me to the NACI Turns 50 in 2012 Group page.

First of all, let me just say that I give full marks to the Admins who set up the Group and are doing a bang up job of hunting people down and reuniting fellow CaNACIans. Bravo! Really. It can’t be an easy job and all the hard work they’re doing to organize the reunion, form committees, yadda-yadda-yadda is noteworthy and honourable. I’ve even found some of the discussions on the page to be quite engaging and fun.

But I do have a bone to pick (surprise-surprise).

When you choose to use a social media forum like Facebook, you need to be prepared for whatever people are going to say, like it or not. The Admins have gone so far as to create a “Netiquette” document as a gentle reminder to mind one’s p’s and q’s. And there seems to be daily postings asking people to watch what they say because “this is an open group.” Hello? It’s Facebook. If you are looking to manage behaviour and commentary, you’ve chosen the wrong platform.

I went as far, out of my own goodwill to create a logo and series of posters to advertise the reunion. (Using my trademark sarcasm and black humour naturally). I posted them on the page. It seemed the Admins felt the need to make a “cheery rebuttal” to every poster I put up – which is fine, they’re entitled to – it’s Facebook. But I even had one of them send me a private message telling me that I may be offending some people. Don’t get me wrong, she also said that she genuinely appreciated the effort, but I did get the feeling that she was, in a way, asking me to tone it down and be a bit more considerate of other’s feelings.

Case in point, one poster I created took a bit of a dig at Rexdale, once a suburban paradise, now one of the more crime-ridden, intimidating places to go in the GTA. It’s a fact! And the poster, I thought, was pretty damned funny. But I’m figuring this was the one that some people may have taken offence to. C’mon people. I don’t give a shit whether you still live in Rexdale or not. It’s a fucking joke – lighten up! Besides it’s not like it’s untrue. Rexdale is quite a shithole now. I lived there for over 20 years and witnessed its downfall. So, don’t kid yourself folks.

Anyway, I digress.

The point is, I don’t want to have to filter my thoughts or words. That’s why I write this damned blog. I don’t need to be reminded that what I say is “out in the public forum.”

I’d like to offer a final few words of advice for the Admins of the NACI Turns 50 in 2012 Group. This is a Group page. Postings by the Admins should be stimulating conversations of a nostalgic nature, “where are they now,” “has anyone seen X” (which many of them have been) and keeping people updated on the reunion itself. I didn’t sign on as a member of this Group to have the Admins constantly remind me about my social graces and promoting their own personal beliefs (be kind, watch what you say, don’t stereotype…). This is what you have your own Personal Facebook accounts for. And so, I made my last post and left and will only check back periodically for updates on the reunion. If I even bother going at all now.

Because I think there might be a couple of people a little pissed off with me after this. Oh well. That’s life.

And that’s my brain fart for Friday, August 5, 2011.