Scott G thinks people responsible for making bad ads should be blackballed from the industry. He fails to mention there would be no one left to hire, but I digress.
“Silly Girl” in Kansas City sees the problem differently:
Are you fucking kidding me? You will never be anyone in this business until someone has a backstory on you about “that one time you fucked up big”.
I reject Scott’s argument and substitute my own: don’t hire people who haven’t made mistakes or taken risks (even seemingly stupid ones like suggesting a Pepto-Bismol bottle dance).
Just for the record, Scott G and I are not related.
I propose a middle ground: The three strikes rule.
Three of those stupid pepto bismo bottle type campaigns and you’re out. Period.
You’d never know good advertising if there was no bad advertising to contrast it with. If Scotty G got his way it would have the opposite effect by stifling risky moves and making distopia of vanilla ads.
Memo to Scott G:
After having to listened to a couple of the radio commercials posted on your site, I can only say “Physician, heal thyself.”
I have no qualms with offering legitimate criticisms of inane, insipid advertising. God knows I do it often enough myself — even though I’m responsible for more of my share of said advertising.
But, unless your tongue was placed firmly in cheek, to advocate blackballing the perpetrators of less-than-stellar work from the business is overreaching on an epic scale.
Let us not forget that even the very best agencies out there have, as Silly Girl so charmingly puts it, “fucked up big.”
And just who is to sit on high and decide what is fucked up and what is not? Dan Weiden? Lee Clow? You?
We should all strive for excellence. But remember that one person’s purse is another’s sow ear. Chacun a son gout, as Jerry Lewis fans would say.
Of course, it’s all academic anyway. Odds are anyone with that dancing Pepto Bismal commercial on their reel won’t last long.
Memo to Silly Girl:
Will you marry me?
Ha! Well I am single but then you might get tired of my rants 😉
Doubtful, Silly Girl. Your rants would be music to my ears. Come fly to my arms, my little parakeet of passion.
What we need to do is blackball entire agencies…
Ha! Parakeet of passion, eh? I’m flattered, I suppose I’ll accept 😉
Scamp – I’m not sure we would have any agencies left, then!