Think Small

Obsessing & Making

 

Teen targeted creative is tough.  Always has been.  Less to do with short attention spans or some hackneyed assumption like that.  More because of how obsessive teens get about something they like and satisfyingly fueling that obsession.

Many times on teen work to frame the creative/strategy with clients or internal teams we'd first talk about just how obsessive you get about stuff when you are young - when you're not sure about yourself and figuring out your place in the world.  That hat, that car, the dance, a new track, the skate deck, Walkman/Diskman/iPod, the game that weekend or whatever else that consumed every non studying moment of your life.  Total bloody obsession.

Thinking whether something was obsessible helped make better work rather than something superficially, ahem, "cool."

As people get older they forget what it was like to be so obsessed about thing.  We forget the feeling, in your gut, front of the brain, of obsessing.  Reading and re-reading the magazine, replaying the song, logging into some form of email.  Over and over again.

As a child I obsessed about making stuff - specifically drawing comic strips or clay superhero figurines.  However, I never had the tools to do it well.  I had a great upbringing but it just wasn't in the family culture (engineers, lawyers, etc) to buy specialized art supplies.    But still, I obsessed,and tried, badly, to draw comics and attempt figures of Flash.  It just never worked out.

I worry with so many lame and formulaic "social engagement" campaigns and the lazyness of BuddyMedia type tactical tool we are turning away from so much potential never before available.

I love that kids, and everyone else, today can obsess and get so deep into their obsessions to actually make stuff with a possibility to make it great because there are so many tools at finger tips.  I love that.

This Coke Zero Make It Possible thing seems kind of cool in that regard.  It's not another lazy be in our commercial as an idea because there actual is no idea.  It is an outlet for obsession with dance or music.  I like that.  A lot.

Death of a Revolution

The word revolution is regularily frivolously used.  Especially in advertising. However, no matter the hyperbole revolutions do happen.  Rarely though do they come to a finite end.  Sure a regime may be toppled but the values and philosophies of the revolution morph the moment what the revolution revolted against dissolves.  Often the instigating revolutionairies are left behind.

A book on wine was the last place to expect insight into revolutions.  Noble Rot detailing the dramatic changes in Bordeaux going from over priced garbage wine in glut to high priced low supply high quality was painful for many, instigated by a few, at the mercy of large global forces.

The author William Echikson sums up the Bordeaux revolution, and all other revolutions, quite nicely.

"Bordeaux's revolution was coming to a close.  Most monumental political, economic, and social changes overstep and devour their instigators, provoking an almost inevitable reaction.  The comings years looked tough for Bordeaux.  Many garage wineries would close up.  Many ambitious new wavers might well go bankrupt.  Even the well-established estates also looked set to struggle... ...But the rovolution's work would leave a positive legacy."

In other words: the dream doesn't die, just the dreamer.

Image: Montmartre cemetary taken on a walk home January 2011.

Things the British Say, A Lot

Every country has things they say that are said so often nobody realizes really they are saying them all the time.  They in fact are little codes that evolve a language to a social group.  To outsiders their repetition stands out and sparks curiosity.  Following are a bunch of things I've noticed people say a lot.  All lovely little words or phrases.  Might start using them a bit more:

 

Whilst

Boring

Please

Proper

Populist

Ambition

Golden Ticket

Who's to blame

Great British... (pub, cheese, bunting, ale, hound, etc)

yallrite (Translation: Hello. Are you alright and is everything good today?)