Slightly Askew

A word from The Master:

Hire people who are better than you are, then leave them to get on with it. Look for people who will aim for the remarkable, who will not settle for the routine.

There are many Ogilvyisms that float around my head, but this one has – until recently – sat quietly in the back of my brain, happy to be along for the ride.

After all, it stands to reason that if I don’t own a company, I’m not responsible for hiring and firing.

Yet without sounding too much like a corporate twerp, I think we ‘hire’ people all the time.

Currently, I’m responsible for a brilliant mega-leaflet we’re doing for a client in the education sector. The concept is supermarkets: the campaign is about communicating the range, convenience and simplicity – all in a trustworthy, affordable package. Because finding a course on Beekeeping should be as simple as buying a jar of honey.

It’s a good idea. But good ideas don’t make good campaigns unless they’re executed well.

So I hired a crack team.

Designer Rob came up with the idea for the front cover and inspired the lead headline. Creative Director James oversees the whole thing because he can visualise a good idea quicker than anybody. And Production Director Simon makes sure everything gets sent to the printers and distributors.

Today we shot the front cover image. Simon was behind the lens. James and I directed the shot. Simon even drove for miles to find that bloody metal shopping basket.

If the campaign goes well, the client will give me the credit.

I’ll happily take the credit, of course. For some brilliant hiring.

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Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination.

Devour films, music, books, paintings, poems, photographs, conversations, dreams, trees, architecture, street signs, clouds, light and shadows.

Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic.

Authenticity is invaluable.

Originality is non-existent.

Don’t bother concealing your thievery – celebrate it if you feel like it.

Remember what Jean-Luc Goddard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from – it’s where you take them to.’

I stole this from Paul Arden. He stole it from Jim Jarmusch. And I stole the photo of Banksy’s Rat from Paul Stevenson.

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[Photo by afiler]

When I was young, my mother told me that when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.

These days, a more popular phrase seems to be assumption is the mother of all fuck ups.

Both are true, of course.

Suppose it’s just you doing the assuming. You’re going to assume right or assume wrong. You’ve got a one-in-two chance of getting it right. Fifty-fifty.

Now add another assumer.

You’re working together on something. You assume, they assume. You both need to get it right, otherwise the legs fall off your project. You both have a one-in-two chance of assuming right, but there’s only a one-in-four chance of both of you assuming right.

Four of us assumed the other day. We had a one-in-sixteen chance. It was 93.75% certain that we would fuck up.

And fuck up we did.

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