What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

I turned 72 back in August and at some point between then and now, the thought crossed my mind that I got all this way without ever really managing to grow up.

People look at me and most think that I’m in my early 50s. I'm flattered for sure but credit this directly to my commitment to not growing up and taking on the weight of the world as, I am told, a lot of people do as they grow up. All that not withstanding, I’m essentially the same guy I was at about 35, where it counts the most.

According to my wife, I’m still the same idiot I was back then too. Still doing the same stupid shit that she can only shake her head at and wonder how the hell she ever ended up with me.

I am also still a TV and pro sports junkie. I still ride my bike everywhere. I still carry a camera and photograph anything I see that’s interesting. And I still write. All the time.

I’m not sure if I’m a better writer now than I was at 35. Probably a slightly smarter one. But honestly, If you start thinking too deeply about the writing you do, you will run a serious risk of paralysis by analysis.

This is not good. But it is avoidable, simply by not doing it.

Why 35? Well, I’m Glad You Asked.

And despite all the changes the ad business appears to have gone through since then, I have noticed that the principles or qualities of good communication that applied back then are no less important or relevant today. And they are really no different than they ever were.

Trouble is that there are simply fewer people who get that. These people spend a lot of time trying to re-invent the wheel, because they feel it’s their god-given duty to do so. Innovation for their generation and all that other delusional bullshit.

What they don’t respect at all is that the original wheel was pretty solid and most of what this disrespect does is create a lot of advertising that’s nothing more than what we used to call ‘crap with production values’.

It's no wonder you see so many articles these days on the death of advertising. But it's not dead...it's just being badly done.

Without Respect For The Past, It’s Very Hard To Succeed In The Present

I majored in philosophy in college and one of the things the professors pounded into your head is that new knowledge and insight is really nothing more than ancient wisdom updated.

This is very important when it comes to understanding things like communications.

My approach to communications has not substantially changed since I first developed it back in the early 1980s.

And back then I was actually doing nothing more than building on the things I was taught by the people who ran the agencies I worked for. These people were excited about the work they were doing. And that excitement was contagious.

But more than that, it was a big influencer in the conscious effort I have made to not grow up. I mean, why bother? I like feeling 35. I like the sense of discovery that every new project comes with. I love the learning and the idea that if I stay true to my principles, I’ll end up on the right side of just about everything I do. Any project. Any medium. Any time.

Good Communication Is All About Intrigue. Relevance. Clarity. Authenticity. (IRCA)

Many marketers, digital marketers most of all, talk about these qualities, especially ’authenticity’ like this was something they invented. But this is bullshit.

Because it’s something I learned more that 40 years ago from people who knew it for 40 years before that. Guys like David Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and Raymond Rubicam.

Creative people my age have a great deal of respect for these early advertising biggies. Mainly because our careers were built on adhering to the principles they defined for good and effective communication.

IRCA 101

As far as actual execution goes, creating communication that has these qualities isn’t rocket science, unless you don’t know how to write, in which case it’s obviously more challenging.

So here you go:

1. Think about who you are talking to: In this particular piece of communication you are reading that would be people who are intrigued by the headline of this post, which means people who, for whatever reason, can relate to the question.

2. Think about what you need to communicate. Which is all of the aforementioned and all of the following. Or in the case of advertising type stuff, the benefit and its supporting features.

3. Think about how you want it to feel. Well, I want it to be interesting enough so that you read the whole piece. And I want it to be useful enough so that you take something away with you.

4. Then just do It. Whether you are writing for yourself or for a client, the approach is the same. And if you’re well acquainted with what what you’re writing about, who you are trying to reach and what you think they need to hear, you’ll be just fine.

The Learning…Because There Is Always Learning

This methodology is something that I have been using for a long time, so if you want to make it your own, get out a Sharpie and a Post-It note. Then write these four words on the note. You can stack them if you like.

Intrigue.

Relevance.

Clarity.

Authenticity.

Then stick the Post-it somewhere, on or near your computer, so that you look at it before, during and after you write something. If all four of these qualities are there to some degree, then you have actually written something worthwhile.

That’s it. I learned this almost 40 years ago, and it has allowed me to totally avoid growing up and all the internal drama of deciding what I want to be when I get there.

Who knows, maybe it can do the same for you.

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