Is different good?

Creative people tend to see the world differently.

Which is great. Until it isn’t. 

Like when your audience doesn’t see the world differently. And they get confused, offended or simply bored by your work.

It’s a tricky balancing act. And it’s the key to creating work that is both awesome and engaging. 

Old Spice nailed it with their “Man your man could smell like” campaign. On paper, this must’ve looked pretty odd. “I’m on a horse.” What? But it worked. Because the insight was so strong and the execution was flawless. That’s not easy to do. Thousands have failed where Old Spice and Wieden succeeded.

Think of all the ‘weird’ spots you see every day that just leave you (and everyone else) befuddled. The recent work from cars.com falls into that category for me. I get the idea. I get the desire to go 'strange’. But the insight feels like a bit of a stretch and the execution falls short, in my opinion. Which leaves you scratching your head at the guy with a crooning 'mini-me’ sprouting up from his shoulder blades. And probably a lot less likely to visit cars.com in the future.

So how do you find that sweet spot that Old Spice, Skittles and others have found over the years?

That’s the million dollar question. And I certainly can’t say I have the answer. 

But my guess is that it varies dramatically by agency. Some places thrive with creatives who are wacky and always deliver nutty work that needs significant refinement from the account and strategy teams. Other successful agencies are filled with creatives who know how to walk that line and require minimal steering from the suits. 

Either way is fine. Just know who you are. And who you have working in your agency. Otherwise you’ll find yourselves consistently missing the mark, leaving millions of consumers scratching their heads. 

And more importantly, choosing someone else’s brand.