When I was a freshman and first stepped foot on campus, I knew two things about advertising.
Still, I chose it as my major, fascinated with the clever writing, design and messaging. From the insight and concept to idea and creative execution, there’s so much more to a good campaign than most believe. When done well, ads don’t really seem like ads.
In the past few years, I’ve learned a lot about the advertising industry. While my mistakes have led to personal growth, I still wish I knew these 5 tips.
The campaigns that win awards - and the best work in student portfolios - come from the simplest ideas. The main message should be explained clearly in 5 words or less, supplementing the core insight. If it takes a paragraph to explain, shorten it. If you can’t, hold your ego and build out the next concept.
Don’t over-exaggerate. Oversimplify. The judges at Cannes don’t have all-day.
You sit down to read a new brief and skim it over. You stare out into space, then finally put pen to paper. That’s the sudden spark of a big idea.
If something good happens that quickly, I don’t believe you.
It takes time to concept something special. Good ideas don’t come overnight (generally). Explore various ways to solve the business problem and find a clever way in. Put the distractions away and think big. The more ideas, the better.
Don’t stop once you get to one you like – you could risk losing creative rhythm. Give yourself options.
If you can get to 20 concepts in an hour, your goal should be double. Push your brain to enter ‘creative mode.’ You don’t know when you’ll get it back.
People feel pressured to change their work and address every piece of feedback. Just because someone cares enough about your work to share their thoughts doesn’t mean you have to change it. After all, the final work is up to you. It’s for your portfolio.
Feedback is always valid, helping you fix what you otherwise wouldn’t have seen. Think about why someone suggested a change but feel confident with what you think works.
Get used to challenging feedback because in the agency world, your most important feedback comes from the client. Remember - they’re wired different. They’ll strike down ideas that you view as creative gold. Always have an explanation to defend your hard work because you could be doing them a favor in the long run.
You don’t have to be a CEO to own a brand. Everyone owns their personal brand. How you choose to present yourself is up to you, just make sure it reflects your personality in an honest and engaging manner.
Like any other campaign, discover your personal insight, then execute the idea that brings people to the website and stay for the work. My portfolio’s personal branding stems from someone who heard my last name and thought it sounded like, ‘Godzilla.’ It doesn’t have to be something super deep – just make it uniquely ‘you.’
When recruiters start looking at floods of portfolios, they won’t look at every little thing on your website. Get their attention quickly. The general rule of thumb is to make them want to start small talk with you.
Deadlines are tight in an agency. When you take higher-level classes in advertising, there’s a similar format. Eventually, you might have concepts to choose from, none of which are up to a high standard.
Make the deadlines. Bring something to the client. Unfinished but ‘something cool is on the way’ is an excuse clients laugh at. Chances are, it’s better than you think.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the best idea in the world or something you slapped together last minute. Pitch with authority and confidence.
Orange Umbrella has significantly helped me develop these skills, which you don’t always learn in the classroom.
See how we apply these creative principles with our past work.
If you learned something useful in this blog, consider joining OU for more professional advice! Keep an eye out for when the application is live and apply here.
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