Apparently, no-one cares about what we do. OK. It’s fine if you feel this way. It is. I get fed up with our industry at least twice a week. I get it – this is not the most rewarding gig sometimes. Too much ego? Of course. Too many idiots in powerful positions? Countless.
But to the main point of "no-one cares about your campaign" – under that criteria, no-one cares about anything. If you follow that logic, my aunt Rosie (I don't have one; I am from Argentina – Rosie is not even a name there; this is just an example) couldn’t care less about Parasite, the Oscar-winning movie. And Tito (this is an actual name in Argentina), my cousin, doesn’t give a damn about the Guggenheim buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright or Frank Gehry. They also don’t care about the latest innovations in the fields of dental prosthetics, aerodynamics or porn movies.
And yet, all these industries have their own publications, specialised magazines and, of course, awards shows. What these industries might not have (though I can’t really know… but who cares?) is the amount of self-deprecation we have in ours.
Such pointed dismissal of our industry usually comes from those who have changed careers and, in turn, rejected the tangential elements of our game (publications, articles, posts, awards) as if they were the main reasons parts of our industry still suck.
The hatred of the converted is also usually aimed at the most prominent pieces of work. Like Burger King’s mouldy burger. Listen, I am not here to defend or attack this piece of work. It will have to do that by itself over the coming weeks, based on metrics and stuff. What I do know is that my wife pointed the work out to me and she’s a psychotherapist (of course). Yes, she's also my wife, but she saw it on her feed, which is usually crowded with Jacques Lacan quotes. How did it get to her? It would seem that someone, in that world, filled with the matter of the unconscious, cared about it.
But why? Because people are not idiots. They notice when something is out of the norm. They can tell when something was thought about long enough to make them stop to take notice. They appreciate craft and time well-spent designing something that escapes convention. They do care. Some, of course. Not all of them.
Saying that they don't care about what we do is a poor excuse for us to not care.
It would make our job easier. Be lazy. No-one is really looking. Do it faster and go for a run – going for a run is as important as the ad, and no-one really cares about your ad.
No. People care about stuff that’s properly done. And going for a run is not as important as the ad. The ad is more important. Because if you care, they will care.
Again, nothing against the peeps who stopped caring about this industry. It’s understandable. But don’t come after us – the ones who still care. If you want to attack an industry, please choose another one, not your former one.
What about lawyers? Tell them that nobody cares about their… whatever they do at the office.
By the way, both my parents are lawyers. They care.
Javier Campopiano is chief creative officer at Grey Europe