Casing the Joint.

I became a Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director at Ally & Gargano when I was just 35 years old, way back in 1993.

 Of course the title was inflated. A sop to keep me quiet when I really could have used another $10K, not some initials. But that's beside the point. Nearly everyone today, especially those running giant advertising corporations though they've never written an ad, have inflated titles. The difference is, they were smart enough to get the money, too. I wasn't.

Anyway, as the main copywriter on the agency's most copy-intensive account, I was quickly charged with finding a new writer or two when the need arose. I started looking at portfolios and figuring out who to bring in for interviews and who to hire.

I like to think I got good at looking at books. 

Good and efficient.

Of course, those were print-centric days. 

A writer's portfolio would have at least 15 print ads in it. And no more than 20. You could flip through those ads like your were looking at playing cards. 

They were a quick read. About 90 seconds.

Usually after going through half the ads you could put the writer's portfolio case in either of two piles. "Scrutiny." Or "Reject."

Books in the Scrutiny pile would then get a lot of time and thought. They had earned that respect. The rejects went back behind reception. Someone eventually picked them up.

By the mid oughts, I was running an entire agency. A large, dull one. 

To help improve things, I wanted to elevate the quality of our creative department. I asked for a steady stream of portfolios at all levels to try to find people I thought were good.

It took me about a week to realize something distressing. 

After 15 years of looking at portfolios, I no longer knew how to look at them.

No longer could I discern through bonafide work who knew what an idea was, a turn of a phrase, a communication's hierarchy. I could no longer tell in an instant who had a sense of wit, impact or drama.

No/slow.

Yes/Success.

Also I could no longer tell who respected my time, and a general viewer's time.

Seemingly overnight I was being forced not to look at ads, but to view case studies. Some of which were as long as ten :30-second commercials. 

Why?

If I were hiring a contractor to build me a swimming pool, I'd like to see pictures of pools she built. Not a video on the success of various pools she built. I'd like to see the product, not the reporting of the product. 

Especially since about every 90 seconds in an agency someone blurts, "we're supposed to show, not tell."

I've never seen an interesting and convincing case study. I've never see a single case study as quick and credible as this:

Often age peers call me. Especially after they've been fired after 20 or 30 years in the business.

I warn them against case studies.

In fact, I warn them against portfolio websites.

I usually advise them to write a blog or ads for themselves. I say, "A portfolio is what you've done in the past. A blog is what you're doing now."

Usually, they hang up on me.