Teenagers.

Let's think about teenagers for a minute or two.

If their room is messy, they haven't done their homework, or they leave a wet swimsuit on the floor, your natural response is to tell them to do what they're supposed to do.

Clean up. Do your work. Hang it up to dry.

You know from the start this is not a one-time action.

You'll have to repeat yourself over and again before they do what you're asking. You might, in exasperation, even raise your voice. Or offer them a few bucks to do what they ought.

This is a metaphor for advertising, or should be.

I believe that the only way to get through to people is to repeat yourself. You should do it creatively so you don't wind up sounding like the adults in a Peanuts cartoon.

We seem, in advertising, to have forgotten all this.

We seem to think there are other ways to get people to act or behave.

Just about every day in Agency Spy I see some agency that was doing decent work for a client get fired. Or some new CMO come in that changes the direction of the advertising.

I think this is crazy.

The only thing that works in 9/10 communications is repetition.

The only thing that works in 9/10 communications is repetition.

People don't hear you the first hundred times.

Today we change campaigns and executions too often. We'll see this dramatically when the various dwarves from both parties run for president. Rather than a unifying, concise and compelling message,
they'll try 30 to 50 on for size. One for each slice of the demographic pie.

Nothing will get through to anyone.

Then we'll fire agencies for doing work that doesn't work.

It's all a giant waste. Unnecessary. Unproductive.

Find a campaign that understands the soul of your business and an agency that gives a shit.

Then start thinking like a teenager.