Bringing Back Advertising Magic

Last week, I experienced advertising magic. Let me paint the picture for you. It all started with a typical meeting with a collective team of experts discussing an upcoming ad campaign. All of the basics were covered including the target market, messaging, budget, reach and frequency as well as the execution logistics. While the team was excited to launch this campaign, it almost seemed too easy and even a bit predictable.

Advance the clock two hours; the heads of Creative and Marketing meet with our CEO, to further discuss the plan of attack. Fifteen minutes later, the old plan was tossed out and new ideas formulated with a clear focus on beauty and inspiration. Another fifteen minutes go by and the entire Marketing team assembles.  Magic starts to happen.

With the new focus, the team immediately chomped at the bit with “out-of-the-box” ideas on how to take the branding campaign to the next level. Excitement was at an all-time high and questions were asked as if they were coming from a machine gun. Not to mention, the room was warming up from the almost self-combusting energy and smiles that were radiating across everyone’s faces. This wasn’t work. This wasn’t another project.  This was magic.

This experience made me wish that every media professional could experience this same magic over and over again. It’s invigorating and infectious all at the same time. Sadly, it’s the logistics that often stifle this same creativity and strategy. So what can we take away from this experience? I encourage every media professional to challenge current processes and thinking to ensure they are continually bringing back advertising magic.