I heard a really good wind-up on an American radio show.
A father called in and said his daughter was taking her car for a service.
He said she never questioned what the mechanic said.
She didn’t want to appear stupid, so she just agreed with him.
Her father suggested the radio station teach her a lesson.
So that’s what happened.
The DJ called her up pretending to be the mechanic.
He said: “Hi, we’ve taken a look at your car and generally it’s in good condition.”
She said: “That’s good news.”
He said: “Yes, the only thing is the water in the headlights needs changing.”
She said: “The water in the headlights needs changing?”
He said: “Well it needs replacing really.”
She said: “Oh, okay, what do you suggest?”
He said: “Well, we can use ordinary tap water if you like.”
She said: “Will that do the job?”
He said: “It’ll hold you in the short term, but it’s not ideal.”
She said: “What do you recommend?”
He said: “Well I’d recommend Evian water.”
She said: “Evian is better for headlights?”
He said: “It’s more expensive in the short term, but in the long run it’ll last longer.”
She said: “Okay. What’s the difference in cost?”
He said: “Well with tap water you’re just looking at labour costs, say twenty bucks. With Evian you’ve got the cost of labour plus the mineral water, that’ll run you nearer fifty.”
She said: “That’s quite expensive.”
He said: “Well, Evian is a quality product.’
She said: “What would you do?”
He said: “To be honest, if we used tap water you’d just have to have it replaced again in a few months.”
She said: “So you’d recommend the Evian option?”
He said: “That’s the solution I’d go for.”
She said: “Okay, well you’re the expert. I guess you’d better put Evian water in the headlights.”
And the call ended.
And the announcer and the woman’s father had a good laugh.
We can all laugh at the woman’s stupidity.
But the truth is, she was doing what we all do.
What she was trying to do was not reveal her ignorance.
She didn’t want to look stupid.
So she went along with whatever the expert told her.
As long as it was put in credible-sounding language.
Does that sound familiar?
Have you even been confronted with a brief that’s put in language you don’t quite understand?
Have you even been frightened to question the brief in case you look stupid?
In case everyone else in the room knows what all the long, trendy words mean, and you’re the only one who doesn’t.
So you meekly accept the brief, rather than question it.
Personally, I’ve got a simple rule-of-thumb with briefs.
I’ve always found the quality of thinking is inversely proportional to the complexity of the language.
In other words, people only use complicated language to cover up bad thinking.
People who’ve got great thinking want you to understand it.
So they keep it as simple as possible.
They don’t need to dress it up.
Only people who are embarrassed about their thinking need to disguise it.
Using complicated, trendy, credible-sounding jargon.
Remember that next time you’re frightened of questioning something.
Next time you’re frightened of looking stupid.
Remember what that woman thought.
“Don’t question the experts, trust them.
Be careful not to look stupid.”
And you end up with Evian in your headlights.
I read this and feel like the joke backfired. The radio station, and the dad have been made to look pretty stupid themselves. It’s all summed up by her line ‘you’re the expert.’ That kind of makes them look daft for trying the prank in the first place.
George - 3 August 2011 9:53 am
My fault, I know. But I gave up challenging. Recently, I was asked to write copy, so that visitors would ‘like’ a computer company’s facebook page. But there’s no incentive to like. When I brought that up, the argument was, ‘oh, young people don’t think like you any more’. I like Leicas, Aston Martins and Ferraris. But no way would I ever go to their sites to ‘like’ something.
Robin. - 3 August 2011 9:53 am
Ha ha, that is just a ridiculous story! Evian? Oh dear.
As everyone knows, it’s Malvern Springs for headlights.
Alistair Maclenan - 3 August 2011 10:09 am
New York tapwater is the purest water.
Kevin Gordon - 3 August 2011 10:57 am
That’s a fact Kevin.
If you saw Die Hard 3, the massive pipe that Bruce Willis drives the truck through actually supplies pure mountain water, all the way from upstate New York to the city..
So now they get mineral water out of the tap.
Dave Trott - 3 August 2011 11:18 am
The best briefs have you thinking of an idea, before you have left the briefing.
Moustache - 3 August 2011 12:28 pm
Was it a french car?
john woods - 3 August 2011 12:30 pm
Robin–
I’ve been asked to write the same and I agree with you 100%. And I’m a young person.
Mark - 3 August 2011 12:48 pm
Or you could work with people you trust.
Kyle Pearce - 3 August 2011 1:12 pm
New York tap water, London tap Water, LA, Sydney, Manchester – it’s all good to use for your headlights. It’s also good to drink, so stop buying bottled water.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Water-Water-Everywhere/127296064019423
Sorry Dave – couldn’t resist.
George - 3 August 2011 2:02 pm
Dave, I’ve received briefs written or approved by highly regarded planning partners that had 3 propositions on them – 4 a single poster! [Wasted the best part of a week having 2 strip it down 2 1.] Dave, u may have been fortunate enough 2 work with some bringing a bottle of champagne 2 the party planning specimens in your long + distinguished career, but I’m struggling 2 remember an occasion when a brief flew thru my door that didn’t inspire in me the same thought over + over; this brief needs work on it be4 it becomes a good brief. [I apologize in advance 2 any planner reading this who finds my comment disagreeable - maybe I'm deeply unlucky not 2 have worked with u.]
Grilla Login - 3 August 2011 2:53 pm
Grilla Login,
Could I suggest you rediscover the written word before criticising the briefs you’re getting? Text speak is for texting. You also seem to have missed the whole point of the post. If it’s a bad brief, don’t accept it.
First Mate - 3 August 2011 3:03 pm
The single minded proposition was ‘ Product X offers concurrency of demanding behaviours’.
I’m offering a Duck Billed Playtpus to anyone who can guess product X.
rachel carroll - 3 August 2011 3:07 pm
Dave – maybe it’s part of our job – making sure the planning department don’t look stupid?
Grilla Login - 3 August 2011 3:07 pm
Grilla,
Dennis Lewis used to work in my group at BMP, then he went on to be a creative director at BBH.
I asked him what made BBH better than other agencies.
Dennis said it was the briefs.
“You know how. at every agency when the brief comes in, it takes you a week just to work it out and get it right? Well at BBH the brief is stripped down to a single simple thought. You’re ready to start working on it the minute it lands on your desk.”
Dave Trott - 3 August 2011 3:11 pm
First Mate – thank u 4 your kind suggestion. I suggest u rediscover your ability 2 read, as I thought my comment made it quite clear that I try not 2 accept a bad brief.
Grilla Login - 3 August 2011 3:19 pm
Rachel,
Is it something to do with dogs? I’ll go with Pedigree Chum.
john woods - 3 August 2011 3:38 pm
Nice try John. But no DBP for you.
Dennis was right Dave. BBH single minded propositions are just that. They actually have to be 12 words or less. So your brief often ends up being a headline in itself. Which you then have to better.
Grilla, if you don’t mind my asking – what are you ( apart from a Simian)? Writer, art director, fire starter?
rachel carroll - 3 August 2011 4:18 pm
Rachel,
Can I go again? Kindle?
john woods - 3 August 2011 6:16 pm
Rachel, as it’s u who is doing the asking, how could I possibly mind? I’m all of those things u describe + much more. Be4 jumping 2 the conclusion that I there4 might b a Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-0, don’t – as I have mastered the art of peeling a banana. [PS - First Mate will confirm I ain't mastered writing neever, won't u First Mate?]
Grilla Login - 3 August 2011 9:15 pm
I used to work with Mr ‘Sorry for the lobsters’. What is great was, he insisted that the briefs are right. Sounds silly, I know. But how many agencies/ECDs have actually rejected briefs?
Sure, it gets painful at times. In fact, it could take as long to write a brief as it did to do a campaign.
That said, I think what’s happening these days is, people accept bad briefs – on paper.
But the work we then go on to do does not address the brief.
The trend seems to be, ‘we won’t reject a bad brief’.
Perhaps, because out of deference to the CD and Chief Strategy Officer who approved it in haste.
“But we’re going to do whatever we like, since the brief was dumb or wrong”.
I wonder if that’s the problem?
In these days of Political Correctness, folks don’t challenge.
We just exercise our right to be different.
Robin. - 4 August 2011 3:09 am
A brief should be just that.
Brief.
Something Creatives can work with
which clients are happy to sign-off.
Kevin Gordon - 4 August 2011 8:58 am
Clients dig complexity. So that’s what they get. Why would they pay all that money just to get one simple proposition that a 12 year old could write an ad to?
Hat - 4 August 2011 10:40 am
Hat – complexity is easy + lazy. “Simples” is the service we should b offering [+ what the client ought 2 be happy 2 pay 4]. Ask Dave.
Grilla Login - 4 August 2011 11:39 am
Grilla & Hat,
It’s the old problem, complexity works with clients, simplicity works with consumers.
That’s why we need great account men.
To sell simplicity to people who love complexity.
The problem isn’t doing it, it’s selling it.
Dave Trott - 4 August 2011 11:50 am
“Should” and “Ought” don’t boil the potatoes.
The fact is that clients want complexity so agencies give it to them.
In my opinion they think that the complexity and pain of producing an ad/campaign is in direct proportion to it’s creativeness. Complex = creative.
It also occurs to them that if it is too simple, then their job is redundant. Simply put, they cause the complexity so they can then be seen to solve it.
In my opinion of course. Feel free to disagree.
Hat - 4 August 2011 11:54 am
John. Still no – but much, much warmer. I admire your persistence, but I hope you don’t get it as I don’t have a Duck Billed Platypus.
Grilla. I thought as much. I am intrigued to see your monkey ouevre. Is it on the interweb anywhere?
rachel carroll - 4 August 2011 12:31 pm
Rachel – my ouevre is keeping your Duck Billed Platypus company.
Grilla Login - 4 August 2011 5:35 pm
Dave, as always very perceptive. Thank you. Do keep reminding us to stand up for simplicity so we can all keep to the point, and continue to inspire others through creativity.
Perhaps you can also tell us story that will help stop the incessant bickering that seems all to often to plague our industry.
Ian Loseby - 4 August 2011 6:35 pm
http://shine.yahoo.com/event/poweryourfuture/girlington-garage-lessons-from-a-woman-mechanic-2516066/
tore Claesson - 5 August 2011 4:04 am
Tore,
Exactly the right answer to the problem, smart lady.
Ian,
Can give me one two examples of exactly what you mean by ‘the incessant bickering that seems all to often to plague our industry.’?
Otherwise it’s a very broad subject, people always seem to mer to be bickering in all walks of life.
What is it that you think is different about advertising?
Dave Trott - 5 August 2011 9:57 am
Thank you Tore. Girlington Garage almost brung a tear to my eye. If only advertising could focus on empowering – not patronising the consumer. Top name for a garage too.
rachel carroll - 5 August 2011 11:21 am
Grilla. You are very elusive for a massive hairy monkey.
rachel carroll - 5 August 2011 11:40 am
Dave.
You’re right of course, too broad a subject to write on, and rife in all walks of life.
Two examples? (The Thatcher rule – like your style).
The first is easy…
No 12 on this comment list… First Mate to Grilla
I’ll dig out a second, but I guess by the very fact of pointing it out, I’m falling into the same trap.
I believe my point is, that we all have flaws/faults, why waste our creativity finger pointing, when we could be seeking clarity and understanding each other.
Ian Loseby - 5 August 2011 3:51 pm
thanks for the words. The way you say it. How you say it . And what you say.
students from Orange Academy in Nigeria love this page.
Thanks
toheeb - 5 August 2011 5:52 pm
If dumb people accept bad briefs.
How smart art the people that write them?
Kevin Gordon - 6 August 2011 7:01 am
The Scarlet Chimpernel, Rachel
Grilla Login - 6 August 2011 6:50 pm