Kevin Zengel

You see Liquid Death, Manscaped, and Aviation Gin and think, “I’ve got a unique voice, maybe I'll create a unique brand...” PUMP THE BRAKES. Creative is sexy but production is another ballgame. Before you create a business plan, an investor deck, packaging, and social—sit down with a pen to go through your entire production process step-by-step. A unique idea is trash if it can’t be realized. Liquid Death’s Mike Cessario says it all the time. Decide if you’re ready to devote nights and weekends to birth your product into the world. When you’ve got a rough idea of how to make and ship your widgets, then hit the fun stuff you’ve got a mountain of experience in. Otherwise: make a prototype, write a case study, and shut up about it.

Overconfidence is a bad thing. There are as many bad ideas in advertising and marketing as there are stars in the night sky. I try to quantify my work from the start so there’s more truth and less purple prose. For higher education ads: what’s the graduation rate? In pharma: how much clinically proven relief are we talking? In CPG: how is the product unique in the category? Start your ideas/writing from a place of differentiation. After the legwork, be overconfident in the pitch. All your research means nothing if someone outsells you with a bad idea plus the bells and whistles.

Okay, you've got 12 projects from 6 account people for 2 clients and infinitely meaningless deadlines since you don’t know where to start. Take a moment and "communicate clearly" with yourself. Look at the whole picture. Which is the easiest project to start? What has the quickest turnaround? Which will need a second round? Schedule every project into your 9-to-5 so everything gets time even if you don’t finish on the first pass. DON’T blindly accept deadlines if there’s more work than time. Fight back. Better to frustrate an account lead for an extension than handle a client who wanted better work. And if you’re pushing back on a client, offer a cleaner round two.

Good mentors/bosses help fix the work AND discern the bullsh!t around it. The answer you expect: we’re supposed to improve your work. Maybe that’s making a line more clear. Maybe that’s tweaking design so it’s a little slicker. Maybe that’s killing a clever but off-brief concept. In an ideal world, we constructively run your work through our experience. The answer you didn’t expect: we (should) inform you of what else is in play that could impact the work. The strategist wanted to be a writer and is about to destroy you in round one. Client hates a certain design move that’s the cornerstone of your concept. Brief says big budget, but it's zero dollars. Good mentors help you see the target despite the environment, then hit the mark.

The same word can mean different things AND don't remix languages. I use Google and ChatGPT to check for alternate meanings across regions and nations. A simple prompt: "what does (word) mean in other parts of the world?" Beyond that: ASK FRIENDS. "Root" has different implications in Australia than the US and don't get me started on cigarettes in England. Secondly (and this isn't mentioned in the article), don't add accents or play too much with language mash ups. Besides being inauthentic with the audience you're trying to catch; if you screw up an accent or word, your brand will just come off as dumb. I'm looking at you NFL 2022 Hispanic Heritage Month logo.

Writers hate hearing this: words aren’t enough. You’ve read a thousand “how-tos” on copywriting, but have you watched a single tutorial on Photoshop? Have you explored a single training module on coding “Hello World?” Learn new things because you don’t have to be a pro, it just helps you better articulate with partners. You’ll be stronger as a T-shaped creative (deep skill paired with wide practice). Beyond skill, keep up with communities. Recently I was writing a banner campaign to run on Grindr. I downloaded the app. As a straight person it was WAY MORE than I was ready for, but I learned how to make my messaging hit. The app is gone and my brand voice is evolved.