I asked for a meeting with a big boss the other day. He'd come to one of our regularly scheduled status meetings to give us a state of the nation address and he told us if we had any ideas about how things should be done differently, to come and see him.
Well, I had an idea.
So I pitched it to the big boss, and he liked it.
The idea is pretty simple -- no one understands the hearts and minds of consumers like advertisers. Our gift is our curse.
But maybe we can use our power for good. By gathering the collective intelligence and creativity of the agency, maybe we can help jolt a bit of consumer confidence into the economy. Grease the wheels. If people feel hopeful, they'll spend their money rather than horde it. And if they spend their money, not as many people will lose their jobs.
Things might still be bad....but they won't be as bad as they could have been.
I proposed we do it Hot House style -- write a simple Brief, and then get teams to power brainstorm ideas about how to make it happen. They don't have to be client specific. Who knows, we might even end up with a Ministry of Happiness, like our friends in Bhutan.
But the idea has another purpose, too.
People throughout the agency are scared as hell. Holding a Hot House for Consumer Confidence will help everyone around the agency move from feeling victimized by the economy and the looming threat of job loss to feeling positive and empowered.
If we're all moving powerfully in the direction of doing good, I know for sure that good will come of it.
1 comment:
I like the idea. Very positive. And provides "control" of our destiny thru thought.
Post a Comment