While working in Chicago in my early art years in the advertising business, I learned some very important lessons. Lessons I have used throughout my artist life.
You see everyone was fighting for their position. A position that gives them some authority and possibly more money.
We art directors worked in teams on design projects, not leaving any stone unturned.
About 7-10 art directors would get the same assignment from the client via the account exec and were allowed to work on it for 2 t0 3 days. We would all go into our little corners and work away.
After three days we would get back together and proceed to present our concepts. Each art director would make his own presentation separately and wait for comments from the others. Like in all the movies we hoped that ours would be the shining star, and we would be called "Mister" by everyone in the firm.
For some reason some of the older and wiser ADs would wait to be last with their presentation. I always wanted to be first...pick me...pick me. Problem with being first everyone is fresh and full of comments. By the time you finished, you were really beat up.
The ones that presented last compared our bad concepts with their great ones.
Get the strategy. They always won.
I studied this behavior for several months before I finally figured it out.
I was purposely late for one of our sessions. That gave the last presentation.
That was not enough. On other presentations I was very vocal, especially the ones who had used the system. Not only was I vocal I was vicious. I tore their concepts apart piece by piece knowing what mine were and that they answered all the important questions .
I won ...
Talk to you later....
"Mister" Cloyd
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