Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Is you is or is you ain't?

Advertising agencies like to categorize people. So-and-so is a traditional person, a TV guy, a print guy, and interactive woman, a long copy person, a promotions woman.

This reminds me of how white people used to categorize dark people. Depending on one's lineage, people were called mulattos, quadroons, octaroons, quintroons, and so on. This was an entire taxonomy created to discriminate, to put people in boxes so they're easier to deal with. Not nice, not fair, not honest, not good.

Life can be much simpler. Someone is either good, creative and vital or not. Those attributes aren't contingent on the media or medium you're working in. You either do intrusive, impactful work or you don't.

2 comments:

dawife said...

And if you happen to have children, they'll gladly put you in a category you may never have thought of.

Tore Claesson said...

the best category to be in if you're in adveritsing is to be an amateur. clients don't listen to people with experience. they don't listen to someone who may have spent years and years trying to get the work right. they do however listen to any hack who knows how to post a piece on YouTube. And they do listen to those odd persons who chose to attend focus groups.