Thanks to Colin Quinn, Copywriter at BooneOakley and VCU Brandcenter alum, I have a clearer idea of how to move forward with my Brandcenter application. Since this new information is giving my brain a chaotic swirl of new advertising puzzles to solve, I figured I should keep it as simple as possible by creating a list of his main points:
1. Think conceptually. Don’t simply solve the problem you believe to have right before you. Use all of the skills that you have acquired and all of your experiences and observations to come up with an idea that creates a holistic solution. Write for a campaign and with all of the pieces of that campaign in mind, even if the judges only see one print ad.
2. Write within the nature of the brand. Stay true to the brand’s underlying character. A helpful way to do this is to think of someone you know, or make up someone entirely new, that fits the brand’s image perfectly. Keep that person in mind as you write.
3. Be new, different, and shocking to a certain degree. Go through the entire thought process expected in writing so that you can land on something far from the unoriginality that you started with. As Sullivan would say, cause tension. But it’s a fine line. Don’t be so different that you are no longer following rule #2 and not being true to the brand. I thinkGuinness’ new basketball commercial displays the shocking aspect he spoke of perfectly.
4. You have to love it. My primary issue is always narrowing down ideas. I never seem to have anyone around to tell me what’s bad and what’s good, and I see so many options of how to take a campaign, I can’t choose. Colin says that it has to be something that you love and something that surprises you. It’s that gut feeling that you try and ignore for the more responsible decision. He says, if you love it and you surprised yourself with it, chances are others will feel the same.
5. “Find what’s useful, exceptional, beautiful.” He repeated this several times. All those years of schooling taught me to write down what the teacher says multiple times because it must be important.
6. Use your internal filter. Some more teachings on how to narrow down ideas because well, I really needed all the advice I could get on this subject. Colin says to learn to trust this internal filter. You got this.
7. The final lesson he didn’t mean to teach me. Hopefully he doesn’t mind me saying this, but Colin told me that he didn’t get into the Brandcenter his first attempt. If I somehow knew this slice of information was about to come hurdling my way, I would have known what my reaction would be. I’d think it would be something like, “Someone working in an amazing agency like Booneoakley and doing great work didn’t even get into the Brandcenter his first try. What hope is there for me?” Surprisingly, I didn’t have that thought. Instead, it was quite different. I have been so scared, nervous, and anxious about applying for this thing that I led myself to believe that I needed to get in now or there’s no hope and everything is ruined. But when he told me he didn’t get in on his first attempt, and knowing that he is doing what I would love to be doing in an agency I admire, it makes me feel like I do have time to figure this whole career thing out. If I don’t jump on this path right now, it won’t be the end of the world. Maybe I’ll even get a job at a small agency and be able to work my way up instead. Things aren’t so cookie cutter. So now, I have been given the best gift any copywriter could ever be given: a clear mind.
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