Thursday, April 9, 2015

Write it down.

Either later today or early tomorrow, this humble blog will have clocked its millionth view.

Considering I've done nothing to promote it, am not a publicity hound, and am not much of a notable in our business, this is an accomplishment.

It's an accomplishment wholly dependent on one thing.

I write it down.

Too many people--virtually all people in agencies--talk too much and they don't write anything down. They say this or that to you and it may or may not make sense. But they don't write anything down.

They want something done but they don't want to figure it out for themselves. They don't want to coalesce in a few words what it is they want.

So they ramble on for a few minutes. They fill up your voice-mail box. They talk and talk and talk.

But they don't write it down.

They don't try to make it clear.

They're hoping that you'll do their job.

You'll figure it out for them.

And usually we do. Because we're sick of waiting. Or the deadline is looming. Or we think the non-writer-downer is incompetent. Or whatever.

This is wrong, of course, and "enabling."

But you do it.

Because, frankly, you're worn out.

Along the way to a million views, a lot of people have criticized "Ad Aged" as if they were paying for it.

Many people have taken me to task because I'm often negative.

Many have pointed out my crappy proofreading skills.

Or have slapped my wrist for some sort of factual error.

A few people have even chided me for being too prolific.

All that's ok.

It's fair game.

I'm fine with it.

You can criticize Ad Aged. It's there for everyone to bludgeon.

Because I wrote it down.


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