It’s a nice feature of the industry that
creativity can spring from anywhere. For thousands of years we’ve learnt
through reading and story telling. From Fred Flintstone’s relatives round the
campfire to the faithful paperback, knowledge is gained, shared and put into a
context we can relate to. This is true of the core narrative of most ads. I spent
my university years studying 'book' books. Or rather books with words and mostly
fiction. Recently I’ve been taking a closer look at picture books, or to give them a proper title: the graphic novel. As soon as I mentioned this to a couple
of friends, recommendations came flooding in and suddenly I feel as if I have a
lot of catching up to do.

I started with the famous guys: “Persepolis”
by Marjane Satrapi and “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. They convey very complicated
and tense political situations with astounding clarity. After only the first 20
pages of “Persepolis” I already felt like I could understand far more about
what life must have been like during the Islamic revolution than I would have
done even from a filmic news bulletin. It’s just so clear and so accessible.

“Maus” is a survivor’s tale of the
Holocaust. Don’t worry: it’s powerful but not depressing! In Orwellian fashion Spiegelman
makes Nazis cats, Jews mice and non-Jewish Poles pigs. It’s both moving and
shocking, but again there are laughs too.

Perhaps what links the two books is that
they are both about families. We’re looking at cartoons, but these are real
people and real lives. They are the true stories beneath politics. Ultimately
what’s so great about them? The picture form means they’re not preachy. They
have charm.

Both
books are still quite text heavy. I got thinking about moving away from using
words altogether. Are pictures enough to tell a powerful story? Can you enjoy a
plot without words? The answer lies in Robert Frank Hunter. He uses very few
words at all. His stuff feels more like a catalogue of beautiful illustrations
and designs that weave into a story. The action and emotion are both pictorial,
and there’s very little need for much else. I guess we naturally
respond well to imagery and that’s how ads can likewise be such powerful
communicators, and equally powerful storytellers.

(Thoughts from planning newbie Alexa)

Someone once told me I needed to be an
acrobat to work at Wieden's. I thought this was a bit far-fetched, but now I see
what they were getting at. Everyone seems to be bursting with talents, not just
limited to advertising. Lucky I found the planning scheme, as I’m pretty sure I
can’t touch my toes.

Anyone approaching the W+K reception would
be forgiven for wondering if they'd stumbled into Dickens' Old Curiosity Shop. I'm a big fan of the staff self-portraits that
adorn the walls, keeping a watchful eye over the chaos of bicycles. “Chaos” is used
here as a new collective noun and also apparently a bit of a buzzword in the
agency. It’s definitely a good thing. 

There was something welcoming about picking up my work laptop and
finding the "ALEXA C" label sitting assuredly under the Apple logo,
like the name tape in your first school blazer. There is a seat for you in
class 1A. Not that anyone is confined to a seat at W+K. We are free to move
about. This I’m sure is what helps keep ideas fresh. I also have a locker for
the first time in my life. Metal. No messing. Alas it might be inappropriate to
decorate American high school style.

Onto the Planning. My first project is
based around the concept of Branded House vs. House of Brands. For those
relatively fresh to advertising like myself here's a short summary. Although
it’s changing, Unilever would be your archetypal house of brands: individual
and distinct brands with their own identities falling under the overarching
ownership of the FMCG powerhouse. A brand like Virgin however is a Branded
House, with all its subsidiaries sharing the same look and feel, and prominent
Virgin branding.

Wieden+Kennedy appears to be a house where you "walk in stupid"
 (the blender man's motto). Inside the agency you are ready to refresh,
mix and think up new ideas…and leave as Einstein, obviously. 

(First impressions from planning newbie
Alexa)