New messages from the other side have appeared on the surface of our home.

Beethoven? Antlers? Are they accusing us or the passers-by? Intriguing in its ambiguity.

This one’s not so much ambiguous as inarticulate. Cure us of what? Of art? Or is art the cure?

Hey guys,

Thank you for your comments on our inaugural blog, it’s nice to have the outside keeping us on our toes.

In regards to the concern that we’re spouting propaganda, I know what you mean. Advertising is the most likely creative communication to be evil and naturally suspicion is the order of the day.

As much as I’d like to say the Nike account manager has us tied to the basement boardroom table, slapping us with sneakers and screaming ‘Truth is dead’, this is sadly not the case. Sadly because it’s comforting to have evils in this world; fighting for something usually involves fighting against something too. And as a creative that something is usually the ‘commercial world’.

The thing is, if I wanted to be non-commercial I’d move to

Vanuatu

There’s a planner here called Matt Boffey. I asked him if he ever felt morally corrupt for gathering cultural research for the benefit of brands and advertising. His response was ‘No, advertising is weak and the public is strong; advertising always knows it is only ever a choice.’ Or something like that. The thing is the public is not non-commercial, I think that’s been the hardest thing for me to come to terms with as a creative. But they’re not total idiots either. It’s a balance.

Personally I think advertising is dangerous when it promotes negative cultural stereotypes, creating an ugly aspirational benchmark. Now I can’t speak for other ad agencies but W+K are literally obsessed with finding the positive truths about people and reflecting that in their work. Even if there’s no client brief they’ll still go out and find out about something because it’s interesting and important. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t think they’re saving the world but they are worried about fucking it up.

All creative communications; films, doco’s, books, plays whatever are about revealing some truth about ourselves, and all of it is an industry, a business.

The balance between truth and commerce: it’s a big issue for our culture, and I guess, right now, in the words of JD Salinger, ‘I prefer an honest conman.’

Hopes all’s well

Sarah x

PS Tom reckons we’ll change the face of advertising by week 5 but he’s nice, lives in Reading and gets on with his parents. Creative and positive. Weird. And young. Double weird. Not that I’m bitter, but, you know. 

Orlando