I love that he said that. I think if you're not failing, you're not trying. And following his train of thought, if you're going to fail, fail big.
Earlier in the year some of my students came up with an idea to promote Indiana Popcorn: they were going to try to ship some to Kim Jong-Il. It was so ridiculously perfect. Even if they didn't get the popcorn to him (I mean, I'm pretty sure it's illegal and may be considered treason) just trying to would have made a big splash.
That's what you should aim to do with every campaign you come up with.
Be outrageous.
Be daring.
Be stupid. (Loved Diesel's campaign manifesto)
Go big or go home.
What have you got to lose?
If you're a student - absolutely nothing. You have no budget, no client, no lawyers, no consumers to write angry letters and boycott your product, no repercussions, nothing.
So push your work. Be creative x 10. You know that saying "Aim for the moon and maybe you'll end up in the stars?" Well aim for Pluto.
This is not the time or place for mediocre, safe, in-between-the-lines work.
Go Kanye West with it. Come up with the biggest, ballsiest, off-the-wallest ideas. (Yeah I made up a word. What are you going to do about it? Nothing. That's what I thought.)
As a junior, you should do the same. You have the excuse of being young and not knowing better.
So push it. Push it real good. (*does a quick 90s dance*)
When you realise how meaningless failure is in advertising, it becomes easier to fail, and consequently, easier to get back up again. I mean, you fail so much, after a while it stops hurting and it become a part of the process.
What about this? No? This? No? How about that? No? That?
It's a dance of sorts. You try, you fail, you try again, fail again, try some more....
Like I said a few weeks ago, your ideas are going to get killed and sometimes no matter how hard you work, you just might not get it. There's a long series of NOs in store for you over the next few years. So why not make them worth your while?
