By Rayomand J Patell After having made agencies subordinate for the past 11 months, clients are attempting to alleviate their conscience by embracing ‘award winning ideas’ showcased this month. It resembles those individuals who daily bludgeon fur seals to death by sneaking up on them with a baseball bat to crush their skulls into mush, […]
By Rayomand J Patell
After having made agencies subordinate for the past 11 months, clients are attempting to alleviate their conscience by embracing ‘award winning ideas’ showcased this month.
It resembles those individuals who daily bludgeon fur seals to death by sneaking up on them with a baseball bat to crush their skulls into mush, all to obtain a fur coat without the mess, now contributing to Animal Welfare.
Look! We’re not such awful clients after all, of course, we’ll support your little banner concept (or the occasional outdoor ad that only three individuals will see on a weeknight in Vasai off the side road).
Much like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, this month’s ideas are limitless. Either execute it on a shoestring budget, or create a case study claiming it was done and we’ll eagerly approve the release letter and might even give you a pat on the back if you take home a trophy at the Upper Provence Festival of Creativity.
Poverty exploitation in an ad film reminiscent of ‘All We Imagine As Light’? Fantastic.
Token initiatives surrounding female empowerment? Amazing!
Completely trivial stunts related to toilets for the Transgender community? Hooray!
See, bro, we declared you the top creative team in the game. It’s just that the market, you know, has certain local realities… but your creativity, man, it’s ‘international’.
If you’re a creative individual getting drawn into this cycle of tainted awards, understand that you’re being played.
The network agencies turn winning awards into a virtuous goal.
And it is. For their parent companies.
Their share values increase based on their rankings, once the report reveals which agencies triumphed in the significant awards. Your salary, however, remains low. Plus, you can’t settle your bhajiwalla’s bill with a Cannes Gold lion. And that’s where things really fall apart.
The true measure of your success at work is reflected in the medical bills you can pay for your parents, the home you can acquire for yourself, and the school or University you can afford for your children. And even for creative professionals, there’s a tough discussion required around finances.
Winning awards serves as an excellent distraction from that discussion. It caters to the famished, validation-seeking creative, the client looking to endear themselves as the year closes, and the broader Network. However, no matter how many Lions, Elephants, Gongs, or Pencils you claim, your kids won’t be able to enroll in Harvard, nor can they access the typical Nursery in Gurgaon on an advertising paycheck. No children? Even pet food can be pricey. Would you give your dog or cat anything less? By the way, I strongly recommend Boggos for your pet. Check them out on Instagram.
The next occasion you become a part of an alphabet soup network or one named after a long-gone founder, consider whether the gold adorning the awards shelves has translated into actual wealth for the winners. And I’m not referring to the 4% raises that the Asia Pac hubs deem adequate compensation for winners. Or the extravagant trip to the South of France they send you on to ensure you stay at the agency for another year. When you could be earning significantly more elsewhere. Or, launching your own agency like P.G. at Talented, Aalap at TGTHR, and others have done.
I’m not against awards. I enjoy winning them; I’ve secured my fair share and have been a Juror at the more reputable shows for years as a method of giving back to the Industry. But there’s the awards as a recognition for the exceptional work you did throughout the year, and then there’s the December rush of award thoughts that entrap our youngest and most brilliant minds.
Wealth is one of the most motivating concepts out there. Have plenty in your life. Don’t let your progress be hindered by the toxic drive towards industrialized award-seeking. Be a year-round practitioner of outstanding Advertising; you owe that much to your talent and to yourself.
Rayomand J Patell is an advertising professional, and InspiRAYtion is a weekend column covering everything related to advertising and marketing.
