Do You Remember The Real World?

There are some folk in advertising and marketing who have developed a habit of expecting unrealistic behaviour from people in the real world.

Ask most marketing or advertising people if they themselves, outside of their professional life, have ever shared brand content, or used a brand hashtag, or got involved in making or editing or uploading their own experiences of a brand, or any of the other things that they often expect customers to do, the answer would be rarely, if at all.

Yet they regularly expect other people to do them.

Contrary to what appears to be popular belief inside agencies and marketing departments, most people do not want to ‘join the conversation’ or take part in any interactive, two-way dialogue with brands, even in relatively high-interest categories. 

We all need to remind ourselves to be normal people at work – make judgements based on what we, and other people, are really like.

Always resist the temptation to expect unrealistic behaviour from people. 

Agencies try really hard to make their offices unusual, creative, inspiring places.

But make sure your work is fit for the real world.

For more pithy challenging of received wisdom, our new book ‘How To Make Better Advertising and Advertising Better – The Manifesto for a New Creative Revolution’ – is available exclusively at the Design Museum.