YOU ARE NOT THE TARGET MARKET

 

When students are doing a rough, they’re thinking about what they want in it.

Later, when they’re putting a book together, they’re thinking about what they want in it.

Eventually when they’re doing actual ads, they’re thinking about what they want in it.

Excuse me.

What you want in it has absolutely nothing to do with anything.

In none of these cases are you the target market.

You’re just the person doing the ads.

You should be trying to get a result in each case.

You should be asking yourself, what does your target market want in the ad?

The person you want something from.

What do they want?

Why should they care about your ad?

You want a creative director to give you a job.

Okay.

He’s the market, not you.

How can you make him want to give you a job?

What’s in it for him?

Most students don’t get jobs because they never ask this question.

They’re too wound up in what they want.

In what makes them laugh.

He should give them a job because they like their book.

Never mind what the creative director wants.

So they keep going for interviews, not getting jobs.

And wondering why.

They like their book.

They think it’s great.

There must be another reason.

The creative director doesn’t like guys.

Doesn’t like all- girl teams.

Doesn’t like northerners.

Or cockneys.

Or they’re too old, or too young.

Most ads don’t work for the same reason.

The creative teams are doing the ads they want to do.

The creative teams are doing ads for 20 -30 year old, middle class males, working in media, living in London.

Never mind what the target market wants.

They are the target market.

Them and the awards juries.

Not that other crap.