Don is delivering his thoughts in a pitch to Kodak for their new slide carousel and it brings tears to my eyes every time I watch. On first viewing, I felt a sense of nostalgia for the precious moments with my children growing up. More recently, my thoughts have turned to the time I failed to spend with Olivia and Hattie, having left them in their formative years. I’ve been a poor father, but I’m working so very hard to change that.
It may sound contrived to say you must have something and lose it to truly appreciate it, from family and friends to money to freedom (a reality we’re all facing during the current global pandemic) – even job titles. I can’t help but think this isn’t simply part of our ‘fail fast’ startup mentality. It has always been true.
My somewhat nostalgic view of family also extends to the profession I love – design. This might seem at odds with my role as a ‘Futuroligist’ and all the technological interaction this brings, but my boundary-pushing has always had an extraordinary depth of respect for where origins lie.
My background combines Design, Technology and Innovation and all three should interlink to form the backbone of a contemporary Creative Director. However, Design should still be the primary focus, leading a team to creative excellence through an understanding of the tools at our disposal and the talented individuals within our sphere of influence.
We strive for future missions to Mars and beyond, fuelled by knowledge gleaned from historic human efforts to reach the surface of the moon. We design and manufacture beautiful cars, driven by decades of data taken from safety, handling and ergonomic experience. Steve Jobs gave us the future in the palms of our hands, not because he asked what people wanted but because he knew what they didn’t have. He had a greater understanding of his audience than they did of themselves and this came from observing previous human behaviour and applying this to the future – the present happened as a result.
How does this relate to Don Draper and the existence of the modern Creative Director? Last week, I took an exciting leap of faith and joined an incredible creative technology agency called Beep!, based in Poole, UK and Santa Clara, US. I had the pick of creative titles but elected to once again become a Creative Director – the Creative Director.
When I first watched the Mad Men Kodak pitch, Don became the creative hero I didn’t know I was looking for. That moment provided the approval I didn’t know I needed. It gave substance to four years of design education and decades building a professional portfolio.
To appreciate its impact, here’s the full script and the scene that breathes life into Matthew Weiner’s words:
“Technology is a glittering lure, but there’s the rare occasion when the public can be engaged beyond flash – if they have a sentimental bond with the product.”
“The most important thing in advertising is ‘NEW’. It creates an itch. You simply put your product in there as a kind of calamine lotion”
“There is also a deeper bond with the product… nostalgia. It’s delicate, but potent”
“In Greek, nostalgia literally means pain from an old wound. It’s a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone.”
“This device isn’t a space ship… it’s a time machine”
“It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It’s not called ‘The Wheel’, it’s called ‘The Carousel’. It lets us travel the way a child travels. Round and around and back home again, to a place where we know we are loved.”
