Adiocracy

Here are a few more student reviews from this Fall’s Killer Work class at SVA. They’ve graciously agreed to respond if you have any questions. Emails are below their comments: 

Kristian Cruz

‘Killer Work’ was like getting an advertising degree in 3 months (without the boring textbooks).

I dove into this with no background in advertising. I took the class with the intention of learning what makes a more compelling powerful ad, and to relate it to the new company I’m starting next year, a men’s fashion line. With that objective in mind, I found the class directly and concretely useful in the following ways:

My thought process was revised and ultimately enriched. Instead of waiting for the Muse of Inspiration to slap me and hope for the best, I can now initiate the process immediately, confident that it too will lead to a Muse (a different one but better-looking). I have several businesses I plan to start down the road. I will use Killer Work’s brainstorming/conceptualizing method to create advertising for every one of them.

The single greatest takeaway is understanding the concept of ‘a true ‘Idea’. Applied, it means an ad that truly has ‘something to say’. I know that sounds elementary but like many others in the class, I initially focused on the visuals without backing it up with a message (be it a product benefit, a market position or an aspiration).

The beauty of this class is that I learned this great takeaway experientially. I am not sure I would have gotten it if I read it in a book. Much of my learning came from:

1)   Learning from my own mistakes in class
2)   Learning from the mistakes of others in the class

A suggestion is for a final assignment where students get to choose their own product to work on, maybe for their own business or something they are working on at their job. (Although, I see the point of revisiting a previous project for the finals and see how much growth was achieved at the end of the class.)

iam.kristian.cruz@gmail.com

Stacy, Marianne, Cristina and Kristian at the wall

Here are a few student reviews from this Fall’s Killer Work class at SVA. They’ve graciously agreed to respond if you have any questions. Email addresses follow their comments:

Cristina Twigg, Marianne Merritt, Ilse Garcia at the wall

Cristina (Gradilone) Twigg

On a 1-10 scale, the ‘Killer Work’ experience was a complete 10!

Killer work helped me concentrate on concepting, which I haven’t had much of a chance to do at my current advertising job. It also helped me find my own “process”. I’m still polishing it up, coming up with other ways to make my process smoother, but it’s definitely gotten a lot better than when I first began ‘Killer Work’.

The greatest takeaway was learning to write everything down without judgement and to edit later. For the longest time, I would sit and think and only jot down ideas I thought were good, which didn’t allow for a fluid process. I was constantly interrupting myself and stopping the flow. This has been extremely helpful to me.

Killer Work was my first class, and it was a great experience. I plan on taking more!

As for improvements: I think it might be valuable to work on one of the assignments in pairs. It would be a great way to have a more “real” agency experience, and it would teach us how to work together and to provide efficient feedback when the quality of your work depends on it.

ctwigg@thebloc.com

Ryan Engelbert

Killer work starts with a killer idea. Learn to forget the clichés and craft relevant, compelling and authentic ads. This course will help you identify the ideas that will carry a campaign to glory.

Over the course of 10 weeks, you’ll create some of your best stuff, struggle, absolutely nail an assignment and fail miserably… and you’ll love every second.

Mark is brutally honest and an excellent creative analyst, and your classmates are sure to inspire you every week with their work and constructive criticism. Take this course, then get out there and kill it.

ryanengelbert@gmail.com

C Twigg/Clorox/Killer Work

Ilse Garcia

On a scale of 1-10 ‘Killer Work’ was a 10! The class taught me many different ways to approach an advertising challenge, and how the same concept can be expressed in unimaginably different ways. I will never forget to “keep digging for the bone” —  there is always a better idea down there.

Compared to the other courses I’ve taken where we spent weeks polishing the same idea, here I was always working on new ideas and fresh thinking, even for the same product. The only thing I would add is a chance to work in a team.

gabbynette@gmail.com

Stacy Crisostomo-Flores

On a scale of 1-10 ‘Killer Work’ was an 8 (but only because I wasn’t able to participate full-on due to work schedule and working late.)

Killer Work taught me how to  churn out more ideas and faster, keeping persistent with things that work, and letting ideas go that aren’t great. The presentation aspect of getting in front of class also helps develop that skill, which isn’t my favorite part of the job, but has helped me present ideas to people outside the creative team.

Mark focuses on ‘authenticity’ and why that is key to distinguishing great work. This course was a great break from doing the sometimes mundane work I have to do at my job. It keeps the inspiration going, so it’s great for people who don’t want to leave their comfy job just yet

As part of every class, Mark shows ads and talking about why they are “good” or why they “fail”.

As for suggestions, I felt that sometimes the student feedback was ‘too nice’. Maybe we should hand in anonymous feedback so that people won’t be embarrassed to say what’s on their minds.

girloftheworld@gmail.com

First, let me say that I hold no agenda against soft drinks. But I do have an agenda against mindless drivel. This fall, I came across these two outdoor ads in the space of a few blocks.

How the agency thought these to be clever communications, and how Coke approved them would make for an interesting study in advertising myopia.

But getting back on point, this is a solid example of the thoughtless communications that muck up our streets and our brains. My good guess is that these were not actually meant to be read — more half-absorbed as you scurry by a bus shelter or subway entrance. The strategy being that they might seem sort of logical sound when half acknowledged.

It’s my only interpretaton of the strategic discipline at misplay here. One of the first rules I give my ad students in Killer Work is ‘make a pun, go to jail’. But these are worse. I can’t construct a syllogism where ambition = drinking soda. And in what world (besides being stranded in the desert) would a Coke be your most valuable liquid asset?!

A refreshingly honest communication might be to mash up TARP with the prevailing wisdom on childhood obesity, substituting ‘toxic asset’ for ‘liquid asset’. But now I sound like I have an agenda. Which I don’t:

This one I shot with what looks like the negative filter effect on. Not intentional.

j

Perhaps one of the most horribly hilarious direct TV ads EVER! Welltabs will make millions. We just hope this ad doesn’t scam too many of the desperate before it gets pulled by the FTC and indictments are handed out. Watch it now because my good guess is the Youtube link will not be available in a few months.

Could there be a more perfect sounding SNL parody name than Welltabs with ‘positive mood technology’?!  Brilliant! Welltabs work well whether you’re a paranoid schizophrenic or just feeling down because you were fired and your spouse left you. If you worry about money, health, if you don’t sleep well, if you’re scared, exhausted, or if life has simply turned against you, these little puppies are game changers. Take a bunch and you’ll feel more confident, more relaxed, stronger, healthier and happier. They’ll even help you look better.

The Welltabs miracle has trumped the entire pharma industry! (Not that we put much faith in them either — look what’s going on with cancer drugs shortage these days). The first time I saw this, I waited and waited  for the punchline, as it teased cliche after cliche like a disciplined comedian. This is an absolutely brilliantly, cringingly, awful gem. I’ll spare whoever was responsible by not drudging up credits (or should I say,  police lineup):

Here’s some more feedback from the fabulous alums of this summer’s Killer Work advertising class:

B Best
brb5504@gmail.com

Killer Work was just that, “killer.” Be prepared for very honest critiques that force you to look introspectively at why your work hasn’t reached that next level.

With that, you’ll learn how to sidestep creative bad habits many of us have formed over the years by employing new and effective techniques that can be applied to several aspects of your professional persona.

C Marks
cmarks@stanford.edu

Killer Work was a 10 out of 10! I enjoyed coming to every class. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the class with its free flow of conversation, the diversity of opinions, and how I slowly developed a learning mechanism for advertising (which has made me hyper-aware of the systematic thinking behind every ad I’ve seen since).

I learned that, as easy as it seems, putting your personal interests and witty puns aside and becoming the customer to whom you are trying to sell your product is not. There is so much real work behind the creation of an idea, but there is no way around it. You have to just DO it.

Great, great group this summer. Here’s some feedback from the latest Killer Work alums (SVA ad school). They’ve graciously agreed to answer any questions you might have. And you can always reach me at simon@adiocracy.com:

Nicole Berke

Killer Work helped me get outside of my comfort zone in terms of generating ideas and break outside the mold I felt I’d been stuck in.

My greatest takeaway from was if you’re not finding that ‘bone’, either dig deeper or move to a different spot in the yard and keep digging! What differed about this course is that it that focuses more on the actual process of generating ideas… this class really helped me to break out of the corner I had backed myself into, creatively.

nicoleberke@mac.com

Carmen Yazejian

Mark helped me to think differently about my approach to work, how to evaluate it more effectively, and how to keep going with ideas whatever they look like. No judging early on. He helped me discover what my creative process looks like and not to fight it, even if it means working at 3 am. His philosophy that every idea is worth exploring keeps the juices flowing. I learned that I need to pay big attention to my target audience and their desires. I am beginning to be able to evaluate my own work, which has always been a challenge. It was a privilege to share insights with Mark’s brilliant and keen mind. Many thanks!

www.network9.biz

David Allen

Killer Work helped me create a process of thinking I did not have before.  All I ever thought of were direct images. My greatest takeaway was identifying a new thought process.  I was able to step back and see where I got caught up at certain points in my thinking.  This course showed me how to find solutions to problems and to find a real emotional benefit, which I never thought of before in advertising.

D.B.Allen27@gmail.com

Here’s a great live-event-to-social media promo by agency Vitro that turns constituents into ambassadors. Can’t say if they’re Newcastle beer lovers, beer lovers, or fun-loving Del Mar racing fans. But the plan, one of three of the brand’s summer art projects, was simple. Shoot them in a traditional Newcastle beer glass (Geordie Schooner); bribe them to post with a t-shirt:

Agency: Vitro
Executive Creative Director: John Vitro
Creative Director: KT Thayer
Art Director: Paul Lambert
Agency Producer: Mickey Strider
Found on Scary Ideas

First of all, “What The F*ck?!” is this print campaign for Stedfast paper shredders, out of DDB Mudra, India. The fever-dream visuals are accompanied by a single line: “They’ll never put the story back together.”

Who is ‘they’? And what’s it supposed to mean? That if you shred this image you’ll never be able to explain it? If that’s it, they could have gotten the point across in a much more intriguing way by using a very simple amusing or odd visual that defies your ability to describe it — the thousand word thing. Cudos, however, to photographer Amol Jadhav for the wildly ambitious shoots. Reminds me of a Mad magazine interp of photographer Gregory Crewdson.

Curated via adsoftheworld

For those deciding on a new advertising class at SVA, below is feedback from the Spring semester of Mark Burk’s Killer Work class. You’ll find more reviews by selecting “How To Do Killer Work” category.

Amanda

Taking “Killer Work” was definitely a worthwhile investment of time and energy. While the class is described as a “how-to,” Mark recognizes that everyone has a different creative process. By working on each assignment and getting constructive feedback, you learn about YOUR process and what works best for you. Our class had students with a wide range of experience. It was interesting to see and hear all the different perspectives. I’d recommend this class to anyone who wants to hone their creative concepting skills.

amandawalzer@gmail.com

Deniz

Killer Work reaffirmed my passion for creative advertising. It helped me gain confidence in myself. The course helped me strengthen my thought process and identify what approaches work best for me. It was very helpful in outlining and examining the creative brainstorming process.

Deniz359@gmail.com

Isaac

The focus of all my other classes was on the finished product. There was much less emphasis on creating work that held up well enough to become a campaign.

Killer Work helped me understand my own thought process. I realized that my process naturally drives me towards ideas in a counter-intuitive manner. Now that I know how that works, I approach my work in a more productive way!

dlugais.prime@gmail.com

Just as the promo below says, “no better place to promote an underwater camera”. We like it for two reasons: The placement is about as strategic as you can get; The sink environment will almost always capture your full attention. A nice bit of smart.

From Giovanni+Draft FCB, Sao Paulo, Brazil. For some reason, too many AD’s and CD’s are credited on this to list, so we’ll give a credit to photographer Leandro Texeira.

Credit goes to adsoftheworld for curating this one.