Monday 23 August 2010

Death by committee


I spent a fair bit of time this weekend driving on the Nepean Highway and Punt Rd.

These are two of the busiest arterial roads in Melbourne and as such there are lots of billboards on display.

Most of them are 48 sheeters or supersites. Massive canvases for creativity.

Yet I did not see one single billboard that made me wish I’d created it.

Not one.

This is an appalling situation I think. But who is to blame?

I know a lot of creative people. And in my experience no creative sets out to produce boring advertising.

So why are billboards so boring?

I suspect the blame lies with the client. Not a single person though. A committee.

Why?

Because way too many people are reluctant to go out on a limb these days.

And the easiest way to avoid doing this is to ask somebody else’s opinion.

So much so that the ad ends up turning into something created by committee.

And we all know that committees never produce anything original/unexpected or interesting.