Recently I have seen at least four different brands that end their ads by saying ‘change your life’ or ‘change Yet another tennis grand slam is upon us. The French Open gets underway today and as always I’m hoping that my favorite player and human being, Roger Federer comes through the mayhem of the next 15 days with the winner’s smile.
However, the point of interest for this column is that I believe Federer’s style of play offers many lessons to the advertising and marketing professional. What I’m outlining below are simple, time-tested principles.
Do not become predictable
Federer relies very heavily on variation to befuddle his opponents. When creating a piece of advertising, it would do us a world of good to remember this. If the world zigs you zag. This sounds very simple on hindsight but is definitely difficult when you are in the throes of creating an ad. The tendency is always to create communication that people will “understand”. Behind this excuse of creating ads that are ‘easy to understand’ a whole lot of mediocrity is churned out. All of us love the Zoo Zoos, but ever wondered why there is only one Zoo Zoos amidst hundreds of pieces of work? Federer changes direction in the middle of a point, he varies pace suddenly with a cleverly disguised drop shot and he will win the point by surprising the guy on the other side of the net. All of us enjoy watching that. Consumers love surprises too.
Stay in the point
Federer sometimes does not look his composed, stylish self as he lunges desperately for a return, his racket crashing into the turf. But the important thing is he has got the ball on to the other side and is still in the point. Gradually he works his way around until he is in a position to slam a winner…something that looked impossible at the start of the point. Same goes with creating communication. Sometimes you just have to hang on to an unhelpful client and swallow your pride so that he at least allows you to continue doing his work. It may be a while before you win his confidence and create the sparkling work you always wanted to. What’s important is that you win the point and match.
Enjoy the game
Agreed that you are working to further the cause of the brand and the client. But you have to thoroughly enjoy what you are doing. It may sound contradictory, but enjoying yourself does not mean you are putting the client’s interests at grave risk. Instead, your enjoyment will radiate in your work and make the brand look alive and enthusiastic. Watch Federer when he is playing. He seldom looks like a man who is working hard as he comfortably glides from one side of the court to the other, peacefully flat-footing his opponent. Make no mistake. Behind that calm demeanor is hours and years of practice. But ultimately Federer plays because he enjoys it. He reminds us that he is playing a beautiful game. And this apparent lack of effort makes Brand Roger unique to watch.
Respect your body
Hey, if you think it’s cool to be continuously puffing away and drinking till you drop each night, I don’t. It’s not just tennis players who need to be in shape to perform well. Advertising is a serious sport too and can make relentless demands on your body. Working through nights, working through weekends, working through pre-dawn shoots is not exactly a spectator sport. And if you don’t take care of the greatest asset you will ever possess, you’re going to have to retire from the game pretty early. Not for nothing does Federer also hold the record for playing non-stop in the longest number of grand slams. He takes care of his fitness, he takes breaks, he spends time with family and he has lots of fun. Use his recipe and you’ll be doing great ads for a long, long time.
(The author is National Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom)
