Tag Archives: Paul Arden

PAUL ARDEN: TALKING MEMO NOTES

• Have you noticed how the cleverest people at school are not those who make it in life? People who are conventionally clever get jobs on their qualifications (the past), not on their desire to succeed (the future).
• Be Unique; Think in Reverse.
• Do not seek praise. Seek criticism.
• It’s all my fault. Say it. Live by it.
• The opportunity you have in hand is the next opportunity.
• Do not covet your ideas: share them with others they will grow.
• You need ENERGY. It’s 75% of the job. If you haven’t got it, be nice.
• ‘I want to be as famous as Persil Automatic.’ – Victoria Beckham
• Creative = the opposite of knowledge.
• Know you clients aims.

• When you client won’t buy, do it his way then do it your way.
• Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better – Samuel Beckett.
• “Knowledge comes from the past, so it’s safe. It is also out of date. It’s the opposite of originaility. Being right is being boring. Your mind is closed. You are rooted in your own rightness, which is arrogant. Arrogance is a valuable tool, but only if used very sparingly. Worst of all, being right has a tone of morality about it. To be anything else sounds weak or fallible, and people who are right would hate to be thought fallible. THEREFORE: it’s wrong to be right, because people who are right are rooted in the past, rigid-minded, dull, and smug.” – Paul Arden
• Do not try to follow fashion. Be true to your subject and you will be far more likely to create something that is timeless.
• It’s Right to be Wrong.
• Don’t be afraid of silly ideas.
• A company’s success is usually based on one or two key accounts. Try to make a difference, figure out how.
• Broker an abnormal deal, correct a mistake for the better.
• Think the opposite of everyone else.

• True, people do look for something new, but sometimes it’s something new to copy. To be original, seek your inspiration from unexpected sources.
• “Awards are merely badges of mediocrity.” – Charles Ives

• Creativity means something different for each client. It could be “Give me the same as we’ve had for the last twenty years, but not quite.”
• “So, before you make your pitch, find out exactly what your client means by the word ‘creative’” – Paul Arden.
• Advertising agencies have to balance the creative idea with the demands of their client.
• Do not put your best people on new business pitches: the best people are too progressive for most conservative businesses.
• PRESENT on TUESDAY. The second meeting a week is always the big one: there will be great people but Tuesday is when you want to do that.
• Tell the subject of a story: don’t distract the viewer with bullshit. ]
• Play your cards right: John Ranson Pump Attendant versus John C. Ranson Petroleum Executive.
• It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.