No Risk, No Return

I realize advertising budgets are tight these days, but that is no excuse for cutting corners on concepts, and remember, no amount of money spent in production can save a bad concept. I have always lived by the philosophy “Great advertising is priceless, and poor advertising is worthless.” So why is there so much worthless advertising going on…because few advertisers are willing to take the risk necessary to rise above the crowd and break through the clutter.

Perhaps it’s because we have created a society adverse to risk taking. And why not, we are taught early on to avoid risk, “put that stick down before you poke your eye out” “don’t play with the fire” “don’t talk like that” and the list goes on.

Avoiding risk has become the new norm. I hear it all too often – “we can’t do that” or “it’s too risky” or “let’s just play it safe.” One thing I know for certain, if you aren’t willing to take some risk with your advertising, then don’t expect a return on your investment.

If you want your advertising message to stand out, then get creative, take some risk, break some rules if you want to break through the clutter…after all, isn’t that what great advertising is all about?

-Martin