profile

Ashley | Stuff About Advertising

Presenting 1 idea vs. 3, avoiding dinosaur status, and selling free advice

Published about 2 years ago • 2 min read

Welcome to Thought Reader

A collection of POVs on creativity, leadership, and all things marketing

Thanks so much for being here for the first edition of the Thought Reader newsletter!

I created this as an outlet to share some of the thought-provoking pieces I find on LinkedIn (the headquarters of thought leadership), TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Fishbowl, podcasts, and more. Because, beyond the cringey posts about 2-year-olds saying profound things and the unhelpful, sometimes toxic, posts you see on forums, are topics that are very much worth our time and eyeballs.

-Ashley

How to make the most of Thought Reader:

  • Share with friends and coworkers to keep the discussions going
  • Click through and engage with the original creators' posts
  • Casually drop these topics into conversation with your boss

How many ideas do you present to the client?

Presenting three concepts seems to be the go-to strategy. One is a safer and most likely boring option. One is completely wild and most likely over budget. And another is smack dab in the middle. But is this the right way to do it? There are a lot of great perspectives in the comments of this post.

What can you do to avoid being labeled a "dinosaur" of advertising?

Ageism is certainly an issue in the industry that needs to be addressed. But I've also worked with some leaders who refused to stay up-to-date and evolve with the world. Like when they told me Twitch wasn't worth pursuing for a brand because "who wants to watch people play video games?" And so many STILL have not taken the time to learn about TikTok or even acknowledge it as a creative platform. This Reddit user had some great advice for avoiding this reluctant mindset.

Where is the line between giving out free advice and selling advice?

My StuffAboutAdvertising social channels are FULL of free content. I've been giving out free advice and education for years and will continue to do so, because I love it. But free advice doesn't pay the bills, so I've had to consider paid products and services. The idea of selling, though, gives me hives. My TikTok mutuals even got a fun video of me the other day spiraling about how to sell without feeling icky. It's a tough balance that I haven't quite figured out yet.

The comments on this post offer a wide variety of opinions on whether or not advice should be paid for.

A little PSA

Wanna chat about it?

Hit that reply button, and let me know what you thought about this week's Thought Reader.

Have you come across something you'd like to see shared here?

Did this get forwarded to you? Subscribe to Thought Reader to get it in your inbox every Wednesday.

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA, 98104-2205
Unsubscribe

Ashley | Stuff About Advertising

Honest commentary on the ad industry

I'm a Creative Director and Copywriter in the advertising industry. My newsletter, Thought Reader, is a curated collection of POVs on creativity, leadership, and all things marketing. I sift through all the nonsense thought leadership on the internet to find the things worth reading and discussing.

Read more from Ashley | Stuff About Advertising

Thought Reader A collection of POVs on creativity, leadership, and all things marketing Curated by Ashley from StuffAboutAdvertising Do clients who tell you to "just get it done" care about ideas? People say the idea is king, but what's a king to ... a client? Specifically, the kind of client who just wants you to get the job done. Ndukwe asked how others approach these scenarios. Is it worth bringing the client a bigger idea or concept? Can you ask them for more time to make sure the...

about 2 years ago • 1 min read

Thought Reader A collection of POVs on creativity, leadership, and all things marketing Curated by Ashley from StuffAboutAdvertising Are agencies doing too much? Remember how I said some things in this newsletter might challenge perspectives? 😉 In this post, Stephanie argues that agencies don't need to spend so much time immersing themselves in the brand and redoing the strategy that the client has already developed. And that a lot of times, after months of work, the agency's strategists come...

about 2 years ago • 1 min read

Thought Reader A collection of POVs on creativity, leadership, and all things marketing Does skepticism make great Creatives? I love being a skeptic. Approaching everything with a level of scrutiny and doubt is what helps me push ideas to new and exciting places. It’s also why I love publicly analyzing ad campaigns. But that skepticism has gotten me in trouble professionally. “Challenging” and “difficult” were terms used in my past reviews, but I do have to remind myself that those came from...

about 2 years ago • 1 min read