Nothing is true but that which is Simple. The concept of simplicity has been related to truth in the theory of knowledge. According to Occam's razor, all other things being equal, the simplest theory is the most likely to be true. In the context of our lifestyle, simplicity denotes freedom from hardship, effort or confusion.
The Testimony of Simplicity is the process of simplifying one's life in order to focus on things that are most important and disregard or avoid things that are least important. It is the basis for true and good advertisement.
The current economic and political situation has opened our eyes - so wide - that we only see its complexity; therefore we strive for simplicity in order to bring freedom from the current hardship and confusion. We insist on getting straight answers. Simple answers. Our lives are frittered away by details; simplify, simplify, as Henry David Thoreau would say.
Maturity is your brain simplified.
Reaching maturity, partially a function of age, has its side effect: I, for example, get impatient whenever I encounter any kind of waste: waste of words, waste of visuals, waste of time trying to understand complexity. As a communicator, simplicity is also how fast I get to the point. And if you are a creative person at an ad agency, it is how fast you get your client’s message across. A recent article in Advertising age says that …advertisers have about a 3- to 4-second window to hook potential customers…” I think most agencies miss this opportunity because in most cases they get to the point too late.
Here is some simplicity threatening situations: (completely not in order)
I get and read resumes from professionals and young graduates who seek employment with my group. Most of them seem to stretch the truth: they are overselling their accomplishments or misrepresenting previous experience. They represent the inability to simplify who they are. Pointing to one hundred achievements in your career is far less concise and less impressive than pointing to 10 achievements, for example (unless you received 100 Noble prizes then write your 100-page resume). It proves a lack of communication skills and your inability to get to the core of issues. If you don't know or trust yourself, (which is when you’ll write 100 pages resume) you cannot expect someone else to do so. Simplify your life first then tell its story...
And notice a trend in business cards: It’s called “the more, the better”. On a Lexus dealer’s business card I counted 6 telephones numbers. Which one do I call to get prompt response for a problem? The first number is labeled “Direct”, the second is labeled “Cell” the next is “Toll Free”, next is “Office”, etc.
I cannot imagine a dealer who goes to the bathroom, and takes his or her “direct landline” with them? But I’m sure they’ll take along their cell phone. So why not make the cell phone the only “Direct” line? Since the trend these days is to be reached 24/7, wouldn’t one number be simple enough?
Remember the “one size fits all” labels? It was big years ago and it’s common these days, so think this way: One telephone number will reach you all.
And staying on the telephone subject: The new cell phone technology is meant to facilitate our life (by making it simpler), yet whenever I want to leave a message I have to listen to several useless instructions spanned over three minutes of my hurried time, topped at the end by an insult to human intelligence, as it continues to say: “When you’re finished recording, you may hung up”… really, I can? Duh?
Years ago when I moved to the U.S. and made my home in New York I became fascinated with what I called then, the “super size culture” in America. Simplicity was not to be found. I remember that Chevrolet, for example, had many different brand cars, called by so many different names. It was confusing, so confusing in matter of fact, that for all these years I never felt the need to find out more about the company, GM, Chevrolet or GMC or... Then, a few weeks ago I read an article by Rosebeth M. Kanter, a Professor at Harvard Business School, that GM had until recently 47 different car brands! Yes, not simple to remember, and impossible to make the connection to a brand. And While GM struggled, Ford started its "One Ford" campaign to integrate its many units and simplify its global structure. It was not coincidence that they did not require government assistance. The inability to simplify your business can cause you to lose the business.
For years big name agencies had a ball: they have been awarded the marketing and advertising of not just one brand, not three or ten brands, but 47 brands! For many of them it was the time to produce commercials and collect awards. And they were preoccupied with collecting awards. But awards are not given to creative people who produce simple solutions or simple messages; they are handed out to those who master the complexity of special effects, so extensively, that they make it unbelievable to the viewer eye. The competition is so fierce that all cars perform the same in all commercials: they all stop at once, while making a perfect one half, non skidding turn, while pushing up a perfect cloud of dust (did you ever think why a car that stops so elegantly, but abruptly, does it in total silence?)
Many commercials are becoming so unbelievable; they simply glorify an imaginary brand through the art of special effects. And the real simple message – the one that may make me go inquire about the car – is buried, somewhere, or is it forgotten? Many creative people are reluctant to practice advertising through simplicity. Maybe they think that it won’t be considered sophisticated. Or maybe they feel insecure that a simple message does not say enough? It’s wrong thinking because Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. And that one comes from Leonardo da Vinci.
Thank you for letting me share some simple things in life, and if you encounter one yourself, post your comment!
Ariel Peeri
Who am I?
What I do?
The Testimony of Simplicity is the process of simplifying one's life in order to focus on things that are most important and disregard or avoid things that are least important. It is the basis for true and good advertisement.
The current economic and political situation has opened our eyes - so wide - that we only see its complexity; therefore we strive for simplicity in order to bring freedom from the current hardship and confusion. We insist on getting straight answers. Simple answers. Our lives are frittered away by details; simplify, simplify, as Henry David Thoreau would say.
Maturity is your brain simplified.
Reaching maturity, partially a function of age, has its side effect: I, for example, get impatient whenever I encounter any kind of waste: waste of words, waste of visuals, waste of time trying to understand complexity. As a communicator, simplicity is also how fast I get to the point. And if you are a creative person at an ad agency, it is how fast you get your client’s message across. A recent article in Advertising age says that …advertisers have about a 3- to 4-second window to hook potential customers…” I think most agencies miss this opportunity because in most cases they get to the point too late.
Here is some simplicity threatening situations: (completely not in order)
I get and read resumes from professionals and young graduates who seek employment with my group. Most of them seem to stretch the truth: they are overselling their accomplishments or misrepresenting previous experience. They represent the inability to simplify who they are. Pointing to one hundred achievements in your career is far less concise and less impressive than pointing to 10 achievements, for example (unless you received 100 Noble prizes then write your 100-page resume). It proves a lack of communication skills and your inability to get to the core of issues. If you don't know or trust yourself, (which is when you’ll write 100 pages resume) you cannot expect someone else to do so. Simplify your life first then tell its story...
And notice a trend in business cards: It’s called “the more, the better”. On a Lexus dealer’s business card I counted 6 telephones numbers. Which one do I call to get prompt response for a problem? The first number is labeled “Direct”, the second is labeled “Cell” the next is “Toll Free”, next is “Office”, etc.
I cannot imagine a dealer who goes to the bathroom, and takes his or her “direct landline” with them? But I’m sure they’ll take along their cell phone. So why not make the cell phone the only “Direct” line? Since the trend these days is to be reached 24/7, wouldn’t one number be simple enough?
Remember the “one size fits all” labels? It was big years ago and it’s common these days, so think this way: One telephone number will reach you all.
And staying on the telephone subject: The new cell phone technology is meant to facilitate our life (by making it simpler), yet whenever I want to leave a message I have to listen to several useless instructions spanned over three minutes of my hurried time, topped at the end by an insult to human intelligence, as it continues to say: “When you’re finished recording, you may hung up”… really, I can? Duh?
Years ago when I moved to the U.S. and made my home in New York I became fascinated with what I called then, the “super size culture” in America. Simplicity was not to be found. I remember that Chevrolet, for example, had many different brand cars, called by so many different names. It was confusing, so confusing in matter of fact, that for all these years I never felt the need to find out more about the company, GM, Chevrolet or GMC or... Then, a few weeks ago I read an article by Rosebeth M. Kanter, a Professor at Harvard Business School, that GM had until recently 47 different car brands! Yes, not simple to remember, and impossible to make the connection to a brand. And While GM struggled, Ford started its "One Ford" campaign to integrate its many units and simplify its global structure. It was not coincidence that they did not require government assistance. The inability to simplify your business can cause you to lose the business.
For years big name agencies had a ball: they have been awarded the marketing and advertising of not just one brand, not three or ten brands, but 47 brands! For many of them it was the time to produce commercials and collect awards. And they were preoccupied with collecting awards. But awards are not given to creative people who produce simple solutions or simple messages; they are handed out to those who master the complexity of special effects, so extensively, that they make it unbelievable to the viewer eye. The competition is so fierce that all cars perform the same in all commercials: they all stop at once, while making a perfect one half, non skidding turn, while pushing up a perfect cloud of dust (did you ever think why a car that stops so elegantly, but abruptly, does it in total silence?)
Many commercials are becoming so unbelievable; they simply glorify an imaginary brand through the art of special effects. And the real simple message – the one that may make me go inquire about the car – is buried, somewhere, or is it forgotten? Many creative people are reluctant to practice advertising through simplicity. Maybe they think that it won’t be considered sophisticated. Or maybe they feel insecure that a simple message does not say enough? It’s wrong thinking because Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. And that one comes from Leonardo da Vinci.
Thank you for letting me share some simple things in life, and if you encounter one yourself, post your comment!
Ariel Peeri
Who am I?
What I do?
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