Yes, but
You’d think that “No” would be one of the worst words you could hear when you present creative work. As in “No we don’t like it”, or “No, not under any circumstances”, or “No, get the hell out of my office” (i’ve never actually heard that last one).
But “No”, isn’t as much of a problem as you think, it expands the creative process. No makes you start again, it makes you suck in your gutt and come up with something else, it makes you try harder to come up with something even better. It’s not always a pleasant word to hear but it opens up a whole new world of creative options to you.
The two simple words “Yes, but” are worse, much worse. They sound so positive, so inviting. But that word “But” hangs on the end like a sting in tail. “But” corrals, it narrows, it send the process down a blind alley. You don’t start again, you get to work with one hand tied behind your back. You limit. “Yes, but” sets you to work on something with built in limitations, knowing in your heart of hearts that the best work, the truly great advertising has no buts.
Britain’s most liked ad last year was this one. You just know that when it was presented, “Yes, but” circled ominously. Someone must have thought
“Yes, but she can’t really say she likes gin, what about chocolate?”.
And “Yes, but does she have to be that old? Our shoppers are fridge keepers of between 35 and50”.
Or “Yes, but couldn’t she be a bit less scrawny? Especially if we go for that chocolate thing I mentioned earlier”
And yet here it is. No buts, just brilliant.
