We’ve created a system that rewards work that is increasingly unknown to anyone outside the business. We have become connoisseurs of esoterica. And in the process, we’re becoming more about us, and less about changing the world.

Read the rest on  Advertising Age.

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9 Comments

  1. “I think we have to demand that awards judges take into account the sheer “famousness” of a piece of work when they make their determinations.”

    All you kids at those small agencies, get off my lawn!

  2. this is basically what i’ve been saying since i started posting here. what good is a ‘great’ image by ‘artistic’ standards, if it doesn’t properly convey a message to the general viewer?

    DUH!

  3. Are Photo Awards worth the effort?…

    photo credit: evelynishere
    Reading one of my favourite blogs this morning “A Photo Editor” who references a piece in Advertising Age by Jeff Goodby on the relevance of Awards in advertising. Jeff asks his audience if they are becoming ……

  4. It’s called tribalism.

  5. Um Jeff,

    A lot of us have been saying this since the mid-90s. Welcome to the party.

    • I meant:

      Hear, hear!

      …I shouldn’t type so fast

  7. Easy for Goodby to say because he already has thousands of awards from all the shows both big and local. For a person that needs to make a name for himself in order to stay in the industry and get an opportunity to work on the big brands then you have to work on small clients or pro-bono projects because those types of clients are usually less uptight about trying something creative. I’ve been there and most creatives genuinely want to do whats best for the client but often times the client is their own worst enemy. Unfortunately for the creative they need to keep a job and the only way they can do that if they are continuously doing portfolio-worthy work. “Pay the bills” types of clients don’t afford you that luxury at most agencies because they are desperate to hang onto the client at any cost.

    If Mr. Goodby wants to put his words into action then why not only hire people that have paid their dues at the smaller agencies with low name recognition?

    • @The Truth, you are absolutely right, it’s easier for him to say that.

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