BenAnyan.com

My first Creative Director opportunity came from a relatively smaller agency. But what they lacked in size they compensated for in their offer; the role and the package. The most attractive thing was the greater opportunity and prospect; I had done years at a big traditional agency and this new smaller one was a digital one. I relished the experience that’d come from leading a digital team and how it’d complement my familiarity with traditional. My old boss sulked, my new one cheered.

A few weeks into the job, I had a golden opportunity to prove my worth; a pitch. Not just any pitch, a million dollar one being conducted by an agency in the UK on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. I fell in love with this pitch because it wasn’t commercial or about a ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ kind of job; it was a behavioural change campaign with the aim of stripping the aspiration from smoking shisha among teen girls in Ghana. It had soul and purpose. 

There were so many hoops and so many pre-conditions for moving along the different rounds of the pitch. My job was to lead the creative and strategy efforts for the agency. It was an amazing learning experience with team work and selflessness from all quarters being key to the final output.

My new agency and my ex emerged as the top two contenders after the UK panel had vetted all the proposals. Mind you this was a David vs Goliath situation, but when it came down to it, we won. What a sweet victory!!!! Sweet surreal victory for noble but (I admit) for petty reasons also. In an advertising career, you forget many jobs, clients and pitches and only remember a few; I’ll always remember this one.

 After The Win…

The account gave me the opportunity to do things no telco or FMCG would do; like publishing several issues of the coolest teen magazine in Ghana since Captain Planet. They also commissioned me to co-write and assist in directing two teen flick movies! Radios and TVC scripts can be challenging but a movie script is a whole new animal. There was a whole behavioural change model incorporated into the narrative. It was so scientific in its innuendos, and yet so ‘teen-flicky’ at the surface.

I honestly felt it was quite cheesy, I’m only confident to talk about it because the target loved it and it delivered on the strategic intent! Aside doing the movie, we got to create a song and shoot a music video! There were great partners who collaborated to bring this to life.

Today, I had such a bad day and felt flustered and overwhelmed with work. As I scanned through my archives for a certain document, I re-discovered this track! It’s lit me up in more ways than I can describe. Take a listen!

 Morale of the story:

• When you’re pitching for an account, there’s no telling where it’ll send you and all the beautiful memories it’ll give you.
• When you are lucky to get a good client, you’ve got to really hold them tight, because they could give you some of the best experiences of your life!
• Lastly when you have the chance to go against your ex, let it count!

Oh and here’s the trailer to the first movie if you feel like it 😉

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