Eclectic
Which are the most underrated – or overrated – crafts in advertising?
Stars behind recent Archive works share their insights.
JESSICA THOMPSON
Creative Director, The Hallway, Sydney
So many underrated crafts come to mind. The art of knowing when you’ve done Enough. Of trusting your gut. Of not shouting at your traffic manager. But my 2024 focus is on the art of simplicity. The temptation of extravagance is hard to resist, but if there was an award for best use of restraint, the contenders would be striking.
ANDRIANA RODAKOU
Art Director, The Newtons Laboratory, Athens
The craft of making coffee. Crafting a cup of coffee may initially appear trivial, yet it embodies the essence of those seemingly insignificant daily rituals that nourish creativity, such as working with ceramics, engaging in dance, experimenting with a new recipe, or sketching passersby. Creating anything, even things seemingly unrelated, is the optimal method for fostering creativity.
CHRIS DACYSHYN
Executive Creative Director, Bleublancrouge Advertising, Toronto
The most underrated craft in advertising is the ability to write a provocative case video opening that hooks people instantly and drags them in. The meat of the video script often tends to write itself. But those openers can make the difference between the best in show and the one that got away.
CACÁ PASSOS
Creative Director, The Weber Shandwick Collective, São Paulo
Craft’s richness lies in the profound bond between creator and creation. Unique and expressive, it embodies care, manual skill, and passion – it transcends mere performance or response time. Craft is about feelings and intricate process, whereas AI, lacking these vital steps, proves overrated in capturing the essence and soul of true craft.
SOPHIE RIJNAARD
Copywriter, Weekend Creative Agency, Breda, Netherlands
I suppose the most underrated craft, or knowledge, in advertising, is everything but advertising: everything we intend to sell or promote lives in a way bigger context. Culturally interesting work is more likely to sprout from a newspaper article than an advertising course, in my humble opinion.
CLAIRE CROTEAU & DIANE DESCLAUX
Creative team, Rosa, Paris
The most underrated craft in advertising is minimalist art. This trend is very close to advertising thinking, since it requires a very clear concept, a purist approach to what is said and shown, and provokes thought in people. Advertising should simplify life, not complicate it.
DAN ZECCHINELLI
Creative Vice President, Filadélfia Comunicação, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
The most underrated craft in advertising is shitty drawing. As a copywriter, I can think visually, but my drawing skills suck. So I usually draw scamps and thumbs in any paper available, to feel the potential of an idea. Deal with it, Midjourney.
ANA PINTANÉ
Copywriter, PS21, Madrid
I would love to recall the value of craft … in copywriting. Those perfectly written lines that come with the most beautiful ads. One of my favorites, Honda’s The Cog: “Isn’t it nice when things just … work?” Seven words perfectly chosen that put the final bow on one of the most beautifully executed ads ever.
SAKSHI CHOUDHARY
Group Creative Director, Ogilvy, Chicago
Somewhere in our chase to be tech-forward, quick and safe, we dismissed the idea of treating advertising as art. I’ve been most inspired by art, cinema and music of all kinds. All three of which have become underrated in our industry. In a world that hates advertising, only something beautiful and profound will move people.
CÉSAR SEPÚLVEDA
Executive Creative Director, God, Guayaquil, Ecuador
Print is probably one of the most underrated crafts in advertising today. It’s easy to hide a weak idea in a video when you have one or two minutes to justify it. Good creativity needs no justification, it’s simple. And to do it right you need skills in art, copy and message simplification.
SARAH LEVITT
Creative Director, Revolt, London
Funny is a brand’s superpower and the most underrated craft in advertising. 90% of consumers say they’re more likely to remember a funny ad and 72% would select a humorous brand over the competition, making laughter the most powerful creative enhancer of receptivity. So why are we not honing our funny bones and perfecting our punchlines? Here’s a pic of me, doing just that.
BENJAMIN VENDRAMIN
Chief Creative Officer, WP Narrative, New York
Overrated: creating TV commercials. The last bastion for TV commercials is the Super Bowl. If you have any inclination left to watch them, this is it – the remnants of a bygone commercial art form and era. The reality is, for the most part we do everything in our power to avoid what feels like an antiquated form of advertising. Underrated: writing. The craft of writing has gone down the proverbial shithole. With our attention span so diminished, less value has been given to the written word – the power of word-smithing to influence and drive an intended response. Bad grammar and typos are the norm.
ALEX PINEDA
Chief Creative Officer, TBWA, Helsinki
Underrated: The power of copy-only ads. They blend the wit of pure copywriting with the beauty and simplicity of typographic design. Overrated? Well, AI is superb as a tool, but I feel it’s too much just thinking it can do the work alone.
PEDRO MARTOLI
Senior Creative Art Director, Dentsu Creative, Lisbon
Escape visual hype. Photos and illustrations shine, but layers over layers overshadow the unsung hero – the layout. Art direction is storytelling. Don’t hide the idea. Craft a narrative with powerful visuals and a killer layout. Too many layers won’t rescue a weak story and can ruin a good one.
LUKAS WIETLISBACH
Creative / Art Director, Freelance, Zurich
With all the new amazing tools, I think craft is becoming more underrated every day: the art of keeping an idea pure and simple and not adding more than necessary just because it’s technologically possible.
FOLKE KÜHLHORN
Art Director, Åkestam Holst, Stockholm
Music is, in my opinion, a craft that goes highly overlooked in creative processes. It really can make or break an idea. Yet, I’ve found that discussions around it usually come up later rather than early. Too much time is spent coming up with smart ideas appealing to people’s minds. But with music, you can take a shortcut straight to their hearts. Let’s stop thinking and start singing.
LUISA MARÍA MEJÍA ZULUAGA
Copywriter, CJ Martins Publicidad, Manizales, Columbia
A mistake has been made and there must be a culprit. Although not a craft per se, the skill of taking responsibility and accepting mistakes is, in its own way, an underrated task for those brave enough to save the heads of the rest of their team.
