Mad Men Lessons 4:1
By Katie Earley, Copywriter
I have a thing for fiction. I believe fiction can teach us a lot of things. And it’s nice to know that while learning from others’ mistakes in the fictional world, no one really died and no bunnies were harmed. So this starts my new Monday feature of what we learned from this week’s Mad Men. Other than the obvious fashion lessons.
1. Even Don Draper needs media coaching.
Don might seem capable of anything, but even the disgustingly handsome creative director could have used some media coaching for his Ad Age interview. You have to be careful who you let speak for your company. Even if she/he’s a pro in their niche, don’t assume they’re great at interviews too.
2. Pick your battles. Know when to say no.
Don knows he’s not a good fit with the conservative potential-client Jantzen. I don’t think Don’s yelling them out of the building for refusing to take risks was appropriate, but it’s important to stand by your work and know when to say no. Not every client’s a good fit for your agency, and that’s okay.
3. Publicity stunts aren’t billable. And bail isn’t cheap.
It got the publicity Peggy and Pete hoped for, but staging fights to build demand for your client’s product — without the client’s knowledge — is a dangerous move. Do you think Peggy and Pete’s stunt was a good idea or not?
Any other lessons you learned from the season premiere? Do share.
July 26th, 2010 at 11:07 am
One lesson I learned is how closely fiction can match real life. In 1965, Unimark International was a checky start-up design firm, headquartered in Chicago, that blew away well-respected competition to land Ford Motor Company as their first real client. By 1972 they were the largest design firm in the world; by the end of the 70s they’d closed all world offices but for Milan. Watching MadMen is like watching Unimark, with conflicts between creative and sales and so many other aspects of the firm and of the time. I’d suggest reading “Unimark International: The Design of Business and the Business of Design” for a sense of how real MadMen can be.
August 4th, 2010 at 9:47 am
I’ll have the check that out! Thanks!