I hate advertising.
Have a picture of a smug goat. Mostly because I'm working a little too close to deadline to take an actual pic
I hate it I hate it I hate it.
But also I understand that it's the main way creative works make their money.
So.
I guess I'll accept its existence.
I realize a lot of this is going to come across as more than a little ironic, given that I have a commercial agent, but stick with it: I HAVE A POINT TO MAKE. And besides, this isn't a tirade about how much advertising sucks and how I hate that creative people get railroaded into marketing because "it's suuuuuuuuch a creative field!" or that advertising has created a really fucked up set of values in our culture. That's a different rant.
So. Marketing lingo. Maybe it's just because I'm paying more attention to it that I see it everywhere. Maybe. Maybe it's just because I'm around a lot of creative people that are forced to think a lot about these sorts of things. Maybe.
Or maybe, there's been a culture shift and marketing parlance has just become a natural part of the common dialogue.
I think some of this can be traced to YouTube celebrities who, more so than previous generations, have been very open about this sort of thing. On YouTube, ideas about "branding" and "sponsorship" are a common part of the dialogue.
EVERYBODY in a creative field at some point talks about their "branding." I wish I didn't have to think about it either, but I do.
Now, I'm harping on "branding" a lot right now because it is a) the most common example, b) the easiest example and c) the thing I think I understand the most. So. Know that.
The fact that "branding" has become an integral part of the dialogue around me is not an exclusively bad thing. In fact, knowing a tiny bit about marketing lingo and concepts is really beneficial in terms of navigating the advertisement-laden landscape we live in. It makes me constantly aware that everything is a product, and the fact is, marketing jargon helps some to decode what exactly is trying to be sold to me or what the team behind it is trying to do to manipulate my mind.
It's helpful as a pull-back of the curtain.
But I also think it makes everyone sound like dickwads.
"Yeah, you know, I'm just not into my current branding. What do you think? I need to change my social media output for sure but -"
"Please die."
I've said that exact thing above. Not the snarky one, the one above it.
Sigh. Maybe it's just me getting rattled by a personal bugbear, but this constant communication regarding the product intended to be delivered makes me deflated. And pissy.
So it might not bother you as much. But it bothers the hell outta me and this is my blog and you followed this link.
Oh and the words that make me twitch in irritation the most: "content" and... "influencer" euuuugh. See, it's words like that that make me thing they were some secret code word in advertising circles, but now with the uprise of more open YouTubers and Instagramers it's entered a common dialogue.
Ugh.