MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Advertising remains a tireless industry – ever-churning, ever-changing, ever-challenging. As the ones behind the campaigns get older, the target market never ages. And when it’s undecided whether the latest tech is innovating the job or coming for it, all creatives can do to simply keep up.
In an industry this unrelenting, creative burnout is inevitable. But according to BBDO Guerrero’s Andi Olbés & Nikki Sunga, Co-creative Directors whose partnership spans over eleven years, there are a few tricks to keep that spark alive. “It’s all about keeping things exciting,” they quipped while jokingly referring to their pairing as “somewhat of a creative marriage” after so long.
Proceeding to deliver candid advice on how exactly they’ve evaded getting into creative ruts as a team, the two boiled it down to three unorthodox tips.
Don’t be a dinosaur
“Don’t get salty, get current,” the pair soothed, as the 4As General Members Meeting room understandably recoiled at the thought of ever being referred to as a “DINOSAUR.” Andi explained how in the creative world, it’s not that we don’t age, but rather that we can’t — and it’s our duty to keep ourselves updated.
“Get on the latest apps. Spend time scouring AI, TikTok, IG, Behance, Pinterest, YouTube, OnlyFans? (if that’s your thing!) What are content creators doing? What memes are making waves? What’s on the news? Who’s winning in Cannes? Which ad got a Pencil and who worked on it? Keep up with the trends to have the freshest ideas.”
They shared a collection of seemingly everyday content that could inspire the styles, treatments, and storytelling devices adapted into creative materials.
“Anything but” advertising
“Distraction equals inspiration,” Nikki began, underlining the importance of knowing how to regularly distract yourself to remain curious and avoid burning out.
“Whether it’s going on trips, taking pottery lessons, hosting a horror film fest, reading a book, burning dinner (because you’ve just taken up cooking), or simply changing your desktop image from time to time. Make sure you’re not looking at the same thing day in day out.”
Craft outside comfort
The duo acknowledged the hard-learned lesson of knowing when to challenge yourself to improve your craft, even if this requires maintaining a level of “discomfort in what you’re doing” or “working under pressure.”
“The only way to get good is to get uncomfortable. Be self-aware and know when there’s no more challenge in what you’re doing,” Andi cautioned, while suggesting to actively seek out challenges and be open to unavoidable failure to hone your skills. “Even if it affects how you approach something, what you work on, or where you work,” she concluded.
And while the creative pair admittedly couldn’t have all the answers, “Of course… It’s different for everyone,” they stated. Their unfiltered take on how to bulldoze through those slumps and spark creativity gave us some kindling — including their final fail-safe tip: “take a lot of vacations!”
