Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known by his pen name Dr. Seuss, was the brilliant mind behind the books The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham and many more illustrious titles that are staples in any new reader’s bookshelf. Although he wasn’t a medical doctor, he was a surgeon with words and short sentences – teaching us important lessons like cleaning up after ourselves or not judging something based on its appearance. However, there’s more to Dr. Seuss’s teachings than what’s available in his books! Join Wordsmith as we celebrate his work and life philosophy through several of his most memorable quotes!
Imagination is the best ingredient
“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.”
If you’ve spent years in the advertising business, you’ve probably got a good grasp over which sort of creative ideas are viable and which aren’t. Finding common ground between your brand story and a consumer’s needs is a good way to show empathy and demonstrate that you understand your consumers – whereas completely redefining your brand’s identity to appeal to a new demographic (which also alienates your existing consumer base) would be considered mad by today’s standards.
However, swimming repeatedly in the same pool of ideas can only create so many unique combinations, and inevitably, each new rendition becomes more and more uninspired. Dipping your feet into different pools not only helps build up foundations for new ideas, you might even find the unexpected and absurd can sometimes create the best results. As Dr. Seuss once said…
“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.”
This was the case with whiskey maker Johnnie Walker when they released their 2015 “Joy will take you further” advert featuring Jude Law. Where most whiskey brands depict historic distilleries, highland plains and moustached gentlemen sipping on their drinks, Johnnie Walker decided it was time to add colour and vibrancy to show off life’s greatest offerings – like speeding through the open desert on a motorcycle, enjoying a couple shots out in the woods with friends or touring the countryside in a hot air balloon, to name a few.
Putting aside all the bells and whistles, did this new ad make Johnnie Walker’s products become more popular? Well, unfortunately no, because most of their higher-end whiskies still taste like hot motor oil compared to other distinguished brands, whereas their lower-end whiskies are usually regarded as mixer and cocktail components. However, the ad did immortalise Johnnie Walker as the whiskey brand that did the unthinkable – it dared to reposition its branding and go after new demographics, and they did so with a stunning advert.
The difficulty is in the doing
“Everything stinks till it’s finished.”
Work is rarely ever easy. From the creative stage all the way through to execution and editing, all sorts of bumps and bruises can happen when writing. Procrastination can be debilitating, getting stuck sucks and sometimes, the people we work with can just rub us the wrong way. That said, Dr. Seuss believed grit to be the key to getting things done.
From writing a 100-page annual report to a two-minute speech, the desire to complain or procrastinate is universal. “It’s so hard, why do I have to do everything?” or “Oh, it’s easy, I can finish that in an hour later!” are the sort of excuses we give ourselves, and if you think about it, a lot of our problems can be solved by simply adopting Shia LaBeouf’s just do it attitude. It’s a simple solution, but simple doesn’t always equate to easy – hence the importance of grit and adopting the right mindset.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Whether you’re a copywriter, a corporate executive or just someone trying to buy groceries, it’s your responsibility to care about your performance. As you trudge your way through the 100-page report, imagine how easy it would be to plagiarise the previous edition (almost) word for word. Sure, you’d finish the job a lot quicker, but cheating your way to completion doesn’t feel very rewarding – and your client probably wouldn’t appreciate the lack of effort either, which would likely lead to a complete redo (and waste even more time) and/or a stern grilling from your supervisor. Doing the report properly can and probably will take ages, but it’s a process that your clients and colleagues will appreciate.
Be unbreakable
“Whenever things go a bit sour in a job I’m doing, I always tell myself, ‘You can do better than this.'”
Despite the best intentions, not everything goes according to plan all the time. Perhaps the client wants to make some revisions (which may be completely unnecessary at times) or perhaps a freak power outage erases all your work before you could save – both of which are disheartening to say the least (and definitely worthy of a few curses), but all the salty sailor talk in the world won’t stop you from having to redo the work. Instead of fuming at your misfortune, treat it as an opportunity to improve upon your work like a second draft. Maybe there’s a more concise way to write your hook, or maybe the client’s request to include a blurb about branding could be cleverly integrated into the call-to-action!
“I’ve heard there are troubles of more than one kind; some come from ahead, and some come from behind. But I’ve brought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see; now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”
As children, Dr. Seuss’s work stole our hearts. As adults, his teachings have inspired us to grow and become more resilient in both writing and in life. An unfettered mind, determination and unyielding positivity, such is the way of Seuss and true productivity.