5 Rules of Weiden + Kennedy
Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 5:36 pm
wieden kennedy's five rules
** Act Stupid. "Our philosophy is to come in ignorant
every day. The idea of retaining ignorance is sort of
counterintuitive, but it subverts a lot of [problems]
that come from absolute mastery. if you think you know
the answer better than somebody else does, you become
closed to being fresh." states Jelly Helm, creative
director.
** Shut up. "The first thing we do when we meet with
clients is listen. We try to figure out what their
problems are. Then we come back with questions, not
solutions. We write these out and put them on the
wall. And then we circle the ones that we think are
interesting. More often than not, the questions hold
the answer."
** Always say yes. "What I've learned from
improvisation is to let go of outcome and just say yes
to what4ever the situation is. If you say an idea is
bad, you're creating conflict--you're breaking an
improv rule. You want an energy flow that moves you
forward, as opposed to a creative stasis."
** Chase Talent. "Find people who make you better.
It's best to be the least talented person in the room.
It's reciprocal. It challenges you to keep up."
** Be Fearless. "Do anything, say anything. In the
worlds of our president, Dan Wieden, 'You're not
useful to me until you've made three momentous
mistakes.' He knows that if you try not to make
mistakes, you miss out on the value of learning from them."
** Act Stupid. "Our philosophy is to come in ignorant
every day. The idea of retaining ignorance is sort of
counterintuitive, but it subverts a lot of [problems]
that come from absolute mastery. if you think you know
the answer better than somebody else does, you become
closed to being fresh." states Jelly Helm, creative
director.
** Shut up. "The first thing we do when we meet with
clients is listen. We try to figure out what their
problems are. Then we come back with questions, not
solutions. We write these out and put them on the
wall. And then we circle the ones that we think are
interesting. More often than not, the questions hold
the answer."
** Always say yes. "What I've learned from
improvisation is to let go of outcome and just say yes
to what4ever the situation is. If you say an idea is
bad, you're creating conflict--you're breaking an
improv rule. You want an energy flow that moves you
forward, as opposed to a creative stasis."
** Chase Talent. "Find people who make you better.
It's best to be the least talented person in the room.
It's reciprocal. It challenges you to keep up."
** Be Fearless. "Do anything, say anything. In the
worlds of our president, Dan Wieden, 'You're not
useful to me until you've made three momentous
mistakes.' He knows that if you try not to make
mistakes, you miss out on the value of learning from them."
