Thinking Thematic

It was the first thing that Sir Conrad taught me when he took me under his wing as a copywriter trainee.

"Think Thematic."

That meant always looking at the big picture. If it was an advertising idea, the idea itself should be big enough so it could be translated to all forms of media: TV, radio, print, BTL. If it's an idea for a promo, it should be thematic and fit in with the overall concept of the brand and product. And so on and so forth.

My other Creative Directors taught me the same thing but called it different names. Sir Conrad called it "thematic." Lola O called it "an idea with legs." Even if people call it different things, I'd still call the concept "brilliant."

That lesson continues to be one of the most valuable things someone has taught me about advertising. But it's also a lesson that I've taken with me outside of advertising.

Now, it's customary for me to think thematic. Like whenever I'd organize a wedding, the first thing I'd think of is the theme or the big idea. The test whether it is a big idea is if it can be translated to an invitation, centerpiece, the apparel, and the cake. Same thing with birthday parties. And Christmas parties.

Heck, I've even integrated the "Thematic way" into shopping. The reason I take time to shop sometimes (attention Mark) is that I always think of the big idea. Whenever I see one article, my mind immediately tries to figure out what goes with it. Like whenever I see a trouser-cut jean at Mango, automatically, I'd think of two tops that should go with it. (One to dress it up, another to dress it down.) Plus, my mind starts to visualize shoes, a belt and accessories with it. Plus, there's the thought of pairing that new thing with stuff my sisters already have.

Actually, that's the reason why I always end up buying a number of things at once. There should always be a "theme" around the outfit. Sometimes I even get very, very particular that I already have the style, color - sometimes even the print - in mind whenever I see an item. That's when the perfectionist in me comes out. Even if I have to spend hours and go through different malls finding that item, I would.

Even this blog had a theme when it was created. Things that confuse me. And life as one big confusion.

Gosh. I can go on with this for hours. I never thought that advertising has such a profound impact on my life.

I'm glad that I stumbled into this industry.