Can You Be Too Smart For Advertising?
Early in my career, I came in to find I had a new boss. It wasn’t long before he shared with me the following priceless and absolutely useless advice, “Mark, being too smart can be a disadvantage in this business.”
Inside my big brain, I thank him every day for the motivation that remark still gives me. Every successful day of my career is at least in part a victory over the stupid, thoughtless, and hackish impulses that are inside of every one of us.
Of course, he did have a point. A workhorse is much easier to ride than a thoroughbred. The more power you have under the hood, the harder you are going to have to work to keep that vehicle on the road. We all know brilliant people who can’t seem to get anywhere. But, once you learn to ride that thoroughbred, or drive that Formula One… you find yourself flying through scenery the old workhorse couldn’t even imagine.