From Stock Image to Storyteller
(An unauthorized remake of a book nobody reads anymore)
Confession 1: I Looked the Part Before I Knew the Lines.
Long before I had a voice, I had the uniform. Stock glasses. Stock smirk. Stock “creative” headshot—shot against a brick wall, obviously. I looked like I had ideas. I didn’t. But I could quote Ogilvy. And in this industry, that’s halfway to thought leadership.
Confession 2: I Didn’t Know What I Was Doing. So I Made a Deck About It.
My early ideas were… bad. Like “rebrand peanuts for Gen Z” bad. Then a famous brand did it for real but that didn’t make the idea better. What I learned was that confidence matters more than craft. So I made slides. Lots of slides. Slides with arrows and visuals. Visuals are key. And slides with purpose statements that made people cry (or at least blink slowly).
Every time I felt lost, I’d write “insight-led, culturally resonant, emotionally compelling.” No one ever asked what it really meant. And we all kept dancing along.
Confession 3: I Wasn’t Breaking Molds. I Was Downloading Templates.
Every “brave” campaign I pitched had three references from the same Cannes shortlist. Every “original” strategy had the same three buzzwords. I thought I was shaping culture. Turns out, I was recycling decks from last year with slightly newer fonts. And still, I got promoted.
Because in advertising, you either stand out or stand in the right room long enough to blend in strategically.
Confession 4: The Real Turning Point (Was a Google Drive Folder).
It wasn’t a burn out. It wasn’t a post by David Trott. It wasn’t a shooting in South Africa. It was opening a folder titled “Final_Final_V37_FORREAL_THISONE.pptx”. Inside: 46 decks. Same case studies. Same fonts. Same “bold” ideas.
And this is how it quietly hit me: That wasn’t storytelling. It was stock-piling. A Pinterest board of recycled cleverness.
Confession 5: I Found My Voice When I Lost My Pitch.
One day, the client didn’t bite. One of many but this one hit a chord. Not because the idea was too risky but because it was exactly like the last three they’d seen.
The silence that followed wasn’t defeat. It was relief.
Confession 6: I Still Look Like a Stock Image. But Now I Write My Own prompts in Chat GTP.
Let’s be honest: I’m still The Average Adman. I still wear black. Still quote Droga (ironically now). Still get excited about ad campaigns that make no sense but look great on Instagram. But something changed: Now I know it’s a costume. I might forget at times but still, it feels good to make fun of myself.
Because the truth is:
Every adman wants to stand out.
But the boldest thing I can do in this industry today?
Embrace I’m just like the rest.
And say it out loud.
And just like this, I’ve written a new post.
And just like this, I share the link to the Average Adman Pride Store.
