Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Authenticity, Comment, Family, Love, Parents
I had a lovely birthday.
Despite not receiving your presents. Tight asses.
Anyway, I digress …
I want to write a post about being a parent.
Put simply, it’s amazing.
Better than I ever could have imagined.
But what is interesting is how parenting is often portrayed in advertising.
It’s either unicorns or hurricanes.
Soft focus or extreme disaster.
But the reality is in most cases, that’s just not true. It’s somewhere in the middle … where the love is always there, even though it sometimes manifests itself in ways that seem to suggest otherwise.
Years ago I asked Ros – who was a member of my team at Wieden – to go interview teenagers about something they remember their parents said or did to them that was hurtful, even though they know it wasn’t meant that way.
Everyone had one.
It may have been something really innocuous … something their parents can’t even remember saying or doing … but it was cemented in their feelings or memories.
Maybe an offhand comment.
Or a misplaced judgement.
Or a small disagreement.
Nothing major. For some, forgotten in a second. For others … remembered for a lifetime, even if the pain of it has long passed.
We made a cool little film about it called, ‘Parents Fuck You Up’ … I’ll try find it, because even though it’s in Mandarin, it’s something I’m sure we all relate to. I know I do.
I wrote years ago about the revelation I’d had of why I might like Birkenstocks so much.
When I was a kid, my Mum was trying to teach me how to tie my shoelaces. I just couldn’t get it. And she got so frustrated that she lost her shit with me.
It was the only time she was ever like that with me – and she felt bad about it her whole life, when she absolutely shouldn’t have – but that moment is seared in my brain, which may explain why I ended up loving shoes that have no laces.
Maybe.
I say this because I recently watched a repeat of an episode of Gogglebox. It was an episode that when I watched it the first time – back when I was in England – it made me laugh so much I had an asthma attack.
It’s not even that funny. But having a parent says this to their daughter is … because it’s far more reflective of our family relationships than advertising will ever capture honestly.
Enjoy. Have a great weekend.
And remember your kids remember stuff better than elephants
16 Comments so far
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getting your team to make films and books to satisfy your fucked up interests is employment abuse. you do fucking understand that dont you campbell? not that you give a shit because youve got satan on your side.
Comment by andy@cynic June 13, 2022 @ 8:21 amhow much tacky shit did you get for your birthday. when i say tacky i mean shit you lost your fucking mind with excitement about getting.
Comment by andy@cynic June 13, 2022 @ 8:22 amI saw he got fluffy birkenstocks. bet they had some wifi in them too.
Comment by DH June 13, 2022 @ 8:35 amIt was a VERY responsible birthday this year.
If you discount the fluffy Birkies.
And trying to order this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj1t3msy8dc
Comment by Rob June 13, 2022 @ 8:52 amI am more surprised it’s not a Boston Dynamics dog.
Comment by Pete June 13, 2022 @ 9:00 amyou are a fucking sad bastard freak campbell.
Comment by andy@cynic June 13, 2022 @ 9:32 amYou’re welcome.
Comment by Rob June 13, 2022 @ 9:53 amyoure celebrating a video of a mum saying their kid looks like a fucking puppet. thank fuck otis has jill.
Comment by andy@cynic June 13, 2022 @ 8:23 amI laughed.
Comment by DH June 13, 2022 @ 8:36 amprick.
Comment by andy@cynic June 13, 2022 @ 8:40 amThis is the perfect description of being a parent but from the perspective of the child.
“love is always there, even though it sometimes manifests itself in ways that seem to suggest otherwise”
Did your project with Ros ever manifest in to something you could send me? I would be fascinated to see if it did. Happy birthday for yesterday Robert.
Comment by George June 13, 2022 @ 8:44 amYou didn’t read my post did you George?
I literally say it became a film, hahaha.
Comment by Rob June 13, 2022 @ 8:48 amSo did Cats.
Comment by John June 13, 2022 @ 8:52 amAn asthma attack? Karma.
Comment by Pete June 13, 2022 @ 9:01 amNot enough karma.
Comment by Bazza June 13, 2022 @ 10:11 amnever fucking enough.
Comment by andy@cynic June 14, 2022 @ 7:44 am