by: David Armano
I love this photo illustration of Lafley's now-famous quote as rendered by Lynette. What I especially like about it is that it's not very Zen-like.
Sure the man in mid-air isn't fighting, but look at what's happening here. He had to be PUSHED. Now I have no idea if this was Lynette's intent, but this image of "letting go" suggests that the act of letting go may not always be peaceful. If you ask people in marketing about the idea of letting go, there will be lots of head nodding. And "consumers are in control" will be the phrase of the day. But let me ask you this: Are we really letting go that easily? Food for thought:
Are Creative Directors letting go by letting their teams own the "big ideas"?
Are Project Managers letting go by taking a chance on allowing a deadline slip in the name of quality?
Are Interactive Designers letting others into the design process?
Are Strategists letting go of a few pie chart slides here and there?
Are Planners letting someone else generate the insight?
Are Writers letting consumers write their own stories?
Are Account Directors letting clients know when something is actually bad for them?
ARE WE READY TO LET GO OURSELVES?
Letting go isn't just for our clients and their brands. It's about us too. And sometimes we need a push. The reality of "letting go" is that it's not always a peaceful process that we are ready for. Sometimes we need a big 'ol shove right off a steep cliff. The question is what will we do during the free fall?
Original Post: http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/2006/10/letting_go_is_v.html
