The Art of Connecting

Advertising is today's most widely visible form of art. I am drawn to advertising that is inspiring, that communicates a truth that resonates with something deep inside. Great advertising inspires, it awakens, it shakes us up, gives us a vision of something new, vibrant, alive. It is not all that different from other forms of art except its purpose is to promote a brand or cause or product. But it still accomplishes this through connecting to audiences in a meaningful way. The brands that really connect with me are ones that have identified some longing, some fear, some hope, some deep desire and convinced me that they understand. The brand knows me and gets at the core of who I am. And its message, its personality, its vision challenge me to move forward in search of becoming more of who I want to be. Advertising can do that. It can move hearts and souls. I just don't think too many advertisers think that way too often. Far too often we are just trying to move bodies, just trying to get the end result without trying to make a connection. What we need to understand is that when a brand connects to its audience in a meaningful way, the rest follows naturally.

I think the advertising industry can learn a lot from the artist. From the poet. From the soul searcher that seeks to understand life on a deeper level- what drives us, what motivates us, what we truly long for and dream of? The poet seeks to understand the soul. Advertisers should do the same.

Here is a wonderful poem by Wendell Berry that reaches through the thick fog of today's hectic and busy world and offers a fresh perspective on living in peace. It connects.

The peace of wild things by Wendell Berry

When despair grows in me
And I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound
In fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
Rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
Who do not tax their lives with forethought
Of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
Waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.