Someone brought Halloween cakes into the office this week. I didn’t know that cakes for Halloween was a thing, but I like confectionaries, so didn’t question it with any real fervour. I liked the Mr Kipling Witches Hat Fancies the most (although, should that not be Witch’s Hat?). Among the others in creative, Spooky Mini Rolls were a bigger hit.
While having a look at Twitter as I was enjoying a second Fancy at my desk, I came across #ScaryStoryin5Words, the Halloween-themed hashtag that’s been trending this week.
“Oscar was released from jail…” said @LisaBeeQue. “Your dad is on Twitter,” was @anuskashr1’s contribution. I thought @KamyKhan’s “Your browser history is public” was a good one.
And then, inevitably, there was a weary response from someone in advertising. It popped up on the great @AgencyQuotes feed, from @idodesigning: “They want it in PowerPoint.”
Yes, advertising is a rich vein for scary stories in five words. I’ve worked at quite a few agencies in several different cities in a couple of countries in my career and the similarities are fascinating. What scares a creative in one agency is identical to what scares a creative in any other across the world.
So how many advertising #ScaryStoryin5Words are there out there? “Let’s make the logo bigger,” of course. “Client’s made a few tweaks,” is another no-brainer. “Haven’t done my timesheets yet.” Definite #ScaryStoryin5Words.
“Presentation is first thing Monday.” That’s a phrase that strikes fear into the heart of any creative, because it translates as: “Wave goodbye to your weekend.” Which, looking at it, is also five words long.
“What is the third execution?” More of a question than a story, but it’s one that fills me with dread. So, #ScaryStoryin5Words it is. The first two executions usually come easy. The third one comes at 2am when your office is heavy with the smell of permanent markers and Dominos pizza burps.
Then I got to thinking about what THE scariest five-word phrase in advertising might be. I didn’t have to think for long. It’s blindingly obvious. And it’s so nightmarish it doesn’t even need to have five words to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. It accomplishes it in just two. Are you ready for it?
**Comic Sans.**