By Margie Chidley
Where do your best ideas come from? From listening to people. People are so interesting. We have all these ridiculous intricacies, in the best and worst ways. So usually when I get an idea it’s because some little detail of a conversation has noodled its way into my brain, banged into a lot of other thoughts and come out the other side as something else. I’d love to pretend there’s some kind of method to it, but it’s about as scientific as a Yahtzee roll.
What was your riskiest professional decision? I once wrote a jingle for a razor company using only vagina metaphors. We had to step on some toes to keep it funny, which ticked off a few folks on both the client and agency side and got us into a bit of hot water. But that’s just how it goes sometimes. Probably the hardest risk I’ve taken was ending a decade-long partnership to take a creative director promotion. That one meant putting a fork in the road without really knowing if it was a good or bad decision. All I know is change is inevitable, and change never comes without risk. You never really know what’s possible until you try.
You were a mentor at the 3% conference. What did you gain from that experience, and why did you decide to mentor? Some of the most pivotal moments in my career have come from honest conversations when I was able to see myself through someone else’s eyes. When you’re sitting there across from some bright-eyed kid, and they’re asking you for advice, you really have to answer those questions for yourself, too. You get to hear your own voice speaking about beliefs and ideas that have gotten you where you are, for better or worse. And that’s very grounding. Afterwards, I’m always trying to figure out how to live up to my own B.S. So, mentoring has a way of keeping you honest with yourself. I learn as much from them as (I hope) they get from me.
Your Heartbeat Symphony web experience merged technology with crowdsourcing and music. How did users react to the experience, and what did you learn from this project? We had a hard time getting people to understand it, because it hadn’t really been done before. But once they did, people seemed to really connect with the concept. Heartbeat Symphony uses your webcam to take your heartbeat from your face, which is already kind of crazy. But then it takes that data, turns it into notes, and uses it to grow an ever-evolving piece of music. So, it’s our communal heartbeats that create the symphony together. I love the idea, but I also learned that any time you try something experimental, it’s going to come with some natural risk—one that you, the agency and your clients have to be willing to take on. Even if you see it through, it takes a lot of real-time communication and honest dialogue. When not everyone understands the complexities, it can have an effect on the project.
What defines a strong web experience that isn’t just using technology for the bells and whistles? I would say the story. People need to get it pretty quickly, feel emotionally invested and then feel rewarded for having given you their time. If the technology gets in the way, you run the risk of sabotaging that narrative experience.
What trends in advertising are you most interested in and why? Very few. By the time something has become a trend in advertising, it’s usually over. But in general, I pay attention to anything happening in mobile. And I like to read up on what people are experimenting with in various scientific fields. Especially what’s happening with expressions of personal data. I’m also a sucker for anything having to do with 3-D printing.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? The best advice actually came from my mom. When I was just starting out in New York, I called her freaking out about not being able to pay my student loans. After trying to calm me down for a half hour, she kind of laughed at me and said, “Margie, it’s only money.” As in, yeah it matters, but there are more important things. She also once told me “The worst they can say is ‘no.’” I can’t remember what it was for, but it stuck with me. She’s an ex-nurse. Nurses always seem to have a great way of dismantling overwhelming challenges so they seem small.
What skills do young creatives need to succeed in advertising today? Oh geez. All of them. Sometimes I feel, if you can hack it as a creative in advertising, you can do anything. We wear a lot of different hats. Curiosity is the key. Don’t let the fog roll in or automatically assume someone else is taking care of that thing you don’t have figured out yet. Find out, learn, ask questions. And then keep asking them your whole career. Never, ever, assume you know everything. The second you do, you’ll miss something important. It may sound daunting, but the best in the business find a way to have fun with it and enjoy that process.
What was your riskiest professional decision? I once wrote a jingle for a razor company using only vagina metaphors. We had to step on some toes to keep it funny, which ticked off a few folks on both the client and agency side and got us into a bit of hot water. But that’s just how it goes sometimes. Probably the hardest risk I’ve taken was ending a decade-long partnership to take a creative director promotion. That one meant putting a fork in the road without really knowing if it was a good or bad decision. All I know is change is inevitable, and change never comes without risk. You never really know what’s possible until you try.
You were a mentor at the 3% conference. What did you gain from that experience, and why did you decide to mentor? Some of the most pivotal moments in my career have come from honest conversations when I was able to see myself through someone else’s eyes. When you’re sitting there across from some bright-eyed kid, and they’re asking you for advice, you really have to answer those questions for yourself, too. You get to hear your own voice speaking about beliefs and ideas that have gotten you where you are, for better or worse. And that’s very grounding. Afterwards, I’m always trying to figure out how to live up to my own B.S. So, mentoring has a way of keeping you honest with yourself. I learn as much from them as (I hope) they get from me.
Your Heartbeat Symphony web experience merged technology with crowdsourcing and music. How did users react to the experience, and what did you learn from this project? We had a hard time getting people to understand it, because it hadn’t really been done before. But once they did, people seemed to really connect with the concept. Heartbeat Symphony uses your webcam to take your heartbeat from your face, which is already kind of crazy. But then it takes that data, turns it into notes, and uses it to grow an ever-evolving piece of music. So, it’s our communal heartbeats that create the symphony together. I love the idea, but I also learned that any time you try something experimental, it’s going to come with some natural risk—one that you, the agency and your clients have to be willing to take on. Even if you see it through, it takes a lot of real-time communication and honest dialogue. When not everyone understands the complexities, it can have an effect on the project.
What defines a strong web experience that isn’t just using technology for the bells and whistles? I would say the story. People need to get it pretty quickly, feel emotionally invested and then feel rewarded for having given you their time. If the technology gets in the way, you run the risk of sabotaging that narrative experience.
What trends in advertising are you most interested in and why? Very few. By the time something has become a trend in advertising, it’s usually over. But in general, I pay attention to anything happening in mobile. And I like to read up on what people are experimenting with in various scientific fields. Especially what’s happening with expressions of personal data. I’m also a sucker for anything having to do with 3-D printing.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? The best advice actually came from my mom. When I was just starting out in New York, I called her freaking out about not being able to pay my student loans. After trying to calm me down for a half hour, she kind of laughed at me and said, “Margie, it’s only money.” As in, yeah it matters, but there are more important things. She also once told me “The worst they can say is ‘no.’” I can’t remember what it was for, but it stuck with me. She’s an ex-nurse. Nurses always seem to have a great way of dismantling overwhelming challenges so they seem small.
What skills do young creatives need to succeed in advertising today? Oh geez. All of them. Sometimes I feel, if you can hack it as a creative in advertising, you can do anything. We wear a lot of different hats. Curiosity is the key. Don’t let the fog roll in or automatically assume someone else is taking care of that thing you don’t have figured out yet. Find out, learn, ask questions. And then keep asking them your whole career. Never, ever, assume you know everything. The second you do, you’ll miss something important. It may sound daunting, but the best in the business find a way to have fun with it and enjoy that process.
Margie Chidley’s writing career has led her to a host of agencies, including Goodby Silverstein & Partners, R/GA, JWT and Strawberry Frog. After moving to San Francisco from New York, she’s helped shape the work of many brands, including Kleenex, Comcast, Chevrolet Corona Light and many others. Her experience spans a wide range of expertise in TV, interactive digital, print, radio, branded content and experiential advertising. Chidley is currently the creative director running the Dignity Health account at Eleven, Inc.
