Posted on: October 28th, 2009 by Jeremy Jackson Sytner

One of those shaving moments: this morning my thoughts drifted to teachers.

(Maybe it’s because my eleven year old daughter has recently started a new school.)

In no time I was traveling back to my own school days. And my teachers.

The only two I can remember with any regard were my art teachers.

The funny thing is that they didn’t actually ‘teach’.

They inspired me.

They amazed me.

They opened my eyes and caught my imagination.

Never, in my memory, did they ever actually tell me what to do or how to do it. Which is strange when you think art is supposedly based on attaining a skill.

And that’s why I ended up at St Martin’s School of Art. Which led to a career in advertising and now here at The Good Agency.

(Mr Renouf and Mr Singleton, I’m eternally grateful to you both.)

Every other teacher tried, in vain, to teach me. Which is why I never became the polymath my parents had always dreamt of.

Teaching is a problem a lot of brands make.

Ads, DM and even design that talks at you.

In short the brief merely visualized.

No attempt to engage you. And we all know the value of an emotional connection.

Is it me or is most of the rubbish that passes for marketing these days taking it self too seriously? Self righteous finger-waving instruction.

Do this. Think that.

It all comes from a school of thought that says we must educate the consumer.

Maybe we need to take a lesson from those brands that take time to build a relationship with their customers?

And you never forget them either.