The Strategist’s View

I’ve grown up in airports.

Every summer, my father would pack me and my two older brothers up with our ginormous suitcases and take us to Hawai’i to visit our family on the Big Island. Without going into detail, I have flown a lot and have now become addicted to air travel.

When I get the first inhale of an airport’s air, my heart skips a beat. Adventure is literally right in front of me.

Yet this trip has gotten me thinking about flying in a different way, as it relates to life and advertising.

Observation #1: As people grow older, we become more afraid.

It’s a funny thought, isn’t it? The older and wiser we are, the scarier the world seems. I’m sitting on a bumpy flight where the young man next to me needs a valium while the two-year-old in front of me giggles with delight. Maybe the truth in this scenario is age makes us wiser because the lessons we learned caused us some form of pain we haven’t forgotten. Fear is what keeps us from experiencing the pain again.

Observation #2: An advertising pitch is just like taking off in a jet.

You can feel the engine rumble below you as it roars in your ear. The g-force pushes you down in your seat a little more, making you somewhat uncomfortable. Over the past two hours, you have faced stubborn ticket kiosks, security pat downs, and overpriced breakfast. The high of being 35,000 is literally seconds away, but it can’t get there fast enough. Finally you are in the air and you look down at the world below and enjoy the beautiful view. Suddenly all of that chaos is worth it.That’s what it feels like delivering a pitch. You stress as you go through the process. You feel a little bit of pressure right before you hit the crescendo. Then you get to relax and see just how far you’ve come and where you are heading next. With droopy eyelids, I made the connection in my mind and smiled. Then rewarded myself with sleep. 

-Emily Garcia, Strategist5.6.2017

***Please note the above photo is not mine. It is solely used for educational purposes.