DIARY: Rant

<p>The ranter in media's October 12 issue is the inspiration for this </p><p>piece of vitriol. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As a creative chief, I am surprised - no, usually outraged - at how </p><p>blatantly our industry copies from one another. Are we so bankrupt of </p><p>breakthrough ideas, so totally lacking a modicum of pride in our work, </p><p>so indecently lazy that we've now taken to copying concepts from </p><p>competitors? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>I had goosebumps the first time I saw the Nippon Paint ad in the </p><p>Philippine press. When it broke, I beat everyone else to herald what I </p><p>thought was a truly great campaign to the creative team. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>I even posted a comment - "Philippine advertising comes of age" - on the </p><p>Nippon Paint series, which appeared in 1996 and won a couple of local </p><p>awards. Then it happened. I saw the Doc Martens campaign in the One Show </p><p>Annual, with a publication date that clearly antedated Nippon. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It's hilarious that even campaign castigating copycats - "Here's another </p><p>copycat, where's my award?" - is itself, how shall I put it, a </p><p>copycat. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It ripped off "Here's a dead dog, where's my award?" </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Whoever you are, and whatever you want to get off your chest, send you </p><p>rants to rant@media.com.hk and we'll print them anonymously. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>