- 1
- 2
- next
- | single page
Legends place capricious, random gods over the workings of weather.
The Norse Njord: in charge of sea and wind. West African Shango: thunder and lightning. Maori Tawhiri: hurricanes and thunderstorms. Navajo Tonenlili: everything from sleet to lightning. Weather can be pretty random, so it makes sense to see erratic forces behind it.
We're much more purposeful today. Our modern mythmakers are marketers with deliberate plans. If they created weather, this might be how they'd pitch their proposals:
Creative director: OK, team. We need to rethink the brand. For years we've been hashing out the same weather, day in and day out. Our clients are restless and dissatisfied. We need something fresh. Ideas?
Sandy: I don't care what we do as long as we keep wind. My best work is in wind. Everything flows better with a breeze.
CD: You're safe there, Sandy. Wind is pretty much a requirement for Midwest weather.
Tyler: What do you mean same weather day in and day out, C.D.? Diversity is king here. We like variety. You know that!
CD: It's not enough, Tyler. We need something totally unique, totally new. We keep following the same template: wet spring, cool summer, short fall, killer winter. Sure, within that template you guys have provided some variety, but it's becoming too predictable.
Trish: Predictable? Last year was perfectly fresh. Our clients hadn't seen that much rain in decades. We rolled out the sandbag-challenging, river-topping Midwest flood proposal. Vivid, moving, dramatic! What was wrong with that?
CD: It was well-executed, Trish. Sure. But it wasn't all that different from 2007. Like a cheap imitation, really. You just moved the flooding west. Spring floods - how do I say it? - they're passŽ. Floods have been done to death now!
Sandy: Hey! I know! How about a raging, totally mind-blowing blizzard? Lots of blues and whites - and days of wind?
Trish: We did that last year!
Sandy: Oh, yeah. I guess we did.
CD: A couple of years in a row, really. Our clients are no longer cool with that.
Trish: What about a fall that cuts off summer and takes everyone by surprise? Long, cool and surprisingly early. Start with early color, then blend in some summer, but not too much. A few September flakes of snow, a little more color, then bam! Winter by Dec. 1.
Tyler: I don't like it. Our clients won't want cold temps in summer.
Sandy: Not enough wind, that's for sure. Trish always pushes slow-falling leaf concepts. There is no place in her fall proposals for a good, brisk wind. She doesn't even like breezes.
Trish: You're right, Sandy, because slow autumns are the best: a smattering of leaves, a filtering of sunlight. Those are the most aesthetically delicious autumns. Sandy, you'd have a Nor'easter charge in and strip branches bare overnight. No subtlety whatsoever!
CD: OK, guys. The big account is winter. You can discuss fall later. Since we're talking six months of winter, we need to focus on that. Give me something brash, something new.
Sandy: Let's start with fall hurricane winds, pushing up from the Gulf.
