20 things about SUE Amsterdam

1. SUE
AMSTERDAM
20 things
YOU SHOULD
KNOWSUEAMSTERDAM

2. 1. Be original, but don’t be
obsessed
with originality. We’re in the
business to create
stuff that works, not stuff that
impresses other creatives.
SUEAMSTERDAM

3. 2. We’re not in the
entertainment business,
but in the business business.
Beauty is a means not an end to
itself.
SUEAMSTERDAM

4. 3. We don’t hope, we
measure.
SUEAMSTERDAM

5. 4. Awareness metrics are
utter crap.
I am aware of Hitler, but I’m not
a nazi. Have more ambition with
what you measure.
SUEAMSTERDAM

6. 5. Producing crap takes just
about
as much time and effort as
producing
stuff that’s good or better.
SUEAMSTERDAM

7. 6. Temper your ego.
We’re in the business of helping
our clients to score. Never
forget that.
SUEAMSTERDAM

8. 7. If you wouldn’t share the
idea
with your FB friends, then
the idea just isn’t good enough.
SUEAMSTERDAM

9. 8. First contribute to the
success
of SUE and SUE will contribute
to yours. The other way around
never works.
SUEAMSTERDAM

10. 9. There is no such thing as
highly talented people with an
ego.
In a creative agency, the group
is more
important than the individual.
SUEAMSTERDAM

11. 10. Agencies don’t make
great work, clients do.
SUEAMSTERDAM

12. 11. Great ideas get born in
the intersection
between our know-how
and those of our clients. Try to
create
as much opportunities for
intersections.
SUEAMSTERDAM

13. 12. There’s great power in
postponing the conclusion.
Postponing a conclusion is
creating the space for new ideas
to emerge. A bit like in sex.
SUEAMSTERDAM

14. 13. Producers are the real
heroes
of the agency. Worship them.
They
get things done.
SUEAMSTERDAM

15. 14. Great ideas require a
creative process. Protect
this process, both against
yourself, your colleagues
and your clients. Sometimes this
implies protecting a client from
screwing up things. Clients will
never blame you for trying to
protect

16. 15. Be tapped into digital
culture.
The internet is one gigantic
ocean of
ideas, memes and stories that
spread.
Make sure you know what gets
people excited. It’s the essence
of your job.
SUEAMSTERDAM

17. 16. Don’t be modest.
Modesty never blows people
away. And False
modesty is ego in disguise. Be
eager.
SUEAMSTERDAM

18. 17. An idea for an idea is not
an idea: prototype your idea and
ask others
what they think and feel.
Always look for ways to make
the idea better.
SUEAMSTERDAM

19. 18. Embrace failure and
critics.
It’s really OK to come up with
bad ideas.
They sometimes form the basis
for a brilliant idea.
SUEAMSTERDAM

20. 19. Do everything you can to
protect
the creative climate: a great
creative process
is a jam session. Soloists often
ruin
a good jam session.
SUEAMSTERDAM

21. 20. We design behavior.
Worship behavioral experts such
as persuasion designers,
behavioral economists, game
designers
and analytic ninjas.
SUEAMSTERDAM

22. SUE AMSTERDAM
@SUEAMSTERDAM
HELLO@SUEAMSTERDAM.COM
WWW.SUEAMSTERDAM.COM
SUEAMSTERDAM