Things I learned in design school that 15 years in advertising has disproven

"You wouldn't have to market the cure for cancer, you could sell it in a brown paper bag."

Well Bill, I hate to tell ya—having worked marketing many an oncology drug, that just ain't true.

"Don't put 10 lbs. of shit in a 5 lb. bag"

It must be lovely to design an ad that doesn't have blackbox warnings, is half ISI, footnotes & references, and copy that has been poked and prodded by marketers and regulatory alike. Let's face it, a lot of the time we need to convey quite a bit of information. This has been a great lesson in creating clean, telegraphic campaigns. Not to say I haven't mastered the art of sneaking space where there was believed to be none; I just don't consider it one of my most valuable skills.

Also, enough with the bag euphamisms...

"Don't go into pharma, you will never be able to get out!"

As far as selling things go, marketing the drugs and products that have the ability to improve people's lives doesn't seem like such a terrible thing. The level of intelligence and strategy involved, even in the creative process, drew me in from the beginning and has kept me hooked ever since. 

"You have to move to NYC when you graduate and you have to stay for at least 5 years."

I never grew up dreaming of moving to the city but I have grown to cherish my dysfunctional relationship with it, the experience I gained, and the fantastic pizza I have eaten. When I was given the opportunity to join a scrappy agency in San Diego I traded in my parka for flip flops and haven’t looked back.