Picking who you work with is an art form. It all began in gym class, when we used to carefully pick our teams. It boiled down to survival of the fittest. Basic human selection. A caveman instinct, which intuitively tells us that Chris (the kid who eats Sausage McMuffins every morning) is not likely to out-run a sabre-toothed tiger or sprint to the goal post. Figuratively and literally.
Let’s be honest. As children, this instinct gave us an innate aversion to weirdos, oddballs, and at times gingers (kids can be cruel). But we’ve started to grow more out of that mind-set since leaving the sandbox and stepping into media.
In our roles, we’ve had to work with some strange personalities, whether it be within creative agencies or within our own backyards. Like that guy who refers to himself in the third person. We all know that guy. Or that person who refers to people as their spirit animals - ie. weasels and toads (who may or may not also be my boss).
But somehow these unique personalities and clashes work. Take some unlikely duos in history who have made it: Tom Hanks and Wilson The Volleyball in Cast Away. Proof of the pudding is in the eating: he made it off that island. More notably, take the dynamic duo Batman and Robin. Bruce Wayne was a billionaire playboy. And Robin was that guy who had questionable taste in clothing or was possibly colourblind. Regardless, it worked. They kicked arse, took names, and did it in fine form (barring Robin’s wardrobe).
Unconventionality is positive, especially with the evolving media landscape and the blurred lines between creative and media. Research shows that creativity and eccentricity go hand in hand. So, forget what you know. Good ideas come from different perspectives and personalities. Eccentricities and quirks that may have put off the mean, year 10 version of yourself are now the chunky nuggets that shape great strategies and build hutzpah. Working with a weirdo challenges you to think differently, makes you learn beyond what you know, and might even give you an award-winning idea for a new campaign.
So, let’s get weird. Save a strategy, hug a weirdo.
Rebecca Alexander
Communications executive
Match Media