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Transmission #17 from Jupiter Dispatch

Nov 07, 2024

`Time: 4.20 Minutes`

We all know stories of some famous creative people, which always come up with great novel ideas. Famous film makers, famous authors, famous business persons…

You may think they are outliers, who no one of us can ever copy. You may think that you have to be born like that…

What if I tell you, you can this too?

Here’s the story of Steven Pressfield’s book “Nobody wants to read your sh*t”. (which you should visit as well for learning copy and creative thinking)

Early in his career Steven found himself in advertising. Often referred as a harsh and brutal industry. You have to come up with outstanding and creative ideas to win against the rough competition for the big media budgets.

Not only once…

Always. Every new job.

One good shot is hard alone. But 5 to 6 in a whole year? Impossible for normal people…

In a coincided Steven worked as a copy writer together with one of the best marketing designers at the time. When he saw how is colleague approached finding new and “novel” ideas, he snapped.

His co-worker wasn’t just sitting there and waited for an epiphany. Instead he had a huge swipe file of the best advertising campaigns in the last 100 years.

He just put the old stuff of his file in a way together, which fits the customers advertising problem now. Then he iterated from there and build the copy around it.

So simple, so genius.

This is “stealing” the right way. Using solutions which where there before and give them new paint. (with specific copy and adjusting)

“Steel like an artists.” - Austin Kleon

You don’t get extra points in business for inventing everything from the beginning. And I suggest to do your own research. Even Steve Jobs and the alike, stole like hell from others. (famously Bill Gates from him)

So, you need your own swipe file for your job and your own specific work too. And because I’m your favourite Domi, I help you out today with a head start.

Here is a great thread I found on X with cool marketing campaigns to get you going: