MAKING ADS WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

25 years after its first episode, Friends is still one of the most watched shows on the planet. 236 episodes screened in 220 territories and over 100 billion episodes have been streamed worldwide. Love it or hate it, Friends is still huge. But why?

Stacks has been written about the characters and chemistry of New York’s favourite twenty-somethings. But we don’t all have NBC budgets or brilliant casts. So what can we take from the making of Friends to make the ads we make just a little better?

CONCEPT

Like every creative project, Friends began as an idea. “It’s about that time in your life when your friends are your family.” It’s a simple concept born of a genuine human insight. And anyone who’s lived with friends in their 20s can relate to it. Peel back the onion and anyone with friends can see themselves in the show.

Having a clearly defined concept is vital in any creative project. It gives everyone a clear North Star to bring their magic in different ways. From storylines to silly gags, costumes to characters, if everyone honours the idea, everything lands on the bullseye.

COLLABORATION

Remember that show Insomnia Café? That was the name of Kauffman and Crane’s original pitch for Friends. When NBC picked it up, they also explored Across the Hall and Friends Like Us. Different people brought different thinking to make it better - and eventually they settled on Friends.

Over ten seasons, hundreds of people brought their brilliance to Friends – including over 50 writers. But none of them claimed the credit. Even the core cast famously changed the collaboration game by negotiating salaries as a team.

This all matters because creativity thrives through collaboration. Everyone bringing their best to deliver amazing work. At its heart, Friends is an ensemble piece – on both sides of the camera. It’s a convenient coincidence that you can’t hear the “i” in Friends.

CRAFT

The best work comes when you work with the best people. Always. Over ten seasons, Friends won over 100 awards – over half of those were for talent behind the camera.

Of course, the most visible craft appears on screen. Whatever you’re creating, you can’t underestimate the importance of on-screen talent. Joey’s reactions, Phoebe’s eye roll, Ross’ physical comedy and dopey moments. Acting isn’t about reading lines and landing marks, it’s about bringing a character to life. If you don’t have great talent, don’t make the ad. Your audience won’t believe you.

Whether it’s acting, writing, directing, lighting or even catering, craft is about specialists doing something special. And if genius is one percent inspiration and 99% perspiration, most of the genius of anything brilliant is driven by commitment to craft.

There’s only one Friends. Or is there?

Above all, Friends was a moment in time. It’s a moment that still delivers a billion dollars a year to Warner Brothers – but a moment none the less. Just like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and The Simpsons.

Wherever you see a list like 100 Greatest Shows of All Time, you can guarantee you’ll also find a simple clear concept, great collaboration and 99% of the best craft you’ll see on screen. So what does this mean for making ads?

Same rules apply. Think about Goldstein, Stickman, just about anything from Lotto. Simple concept, great collaboration and fastidious dedication to craft. Because that’s what makes great creative awesome.

That’s what I reckon, what do you think?

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