Memes and egos

One of my close friends does sustainability programs for a big entertainment company, a dream job that’s critical to bringing an iconic brand into a responsible future. We were recently talking about a project he’d been working on for a while, including some big ideas he’d been trying to get the company to adopt. After a few months he noticed that he was hearing his ideas floated around by other people, but not necessarily being attributed to him.

This has happened to every strategist I know and I think it’s endemic to the job. Here’s one reason why:

Ideas are like memes. Good ideas move through companies like memes move through culture, changing just a little to fit each person’s needs but still remaining recognizable as that idea.

But who created that meme? Whose idea was that?

For everyone after the creator it’s just knowledge — a better way to express or understand something they felt deep down. As the originator it can sting the ego. Your idea is spreading through your company, fueled by your insight, and you’re just… watching it.

I always tell new strategists not to expect a thank you note. We’re notoriously left off even the longest lists of campaign credits.

Creative people, clients, and peers are looking for usable intelligence, not a shaman. If you can provide it in a way that changes the trajectory of the project, you’ve already created more value than 90% of people can, whether people actively attribute it to you or not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

If you want to get results, know that you might not get credit.