DEAR RYAN REYNOLDS: I HATE YOU. I LOVE YOU. IT’S COMPLICATED

I think I hate you.

You rode into town with your charm and your movie-star good looks. You started horsing around, making funny videos, and all of a sudden you are the new maverick of marketing.

Who cares that the industry narrative has been more data, more precision, more targeting, and deeper consumer journeys? Because when Ryan Reynolds is the one making the funnies, it’s innovative!

Of course I want to see the devil hump 2020 in a dumpster fire, but what’s the brand platform? Where’s the ecosystem? Does this idea still work in a static post? How exactly are these assets going to be targeted, Ryan?

You didn’t debate if Rick Moranis was relevant anymore, you just followed your gut and resurrected him. You didn’t spend time deciding if it was on tone, manner and brand personality, you acted and broke the Peloton wife out of her glass hell-house.

While marketing can be like an ever expanding Rube Goldberg machine, you showed up and started doing whatever the hell you wanted creatively, and I find it all so…I’m just so…Envious.

There I said it, I’m envious.

You came into the industry as an outsider and didn’t ask permission.

You started doing advertising from scratch, and at its purest, by making interesting connections and executing them.

You made work that feels easy.

And when we do more of that, this industry becomes more vibrant.

So in 2021, I think we all need to be a little more Ryan Reynolds.

We need to play more freely, and not take every last thing so seriously.

We should show up with more creative audacity, because greatness seldom asks permission.

And we’ll be more authentic, because the genius is always the one that’s most themselves.

Of course we’ll be strategic and use all the modern tools and applications. But when it comes time to create, let’s keep the mindset of the newbie, who thinks this is easier than it looks. Because sometimes we just need to show up like a movie star.

I am thankful that the hottest thing in 2020 was not another heinous piece of ad-tech, but a creative thinker who connects with his audience and plays in culture.

I love what you do, because it’s what we do, and I just want to see more of it.

Ryan, I’m sorry if I was pissy up top. I’m thankful for you, even if I much prefer Hugh Jackman’s acting and films.

Sincerely,

Chris Beresford-Hill