From the pulpit

Being a judge at an award show is easy. You get to hang out with loads of fellow creatives and have fun looking at, and discussing, loads of work, some of which is rubbish and some of which you magnanimously award metal to. But, other than occasionally being cornered (and usually filmed) for your views on the work, you are anonymous and not held to account for what you accepted or rejected.

Well, guest editing Directory is a bit different. Yes, it's a lot of fun (despite doing it whilst on vacation in the Caribbean), but there the similarity stops. The problem is that all the work entered is good and yet you can't select it all. You can choose only 40 campaigns and then you have to write about them and that's not easy either.

Deciding my criteria for entry was a good starting point, I thought, as my inbox filled to bursting with the 120 submissions that were made to Directory for this issue. Yes, the work had to be original, innovative and in the words of a late, great New York CD, "ball tingling", but I also added "I wish I'd done it" to my list.

Throughout my career as an advertising creative, I've been in awe of the work of others and I tried to surround myself with talent, which I considered far superior to my own. It was both inspirational and incredibly depressing!

I hope you'll find inspiration on every page of this issue because that is what we try to do every day: find original and remarkable creative solutions to marketing problems. Of course, we get paid to have fun but we also have to be responsible now we have the power to change so many behaviours through so many new media channels. The creative examples I most wished I'd done were those that got people to do stuff.

I have to admit to a personal liking for great results (usually taken with a pinch of salt) because that's what attracted me to direct marketing, the accountability. But social media success doesn't necessarily mean any of those 'likes' turn into actual customers. That's why it's probably good that David Ogilvy is not around to guest-edit Directory. He believed that if it doesn't sell, then it isn't creative.

But never mind! It is all subjective!

Over the last four days (yes, I haven't seen the sun for that long), I've laughed, nearly cried, been shocked, surprised, shared and so much more, but mainly I have been in awe of this worldwide creative community of ours, which doesn't just come up with great ideas, but then makes them happen. I don't feel I sat in judgement. I just had fun.