(This is Part 3, of what is a 4-part series.) Note: I'm not an Architect. Content within this deck was discovered on a trip to Athens, Greece where I stayed at the home of an architect. Amongst the hundreds of books he had, I chanced upon this gem - "Letter to a Young Architect" - which I've collated and will share with you here. Contained within that book was the author's life learnings, to be handed down to future architects. But what surprised me was that, on every page, each of those learnings could be directly applied to advertising as well. And such good lessons they were that I felt compelled to keep a record of those lessons, for my own learning and to share with others. Hope it's as eye-opening for you as it was for me. Enjoy! Part 1 (On Advertising 101): http://slidesha.re/1g0ao0c Part 2 (On finding inspiration): http://slidesha.re/OqHGxV

1. Part 3 of 4
By Alex Goh,
Associate Strategic Planning Director,
M&C Saatchi, Kuala Lumpur.
9 Tips to Overcome
Challenges
From An
Architect
Image credit: Getty Images
In Advertising

2. All image contents is credited to Alexandros N. Tombazis, a
Greek architect, from his book “Letter to a Young Architect.”

3. A quick guide to this deck
1. (Almost) All instances of the word “Architecture” has been
deleted (leaving only the “A”). What is most striking is that
by merely replacing all mentions of “Architecture” with
“Advertising”, the advice given is still relevant in its
entirety. Try it yourself and see.
2. I have also included personal notes/tips to make the
advice applicable to the practice of advertising. This will
be denoted by ✪ .
This deck features a compilation of advice to young architects
that came about as a result of a series of lectures given
mostly to students of Architecture in Greece and abroad.

4. ONINVESTINGINTIME
✪ Anything worth getting
is going to be worth the time.
Outward progress may seem
slow but like Architecture, once
your “foundations” are set, you
will push for new heights very
quickly.
#1

5. ONPERFECTLYIMPERFECT
✪ Embrace your missteps and
weaknesses as much as your
success or strengths. Your
“imperfections” are what will come
to define your personal story –
it’s what you choose to do with it,
rather than what you are now,
that will come to define you.
#2

6. ONFINDINGJOYWITHWORK
✪ That sense of “variety” is what got
many of us into Advertising, and to stay
in it. Always remember the joys of
variety, even as it comes with the pains
of unpredictability.
#3

7. ONTHEBEAUTYOFTEAMS ✪ A band consists of musicians who each play
different instruments and music but blend so
well together that it sounds like a single
instrument. Each part is equally important to the
quality of the sound (fast-forward video on next
slide to 17:20 for a great teamwork tip).
#4

8. ONLISTENINGVSSPEAKING ✪ Worth repeating here: “Seek first to
understand, then to be understood.”
You don’t owe it to people to listen. You owe it to
yourself. Try this exercise: Challenge yourself to
build on the ideas of others (think: Improv)
#5

9. ONMULTIPLESOLUTIONS ✪ To do this, focus on REALLY crafting the
communications challenge, and thus its objective. This is
your anchor (don’t hinge your evaluation of ideas on the
moving goalpost of novelty or beauty). Your carefully
crafted campaign objectives will help towards freeing
you up to see the merit of other solutions.
#6

10. ONTURNINGWALLSTODOORS
✪ Turn weaknesses into
strengths; threats into
opportunities. And while doing
that, think about this: The
consumer doesn’t care about
your product. They care about
their problem.
#7

11. ONTHEVALUEOFLIMITS #8
✪ Countless significant
innovations and creative solutions
came out of the need to overcome
some sort of limitation, rather than
the need to expend the use of a
generous/unlimited resource (e.g.
money). Limitations offers you
unlimited potential.

12. ONLESS/MOREVSUSEFUL ✪ Focus on delivering to the necessary
customer/user experience. Anything more
or less is vanity. Always ask yourself “Is this
truly useful to the overall experience?"
#9

13. Now, go be the
best version of you.
By Alex Goh,
Associate Strategic Planning Director,
M&C Saatchi, Kuala Lumpur.
alex.goh@mcsaatchi.com.my
9 Tips to Overcome
Challenges
From An
Architect
In Advertising
Part 3 of 4