One of the greatest movies of all time is Stephen Spielberg’s masterpiece, Jaws. With summer over, shark talk is ok now.
Released in 1975, it is considered a landmark film from a very young, inexperienced, ambitious director who had to deal with formidable obstacles from day one of production. From bad weather, cost overruns and constant script changes, Spielberg was thrown every challenge imaginable. Look up the backstory on the making of Jaws – it’s a Trivial Pursuit game all on its own.
Perhaps the biggest challenge on set was the fact that the star of the show (or rather “shark” of the show) failed to operate. In fact, the first time we see “Bruce” , the infamous robotic Great White, is 21 minutes into the movie. This was not in the original plan.
The shark was a no show right from the onset. Not due to booze, drugs or a contract dispute – just plain old mechanical failure. It failed to chomp.
Spielberg was under extreme pressure from producers to begin filming and couldn’t afford to wait for a mechanical revival. Time is currency in Hollywood. Well, nowadays it’s superhero movies … but I digress.
The next decision Spielberg made didn’t just solve the problem of a malfunctioning shark issue, it created film history of epic proportions.
John Williams, the famed conductor set to score the movie, came up with the solution. Turn a nonexistent shark into a few simple, unmistakable musical notes, perhaps the most terrifying musical notes in film history. And voila! The audience sees the shark. No wonder Williams recently won a lifetime achievement award in the AFI.
Problem solving sometimes takes unconventional thinking with the courage to actually implement it.
As someone who has been in marketing most of my life, I know that even with all the best intentions and research, not every marketing strategy works out when you go live in market. Anything can go wrong. And something usually does. We can prepare, build contingency plans, but even the best laid plans can’t account for every eventuality. In the PR business, we take on the unknown daily.
From dealing with torrential rain conditions while trying to set a Guinness World’s Record at an outdoor event, releasing health related news the same day your city’s mayor admits to smoking crack, hosting a press conference the day after Princess Diana dies or handling a fatal shooting at your client’s newly minted downtown food court — all of this can happen without any warning. (HINT: all of the above actually did happen to our clients, and we dealt with it).
Clients aren’t interested in excuses (think of them as unrelenting, cigar chomping producers). They want results even in shitty market conditions, and a seasoned marketer and communicator has to find a way to succeed. This is what separates smart, resilient marketers from all the rest.
Thinking like Spielberg takes a lot of abstract thinking and an overactive imaginative mind. It’s about solving problems using unconventional methods when nothing else will do. And having the courage to run with it.
No shark? No problem. There’s a solution for that.
“Da dum, da dum ….” You know how the rest goes.
