Metz, The Social Concept

On Being An Auteur, and A General

April 13, 2009

There are a lot of people who say that they write strategy for brands. Some of these people have strategic methodologies, and basic precepts that they put in place around certain types of brands. Some don’t. Some say they do, when they don’t. I believe that the best strategist is a cross between an auteur and a lieutenant.

The term “auteur” does not imply genius. It’s simply the French word for “author.” When one refers to auteur theory in film criticism, they’re referring to films that reflect a director’s personal creative vision. The first films that reflect this style are generally acknowledged to include French New Wave films of the late ’50s and early ’60s (flicks like The 400 Blows and Breathless) are good jumping-off points here). These days, when I think of an auteur, I think of an artist that pursues an intensely personal vision, sometimes to the point of running down a rabbit-hole to fulfill that vision.

Kanye West and Elliott Smith come to mind. One’s still alive (and is a gay fish ). One’s dead. I think both are pretty brilliant, in terms of their pursuit of an artistic vision. Strategic, not so much.

The term general conjures an entirely different set of references, most of which are military. It’s a position that has existed for thousands of years, and most of the position’s best-known attributes are diametrically opposed to those of the auteur. This is the man (or woman) that runs the show. This is the person who gives orders to the rest of the group.

The best strategists are the ones who can combine a proven methodology of what works with an intensely personal artistic vision. And that’s the army of people that I’m trying to build and train. My first full-time employee is coming on in six weeks, and I think we’ll be bringing on another person in a few weeks as well. I attribute the team’s success to our ability to walk this fine line, between being an auteur and being a general.

To succumb entirely to the emotional whimsy of the former is pure foolishness, but to capitulate to the militaristic black-and-white of the latter is narrow-minded over-simplicity. The hardest part is staying in the middle, living on the median of the freeway.

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