Opinion: Don’t shoot me, I’m only the piano player

You’re not going to be surprised when I tell you that we’re living in “unprecedented times” or that “nothing will ever be the same again.” This familiar refrain started as a trickle and is now a veritable flood. Turn on the TV and it’s wall-to-wall sad pianos and generic aphorisms. It’s no surprise that as quickly as the trope has appeared, we’re already well into the backlash. The ubiquitous sad piano has turned our most insightful words, remarkable production feats and meaningful messages into meaningless mush. One haunting note after another, we’ve succeeded in deadening both our own messages and those of our clients. The sad piano trope stands out more than anything else in the debate around these commercials because the piano is one of our most effective instruments for expressing emotion. The backbone of musical composition for hundreds of years has been rendered toothless in the hands of marketers. We’ve been called off the corporate bench, but instead of playing like Jordan or LeBron, we’re hoisting up airballs. I’m not making a case for putting jaunty music over enormously important and sensitive topics. Appropriateness is obviously critical. These are (wait for it) weird, dark times. We’re all scared in one way or another. We’re all grappling with the whats and whys and wherefores of business, life, family, money ... and, above all, our health. We, as a discipline, are collectively fighting for survival as budgets vaporize. Even though the entire country is scared, we seem to lack a shared, collective language. And we're left to paper over the cracks with pianist-in-the-hotel-lobby muzak. I’m making a case for the piano as an expression of bravery—and raw honesty. The piano is an adaptable and expressive instrument; a near-limitless tool that can reveal unbearable sadness, convey overwhelming joy and lift spirits to help find resilience. One thing it should never be is boring and lifeless. A great piano piece and performance can bring the brains, beauty and bravery of life together in unforgettable ways that are otherwise almost impossible to express. Many of the best creative ideas that have emerged from this scenario have embraced that same adaptability and expression. Radical, industrious ideas, willing to gamble on new techniques or remixing tropes, and relishing the opportunity to take on challenges we’ve never faced before. It’s enormously inspiring. But we’re not translating that spirit of industriousness to our moments of mass reach. In the process, we threaten to abdicate one more fragment of influence and value we have to clients. Maybe we should combine the heartwarming comfort food with some realities. This is fucking hard. This is fucking scary. This is fucking not normal. But now is not the time to cave, to give in. Now is not the time to do the “same old, same old.” American advertisers have a unique disposition for playing the optimists and the can-doers. But we’re meant to be the ones who tell it like it is. Be practical, be humble, be reflective but also paint a portrait of what can be done. We shouldn’t sugarcoat it, nor should we seek to gloss over the realities. Like the BBC of my home country said: Don’t quit. So, no more sad pianos. Let’s break this cycle and shape the next batch of stories so that we are not just wallowing in what was, but inspiring what could be. Let's use music to elevate the problem-solvers and spotlight those demonstrations of resilience without pandering to our easiest tropes. We have the tools. We have stories. We have the imagination. We have no choice.

Opinion: Don’t shoot me, I’m only the piano player

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