By Georgia Horrocks

Dunno

The americanism that makes grandmothers shudder has started echoing around the studio. It precedes ‘if’, merges itself into ‘really’, and follows ‘I’ like a lost puppy.

Although inviting this lonely little word to join your sentences might seem a small charity, the results could be drastic. Opinions are rendered non-committal, affirmations false, and the speaker apathetic.

So why does it persist? Maybe in our maniacal pursuit of shower gels to cure cancer, spray paints to save lives, and burgers to bring homosexuals bursting out of closets, we’ve made our own ideas feel a little….dunno.

Not all ads have the luxury of being potential white pencils. Some simply sell a product in an interesting and unexpected way. But for the client to take a leap of faith, we have to take a leap off the fence. 

I can’t imagine the creatives responsible for ‘Mom song’ used the word ‘dunno’ when pitching their musical (where Moms stalk sons that have been sprayed into men). Or the team on cadbury shared their doubts on whether an eyebrow dance would sell chocolate. 

So, to reiterate a Marc anthem, no one can buy your idea unless you’re selling it.