To smile or not to smile.

One of the dumbest aspects of advertising is the compulsion to show employees smiling even when no customers are around.

Anybody who has worked in customer service, which is most of us, knows that this is bullshit.

Still, I don't need to see a smile to know that people are taking pride in their work. If I'm taking a date out to a fancy restaurant, I don't wanna see an image of their chefs smiling like they just got the Christmas present of their dreams. I wanna see determination and focus.

I mean, I've cooked dinner for my family for my birthday the last few years because I enjoy it. I'm not smiling while I'm throwing the steaks on the 700 degree grill in August or trying to sear a duck breast properly. I'm enjoying the process; but, I'm not grinning like an idiot the whole time.

It's just another great example of how everybody who got into advertising is a failed creative who just embraced the failure and stooped to the lowest common denominator.