Is Your Agency a Few Phone Calls From Closing Shop?
How to Optimize Your Shop for Lean Times
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| Darryl Ohrt | |
November 07, 2009
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Posted by Darryl Ohrt on 11.04.09 @ 02:55 PM
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| Darryl Ohrt | |
Posted by Phil Johnson on 11.03.09 @ 10:45 AM
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| Phil Johnson | |
Posted by Marc Brownstein on 10.30.09 @ 11:22 AM
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| Marc Brownstein | |
Posted by Bart Cleveland on 10.28.09 @ 05:10 PM
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| Bart Cleveland | |
Posted by Phil Johnson on 10.20.09 @ 01:02 PM
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| Phil Johnson | |
Posted by Bart Cleveland on 10.15.09 @ 10:00 AM
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| Bart Cleveland | |
Posted by Marc Brownstein on 10.14.09 @ 12:31 PM
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| Marc Brownstein | |
Posted by Tom Denari on 10.13.09 @ 11:12 AM
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| Tom Denari | |
When my agency was a much younger, smaller upstart group, the more established old-guard agencies in our local market would often give us the backhanded, dismissive compliment of being "really creative." It was as if the other end of the spectrum was "really strategic." They would try to paint their straight-forward, sometimes even pedestrian, work as "more strategic." (Ah, "strategic," there's another painfully misused word by marketers. But that's for another day.)
Over time, the industry has fed this notion by too often producing undisciplined work that has tainted what it means to be "creative." The meaningless way we discuss creativity in the media and the boardroom has poisoned marketers' perceptions of how to engage consumers. We are continually overusing and misusing the term "creative," stretching it to represent everything from the remarkable campaigns to the soulless advertising that gets by on being visually interesting to the self-indulgent and baseless advertising created only for creative accolades and personal portfolios.
And how many times are we going to have to read stories about whether "Creativity and Effectiveness Can Coexist?" These stories simply fuel the misperception and definition of what creativity should mean to both agencies and clients.
The crux of the issue is not whether there is tension between creativity and effectiveness. In fact, it would save a lot of trouble if we simply eliminated the word "creative" from our lexicon. If we did, the discussion would shift to a more productive discussion, focusing on engagement and effectiveness.
For instance, instead of the client asking, "Do we really need to be so creative on this one?" he would be forced to say, "Do we really need to engage the consumer on this one?"
Ridiculous? Maybe.
The cadre of marketers that don't think the message needs to be "creative" assume that the target audience is keenly attentive to whatever they have to say next. They argue the more direct the better. Unfortunately, we all know that's just not the case. Consumers are bombarded with thousands of messages daily that ask for their attention and their disposable income. The brands that find a way to break through, engage and connect with their audiences are the ones that have the opportunity to affect their behavior.
Instead of debating whether the work is "creative," clients need to start asking:
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR | |
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Tom Denari is president, Young & Laramore, Indianapolis, Ind. |
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Posted by Bart Cleveland on 10.09.09 @ 02:38 PM
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| Bart Cleveland | |
Posted by Doug Zanger on 10.08.09 @ 05:30 PM
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| Doug Zanger | |
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