So a while back, Marcus got upset when the very clever Guy Murphy suggested ‘speed’ was the most important strategy in advertising today.
Actually it might not of been that … to be honest, I can’t quite remember … but I definitely know it had something to do with ‘quick strategy’.
And Guy was right.
In these incredibly competitive times, being able to think/act/deliver quickly can be the difference not between first and second, but survival and failure.
I sometimes think we live in ‘dog years’ … at least interms of what many clients/bosses expect us to do/deliver in the timeframe they allow.
The thing is, Marcus was right too.
You see, to paraphrase an old Y&R tyre ad – speed is nothing without control – so if effectiveness and value are evaluated simply by the speed of response, then we can all find ourselves in situations that turn bad … very, very quickly.
Now, with the upmost respect to my friends and colleagues in the US and Europe, you don’t know what ‘speed’ is unless you’ve worked in Asia. Especially China.
Unlike some clients who place tight deadlines in a bid to either ‘assert their authority’ or ‘reduce costs’ – out here, companies develop, produce and distribute new products in such a short period that I swear they must be operating in some sort of massive ‘human microwave’.
Now the issue – from an ad planners perspective – is finding quantifiable and … to a certain degree … rigorous methodologies that will allows breadth and depth of information to be collated, evaluated & tested without losing pace with the overall speed of process.
Is it possible?
Absolutely.
Is it perfect?
Of course not – which is why I get especially pissed off when I hear companies go on about how important a particular project is and then give their agency 3 weeks to deliver.
However, whether I like it or not, the reality of life is you either find ways to make it work or you end up losing out.
As I said, the issue for me has always been about finding ways that can make things work WELL, not just get through the system … which is why we have spent years developing relationships, techniques and methodologies to help us collapse time without losing too much value interms of exploration, discovery and idea generation.
Yeah … yeah … I know, I’m sounding like a fucking smartarse [sorry about that] … the thing is, as much as I accept Guy’s view about the importance of ‘speed’, I also subscribe to Marcus’ perspective that unless you allow input and evaluation from other parties/sources, you stand a good chance that you’re going to end up fucking yourself.
And here’s the thing, this ‘speed’ situation is not something unique to adland or even adland in Asia.
I was talking to the head of R&D of a client of mine who was bitching and moaning about what he was expected to deliver and in what time frame … so it seems everyone is under pressure to deliver.
But believe it or not, this isn’t what this post is about.
Nope.
Hell. It’s not even about the fact that if we carry on embracing this ‘speed thrills’ pace, we could all – especially brands – end up in the shit …
No, it’s about the unfairness of planning in the overall advertising ‘process’.
The thing that is pissing me off at the moment, is that more and more planners are being given less and less time to do their thing.
I’m not talking about when a client gives the agency a stupid deadline, I’m talking about the general attitude many agencies have towards the role and value of planning.
How many of you out there have worked on a project where you have to go back to the client with concepts in 6 weeks and yet you are pushed by the creative/account service department to come back with something in a few days.
A few days!!!
What the fuck?
How on earth are you expected to develop an idea that is interesting, exciting, differentiated and energetic when you are given less time it takes Lindsey Lohen to snort a line of cocaine?
Mind you, that does help explain why so many of ads we see each day are complete and utter crap. 🙂
Look, I’m lucky because I’ve either worked with great guys who appreciate the value in what we all do, or I’ve been a complete bolshy bastard, but I appreciate not everyone is like that and as such, can end up in a situation where their talent doesn’t stand a chance to shine.
Putting aside the fact that interms of job satisfaction, this sort of attitude destroys planners resolve, I also think it has the power to destroy the fabric of the agency.
No … I am not subscribing to the ‘Planners Are The New Rock Stars’ bollocks … but I do believe part of our job is to create a platform where the creatives/agency can thrive and then them help sell it through … which is why I believe great creative work is sold before the client even sees it, and that’s why I think you need time to develop an idea that will enthuse and excite rather than just make them nod casually.
Yes, I know a great copywriter/art director can make average appear great … but having seen what they can do when you put something truly exciting in front of their eyes, then that should be the agenda for everyone in the agency and they should make sure the working environment encourages that outcome.
Look, I’m not claiming giving planners more time will guarantee this situation. Apart from the fact there’s a lot of people [and collaboration] that goes into making something great – the fact is there’s a lot of planners out there who are bloody awful.
Some are like that because of a lack of training … some, because their agency hired them in an attempt to extract some more cash from their clients [because they’ve sold the value of creativity down the river] … some, because they think they’re business guru’s [despite never actually having run a business] and some because they’re complete and utter wankers.
I also know there’s occasions where a planner isn’t really going to add much value … for a whole heap of reasons … however the good ones, and there’s a hell of a lot of them, can work with the wider team and really make a massive difference and I hate the fact that many agencies treat their planners like adlands ‘battery hens’ – expecting them to churn stuff out each day even though they’re fed shit, treated badly and kept away from mingling with the others.
I’m not saying we should have more time than everyone else, but if you want good things to happen, it might be useful if you allocated a bit more time for us to explore because otherwise you can’t really blame us when you end up being told you have to work with bland bullshit.