So it’s been a week at WK and I have to say it’s been a really good week.
I am absolutely loving being back in a situation where what I get to see what I do to the endpoint rather than just set the agenda and pass it on to someone else.
That is not meant as disrespect to my beloved cynic – as well as my Google and Sunshine ventures – it’s just that over the past few years, we got pushed into more of an ‘upstream’ role, … which was obviously awesome in terms of influence but something we didn’t want to do at the expense of also being able to make our ideas come ‘to life’ and yet that is what seemed to have happened more and more.
Can an agency ever have both scenarios run in parallel?
Well yes, as cynic’s early years demonstrated where we were helping develop business strategies and opportunities at the highest levels [thanks George’s friends, ha!] and then get to do stuff to make those ambitions come to life – from creating ads and developing training through to making new products and seeking out new distribution prospects.
Now I know what you’re thinking … WK is more in the ‘ad creation’ business than the business creation & communication business … and you’re right, and though they’re one of the absolute best at it, the changes in the World of business and marketing means it will be imperative to also ensure they get higher up the ladder of influence.
To be fair, they are already doing a pretty amazing job of moving up the scale, however I believe there’s still more they [I mean ‘we’] can do and while I don’t want to turn W+K into the car/plane manufacturing company Andy says I want to, I do think I might be able to help get some projects where we are as influential in what is being created as to what is being communicated – which is why my goal for the company is to move them – at least in Asia – from being masters of creative magic to geniuses at commercial magic.
Not going to be easy or quick – but I reckon we can do it and in a better way than pretty much any other agency out there, even those with NPD units already up and running because in my mind this isn’t about separating the business out, it’s about integrating it within the thinking and execution of what you consider and action on an everyday basis.
But back to the point I want to make.
As the last A[P]SOTW assignment proved, I am a huge believer in making planning as interesting, exciting & engaging as possible.
Not just interms of the physical presentation of the strategy, but also in the thinking behind the idea you want them to buy … however being at W+K means I have to raise my game to a whole new level because let’s face it, one of the main reasons people come here is because of the high quality of the work and the last thing they want to do is sit through ‘obstacles’ to get to the main event. [Hence the title of the post]
However what planners do is very important – and whilst I’m sure most will nod their head in agreement – the fact is if you want to stop your audiences attention from wandering, you‘d better make sure you have thinking that can be expressed in a way that gives them the same emotional thrill as they will get when they see the work because if they don’t, not only will all your efforts fail to get the recognition they deserve, you will also create the impression that planning is [1] not creative and [2] not part of the overall creative delivery … and that would be terrible because on a personal basis, I’m not at W+K to be seen as a justifier of their creative brilliance, but a contributor to it.