One of the things that annoys the crap out of me is when a brand wants to spend a shitload of cash on an idea that reflects what the company wish their audience thought/did, rather than what they actually do.
What I find especially interesting is that these ideas are often only communicated to their agencies once it’s a done deal, possibly because they can place any objective/challenging comment to the “too late to make a difference” pile, even though in their heart-of-hearts they know what’s being said is right – or at the very least – worth considering.
Of course the real reason these things happen is because [1] someone high up liked/pushed the idea &/or [2] it was the easiest way to sell the concept through the system … however it never fails to amaze me how clients can so easily justify fundamentally flawed thinking when they are often so highly critical of well researched, carefully planned ideas.
With adland often being accused of not having their clients best interests at heart, it’s kind of a cruel joke that the biggest culprit are becoming the ones pointing the finger.