A while back I wrote a post about how great it is to work with a client who is genuinely passionate about their brand.
I talked about how this pride and belief transfers into a working relationship that combines purpose with infectious excitement and that tends to spill over into everything you do together.
Well I’ve just had another sort-of example of it … though this time, it’s more a story about when clients and agencies have a genuinely great and trusting relationship.
Except it involves me, which makes the whole thing weird.
So recently, one of our NIKE clients asked if I could do a presentation to their global team.
The request went via Bryan, the business director on NIKE at Wieden.
Because he has a great relationship with them and because he knows I have a Van Halen fantasy, he said that I would only do it if they supplied me with a bowl of green M&M’s.
[If you don’t know what that has to do with Van Halen – or why was actually a moment of attention-to-detail genius, go here]
Imagine my surprise when a few days later, I got to my desk and found this:
How awesome is that.
No, not the fact you can now get mint chocolate flavoured M&M’s, but that NIKE actually went out and got me them.
Lets be honest, I was hardly going to say no to them – especially when it’s for some of their most important global leaders – so the fact they did this not only shows they’re great people, but its made me want to work even harder for them.
Hang on, they’ve just made me do more for them for the price of a packet of M&M’s.
Evil geniuses.
But seriously, the relationship between client and agency is built on the relationship between the people inside the client and inside the agency … so while we will – and should – always get judged by the work we produce together, these little acts of generosity actually play a part in making that happen because showing your trust, care and respect are as important in delivering great work as provocation, planning and creativity.