Think about it. Does a client who went to B-school feel comfortable arguing headlines and type treatments and script dialogue? Probably not. They just want work that pays off on a clear, agreed-upon strategy. Problem is, most times, you start making work before agreement is ever reached.
Our creative team just spent about six months selling through a new brand positioning to our biggest client, Dunkin' Donuts. It was like being on tour with Bon Jovi: From Vegas, to Ft. Meyers, to Boston with the franchisees, and from Charlotte to Maine with the marketing folks.
We got sign off from ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY. It was a lot of work, but the process had an unexpected result: We got all the selling done before the ads were ever shown.
Too often we use the creative to try to agree on a strategy. I've been guilty of it a million times. "C'mon, c'mon. Let's just make some freakin' ads, and see where we land" I'd groan. And how many times have you heard "I don't know what I want, but I'll know it when I see it" from a flustered client?
By having all the hard talks upfront and getting buy-off on a concise direction, we were able to sell and execute a breakout campaign about 40 executions deep. The agency's happy. The client's happy. The relationship's never been better. And we both have work to be proud of.
Weird, huh?
