Excellence is an important value goal and something definitely worth pursuing. And I’m not just talking about meeting deadlines and good grammar. I’m talking about excellence in the quality of creativity – the kind of excellence that transcends average and goes well above and beyond the norm.
You’d be surprised how many times I’ve heard the phrase “quick and dirty” – from clients. By saying those words, of course, they’re setting the table on two fronts. First, of course, they’re saying, “the budget is small.” But at the same time they are expecting top quality work. While a client may want to control cost, the expectation is always something better than average, better than ‘dirty. However, no matter what the client says – even if he or she insists – I meet my own expectations. I would want nothing but the very best creatives, a fully optimized solution within a realistic budget of course.
A small budget never is a hindrance to do excellent work, the approach should be the same as with a big budget; pursue excellence at every opportunity. However, a small budget may limit the final execution in some way or remove important features or media channels that might be ideal for the concept. But that’s where the client has made a material decision on how and when and how often they want to deploy. But even then, a good creative agency is able to find ways to communicate within budget restraints; maximize the results as much as possible. When you have limitations, creativity really thrives. It’s important that the client and the agency have a realistic view of what can be achieved within the budget. At some point they have to realize that you cannot buy a Mercedes for the same price as a TREK bicycle, even if you really want to.
As you see, there are limitations of course. Having said that, there’s never a limitation on excellence – no budget can limit the opportunity to go beyond expectations. Achieving excellence is qualitative, not quantitative. You cannot reach a national audience in a matter of days with a low budget campaign. But you can lock-in the attention of a smaller audience with an excellent selling proposition or a well-planned message that has impact.
A good agency-client relationship is honest. They provide the warmth that I believe is often absent in creative communications. Just look at the material around us – all of those impersonal “quick and dirty” projects that do nothing to capture attention – they are a waste of time and money because they were created to complete a task, to meet a job requirement.
If you build a relationship, you build a unique opportunity that transcends the impersonal nature of communications. After all – we are trying to touch people at a distance. You need all of the personality and pathos you can get to bridge the gap of an ad or a brochure or a website and touch your target audience. That kind of work is best done in the warmth of a good relationship.
My colleagues and I have had clients that spent a lot of time and money with the wrong people. They are completely honest with us – usually to the point where they can explain their budget and their expectations very clearly. That sets the table for good work because we have an open relationship – I’m open, they’re open, and everybody is looking for good solutions. Really what you want is a cost-effective working relationship that optimizes the creative process. However, now the task may cost them twice as much since they have to start a new, and its not our fault. We cannot pay for the lack of excellence or creativity of another agency.
What should a client expect from working with the right agency? Excellence on all levels. That they will listen and do research. They will perform with the highest standards. They will be on time, on budget and come up with solutions that will set them apart from their competitors. What should an agency expect from a client? Honesty, realistic budgets and respect for their professional skills and opinions.
Tags: advertising agency, branding, design, Marketing, marketing agency
