Adventures In Advertising: The Primary Reason Why Clients Dumb Down Agency Work

I was thinking about all the bad work that I see on television, in magazines and online.  There is a plethora of work that all of us want to know how it could have possible gotten presented, approved and produced.  Gone are the days of the creative superstars who knew how to create, sell and produce excellent advertising.  They could attract clients who wanted good work, who approved it and let it run.  It would appear that there are now too many clients who are now afraid to approve new ideas, new campaigns and breakthrough work.

When I was in advertising I had a client reject work he actually liked.  I thought I would write about it to provide an insight as to how and why companies almost insist on bad work.  In this case it was because the client was afraid to approve it.  Here’s why.

I was an account supervisor on a major account.  The client encouraged us to do breakthrough work.  But when it was presented, he wouldn’t buy it.  

We had a great, friendly relationship.  So much so that he was always honest with me and took me into his confidence.  Here is what he said after he saw the recommended new work.  “I would love to do this kind of work.  It is really breakthrough.  It is interesting, on target and it is excellent.  But I cannot allow it to go through.”  I told him that what he just said made no sense.  His response was profound and has always stayed with me.

“What we currently run is boring.  But it is what my management is used to.  In fact, it is similar to everything in the entire industry.  If we ran something else, it might actually be far more effective.  But what if it isn’t?  I cannot take the chance.  If we run a new campaign and it fails, I will lose my job for recommending it or approving it.  But if I run the kind of work we have been running, my management and my board will not complain. In fact they will not even notice it because it is what they know and are used to.  I cannot take the chance that new work will fail.  I want to keep my job.”

And there it is.  It is the reason why we see so much bad work.  Clients are simply afraid.  Most are unwilling to be responsible for making significant changes.  

No is always easier and safer than yes.  That is why copy testing was invented – it took the onus off of any individual for approving work and it resulted in homogenized creative.

Because approving new creative work is more difficult than rejecting it, the people in the presentation chain ask for too many changes. It is true of the chairman or president who is afraid of his/her board of directors. It is also true of the new marketing director who recommends a new agency with people who he/she knows and is comfortable with.  The known is always safer than the unknown.  It takes bravery to approve new work.  

I suspect that is why some bad work just goes on and on.  Flo and Progressive ran its course many years ago.  So did some of the Geico work.  And don’t get me started on most of the DTC pharma stuff that keeps going and going and going. 

Clients have forgotten David Ogilvy’s sage advice (to paraphrase):  Hire an agency and listen to them.  If their advertising fails, hire another agency.  Now this may be simplistic advice for this complicated day and age – Mr. Ogilvy wrote it in his first book which was published more than fifty-five years ago, but honestly, it is great guidance.  The best story I know is when the Energizer Bunny started running and there was research conducted (probably a tracking study) which showed that there was a tremendous amount of brand confusion.  But Chiat\Day insisted that the client continue the campaign, despite the threat of losing the business.  And, to their credit, the client listened.  That was about twenty five years ago and the campaign is still running.

Too much good work goes by the wayside because clients are afraid to approve it or make so many changes that what ends up is barely recognizable.

But then again, the late, great Ned Viseltear always said: “If you don’t do bad work, bad work can’t get done.”