I've promised Russell Davies that me and my creative buddies are going to whip the world's planners into shape.
The topic is simple: "Six Things Planners Need To Know About Creatives".
(If you're a planner, then by all means contribute to "Six Things Creatives Need To Know About Planners" over on Russell's blog.)
Monday, July 10, 2006
Blogclash
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12 comments:
1)
Creatives knows about communicating a message.
They actually know what they're talking about and are not just here because they got baggy pant and can make up funny jokes.
If we think a logo should be smaller, it's not because we're just trying to win awards. It's because we believe, that's how the idea comes across the best.
2)
You can only communicate one thing at a time.
We’re better at planning than they are.
I'm not a planner or a creative. I'm an account handler and my beef is this: Whilst I believe that a good planner is invalable - they can be the strategic rock of a client's business and the agency's campaign, they are often unaccountable. When things go tits up, they tend to disappear. (Obviously into other more important meetings, doctor's appointments, windows training sessions, whatever!)
I once had a planner friend tell me that he always took the opportunity to deliver good news and never the bad - to creatives or clients. This bugs me both personally, and professionally as the accountman invariably left holding the baby! It also makes me wonder if planners are essential given that we seem to cope without them when things invariably do go to shit. Planners should be required to provide absentee notes from doctors, parents or other account handler guardians when they want to duck important meetings.
Suzie, that's a very good point- I reckon the whole team should be accountable.
http://joymachine.typepad.com/northern_planner/2006/07/working_with_cr.html#comments
Take a look at this - any good to anyone?
Creativity is a talent; planning is a skill.
Someone famous told me that, about a week before she was fired.
Creatives are only here to make ppt decks look better.
Oh, damn, wait, I took the wrong side for a sec.
Creatives have cooler glasses and t-shirts?
Six things, hmmm. These are more guidelines than anything and can apply to not just planners, but here are a few:
1) Don’t talk to us before 9:00 am, unless we’ve been up all night jamming on a deadline.
In which case, don’t talk to us.
2) Always bring coffee or swag when you need something. A good word is always nice, but we tire of that and are not above bribes.
3) When it’s three hours before a presentation, don’t then decide to tell us everything looks great, “But there’s one little thing, and oh, while you’re fixing that, have a look at this, and can you make the background red...”
4) We are actually starved for useful insights and demo info on the audience we’re creating for. I think most creatives can’t remember the last time they got a decent brief.
5) Make creatives go “Awesome” with how brilliant the insights you have are. Seriously. Make us go “Damn, why didn’t I think of that?”
6) Don’t ask us to make the logo bigger. Ever.
7)Don’t ask to see another version with the copy on the left, just because “I know the client will want to see it that way.”
8) Involve creatives right at the onset of planning efforts, not as an after the fact. Lot of creatives actually know a little more than how to use Photoshop and Word.
I know this may sound like a piece of hippy-shit, but all the agencies I've worked at [HHCL / Mother / Crispin's / Cynic] have produced famous work because the planners and creatives worked together rather than against eachother.
What upsets me is that alot of planning seems to be falling into Management Consultancy crap ... so their appreciation of creativity [what it is and how great is can be] is almost zero - hence all the arguments going on between disciplines.
So whose fault is it?
My view is that the agencies who have sold the value of creativity down the river are to blame.
They are now so desperate to raise income, they push planning to be like management consultants because clients will pay for that rather than creativity ... despite ideas being the only legal means to change the World regardless of cost, heritage or monopoly.
I am a pro-creativity planner and I am proud of it.
* The best creatives are intuitive natural planners who and may roll their eyes at tools, fancy slides and statements of the obvious
Totally agree with you Sean ... some of the best planners are creatives ... and some of the worst creatives are planners.
What a fucked up World we live in.
As for tools - most of them are for 'fee justification' rather than 'idea generation' and any planner worth their salt would admit that.
Brand onion - for fucks sake!
Guys, what's this "don't talk to us", "we're better than they are" horse dump?
I totally agree with Rob - and not only because he was supporting Italy. Problem seems to be in our job that if we had a bad personal experience with some category of workers, we tend to generalize.
C'mon. I've worked with great accounts people, great creatives all togheter sweating our ass off to win a pitch.
One thing though.
Planners should get rid a bit of diagrams (or at least try to design them creatively).
“Guys, what's this "don't talk to us", "we're better than they are" horse dump?”
It’s all good luca.
It’s not a better thing.
It’s a ‘we’re not awake yet’ thing.
Need that caffeine first.
;-p
we don't really care about solving the client's problem, we just want to win awards
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