Fighting for Your Creative

You know the assignment inside and out.  You know what has worked and what has failed.  Better yet, you know exactly what the new spot should be.  You can visualize the :30, complete with tight copy, compelling imagery, a twist that nobody saw coming, and an aha! moment that will have viewers rewinding their DVR to see it again.  Heck, even the cut-downs work.

The bad news is... nobody is buying into your vision.  ("They just don't get it!")  What now?

Whether you're dealing with your general manager, CSD, supervisor or client, selling creative is just as important as developing it.  Before you try this at home, I urge you to consider the following.

Scratch that.  Do try this at home.

Stop.  Truth is, you've been wrong before.  Remember that campaign 10 years ago that you moved heaven and earth for and is now cringe-worthy?  Chances are, you already started making some room on your shelf for new hardware.  But, in retrospect, the creative wasn't that strong, and although it made air, maybe the GM was right after all.

Think.  Does this really support the brand, or is this just clever for clever's sake?  Yeah, it would be a really cool sequence with ironic copy and retro music that is absolutely perfect.  But if it doesn't sell your station/show and speak to your audience, you're just fooling yourself.

Consider.  How could this spot be better, both creatively and strategically?  Just because your original idea hit you like a thunderbolt, that doesn't mean it can't be improved.

Prepare.  This is the section about having back-ups and alts.  Buyers of creative like to feel involved and not be force-fed one solution.  Have options ready.  But beware The Straw Man.  Invariably, he is chosen and your hero goes bye-bye.

Now, on to the pitch:

Listen.  Has anything changed since the assignment was given?  If you don't know, you'll soon find out when you lay out the premise of the spot before presenting it.  At this point, you acknowledge that this new information can be incorporated into the concept (if it can). OR Go ahead and present as is, confident in your ability to adapt in real time (i.e., tap dance).

Include.  It's always about "we," never about "I."  This holds true for the relationship among your group as well as non-creatives you're pitching.  This is a team, a partnership, whether you like it or not.

Exude.  Be proud of your creative.  Apologizing due to restraints is a non-starter.  Even if it's a straight-ahead concept, be confident in the strength of the idea.  (If you're not, go back to Consider.)

Push.  At every level, clients/supervisors want you to fight for your idea.  They want to know that you care about this spot as much as they do.  More often than not, they don't disagree; they just want to make sure you've thought this through and have their best interest at heart.  Note: This doesn't mean digging in and being antagonistic.  Just show you care.

Compromise.  This is the tough one.  Up to this point, you're both on the same page, but then the client gets a brainstorm:  If it's awful, you bring up reasons why it may not fit with the premise.  If it's great, admit it's great.  Chances are, it's somewhere in-between.  This is where the partnership thing pays off.  Putting egos aside, keep the focus on the spot, not on personalities.  Remember, even though you've been hired for your expertise, you've been wrong before.

Summarize.  Always, always, always sum up what was agreed to in the meeting.  Active Listening 101. First, verbally, then follow up with an e-mail.  Sometimes the latter will include an additional idea, especially if you were in the compromise zone.  Selling creative is an ongoing process requiring both parties to stay involved.

Finally, even if you do everything here, you're not going to win every fight.  Nor should you, quite frankly.  But you can strive to do the best creative possible and help make the experience a collaborative one.

Fight on...
-Ed
      

      

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