Client Feedback

As we've said before, one of the myths in the industry is that the client is stupid. Thinking like that won't help you do or sell better work. Don't believe it.

But then there's this brilliant side project we found that beautifully illustrates client feedback. And we remember we've been in meetings like this, too.

This Post Isn't Cool

You will never sell anything to a client by telling them, "It's cool."

Cool is not a reason any client will put their budget and their job on the line. Even if you're doing ads for the new HALO game, a surfboard, or Porsche. In client parlance, "cool" is not shorthand for "it will sell your product, and make you money, keep your job secure, and maybe even get you an interview in Fast Company."

Make your work cool. But before you present it, figure out the real reason it's cool, and sell that.

You'll not only have more success selling your ideas, you'll become a better presenter.

Essential vs. Extra Credit, Revised

Here's a revision of an earlier post. I beefed it up for an internal presentation. I debated putting it on makinads.com since it's not 100% for portfolio students or junior creatives. But whatever. Enjoy.

Bring the Brief

This might seem like a small point to post about, but I think it's important. When you go to a meeting to present creative, bring the strategic brief along. Ideally, you should set up your work using the brief, but at least have it with you.

Inevitably, the creative director, or account person or the CLIENT will ask to be reminded what the net takeaway on the brief is. It's okay to whip the brief out and read it (usually, an account person or planner will be all over this). What doesn't look so good (and believe me, I've seen this happen) is if all the creatives just look at each other, hoping that someone remembers the main thing their work is supposed to communicate. This puts a bullet in the work before it's even been presented. It says that there's a good chance your work will be off strategy, because you don't even know what the damn strategy is.

I tend to lose things easily, so I started making a 3/4-sized photocopy of the brief and pasting it in my sketchbook. That way I always know where I can find it quickly. Just in case.

Revising Your Creative Concept Without Ruining It

I can't think of any time in my career where I went into a meeting, presented work and had no revisions to make coming out. How you handle feedback and present revisions can be a make-or-break step in the process. Over-react to a off-handed client comment and you can unnecessarily water down or complicate your work. Ignore client concerns and you might come across as unresponsive and torpedo the whole project.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you run the revision gauntlet:

IN THE FIRST PRESENTATION

1) Listen to feedback. Take notes. Some creatives like to come in, look cool, present the work, then leave. But the most important part of a client relationship is listening. And unless you have a photographic memory, take out a pen and paper. After the meeting, there will be discussions about what exactly the client said and it's good to have your own notes.
Note all of the feedback, even from the junior clients. If there are pertinent quotes from clients, write them down (and note who said them). Nothing lets a client know you listened more than, a week or two later, being able to quote them in a meeting, or being able to say that something they said led you to a solution (this does happen).

2) Make sure you understand which feedback needs to be addressed. Depending on the client, many many people may throw out thoughts. Some of it will be overruled, some of it will be ignored by the group, some of it will be irrelevant, and some of it will be very very important. What you need to be absolutely clear on is which issues you will be addressing with your revisions. A good account person will sum up the feedback at the end of the meeting. If they don't, you should verify what was agreed upon. "So, what I heard was..." or "Just to be clear, for next steps we'll..."

3) Try to avoid executional feedback by understanding the issues. Good clients know that the most helpful feedback for an agency is issue-based rather than executional, but even the most seasoned client will make executional comments from time to time. For example, "I feel like the tone is too frivolous for our brand," is an issue. "I don't like the words "itty-bitty" is executional. "The spot feels rushed" is an issue. "Take out this shot, that shot, and that shot," is executional. You want to get issue-based feedback because there may be several ways to solve an issue, whereas something like "take out that shot" has only one solution and may not be the best for the spot.

4) If you disagree, discuss it. (This has the major caveat of "if you are in a position to do so." If you are a junior creative and your creative director has already agreed to a client request, you are not in a position to voice a dissenting opinion. Nor are you, if you're a junior creative, in a position to argue with a CEO). Be clear that you're in a different place, but avoid being too confrontational. I don't even like saying things like "One could argue that..." That positions it as an argument. Client meetings, though they may sometimes seem like it, are not debates. You're on the same team.
One non-confrontational phrase that can be very helpful is, "Help me understand..." to probe the client issues. Phrasing your point-of-view as a question, or simply explaining why you made the choices you did are also good ways to make a point without seeming combative.

5) Know what's worth fighting for. If your list is "everything," you're going to have a tough time. Some things aren't worth fighting for. Then there are some that are. If you feel strongly that a change completely compromises the integrity of the creative, speak up. And as a last resort, recommend that you take the creative off the table and go try a different approach completely.

6) It's okay to say "Let me think about it." It's an easy trap to fall into to think that you need to solve an issue at the table, or that you need to decide if a suggestion will or won't work right there on the spot. Reserve the right to walk away and take the time to think of an appropriate solution. Clients should respect this.


IN THE REVISIONS MEETING

7) Make sure you addressed your client's concerns. This is a no-brainer. Just double-check before the meeting. It's not pretty when you don't.

8) If you find a better way, STILL make sure you address your client's concerns. This goes for suggestions from your creative director in pre-client meetings as well. If you agree to a revision, DO NOT come to the next meeting without making it. If you get specific executional direction, you'd best follow it. If you come up with an alternative solution, bring that IN ADDITION TO (but definitely not instead of) the agreed-upon revision. Then you can have a discussion about it.

9) Let the client know you heard their concerns. Set up the work by listing what the objectives of the revisions were. What issues did you address? This is the part where your notes from the first meeting come in handy. If one client had a concern, let them know that you made a revision for them. If necessary, explain how you addressed their concerns before you go through the work.


Revisions are a part of the business, so learn how to handle them. They're not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to know how to fend off the ducks or your brilliant idea might get pecked to death. The key is to keep bringing back great work each time. If you do that, you'll only produce great work.

Animation

I'm working on another spot that consists mostly of animation and computer-generated imagery. I've done this a few times in my career, and each time I'm reminded of how different a beast it can be from the normal production process. Don't get me wrong, it's a really fun process and allows you to do some things you never could with live action, but it can be really frustrating if you don't have your ducks in a line, or if everyone doesn't understand how the process works.

Animation is like building a building. Each step depends on the previous steps. If you get to the fifth floor and decide you don't like the first floor, you have to tear the whole thing down. For example, let's say you're animating a cartoon character onto a shot with a live-action person. On Monday you and your client approve the edit, basically saying you like a certain take of the live-action person. Then the animators start the rough animation process. They work all week on it. Then on Friday, the client changes their mind and decides that they're not crazy about the look on the live-action person's face and want another take in there. You've just lost a week.

This is a pretty common scenario, and it makes agencies, animators, and probably everyone else want to pull their hair out. Here's a few tips for how to avoid this:

1) Prepare the client. In one regard, YOU are the client, so you must prepare yourself as well. Along with your creative director. And your client client. It's worth having a meeting up front that walks through how the animation process works and emphasizes that once a decision is made, you can't go back. Use the building analogy. And repeat every meeting, "After we decide this, we can't go back."

2) Manage expectations. Animation is about baby steps. There are no big "wow" moment, because each time you see something, it's only changed a little since you saw it last. Keep this in mind, and make sure the client knows this. You will come a very long way from start to finish, but the process is one step at a time.

3) Be crystal clear what's being decided with each meeting. There are a ton of potential disractions with each review of the cut. At the beginning of the meeting, make sure it's clear what everyone is looking at. If they're judging just the animation of the fish, kindly remind everyone to focus on just the fish when they ask if the clouds in the background are finished. The fish is the only thing that exists.

4) Make sure everyone is speaking the same language. Odds are, your client doesn't know a wireframe model from a model airplane. Make sure you have a grasp of the process, then break it down for them in their terms. Use analogies (this is like the studs of the house, and this is like the drywall, etc.). Or get the animation company to help break it down for you. Just make sure everyone is talking about the same thing.

5) Make sure the decision-makers have the power to make the decisions. This is the big one. One client might be okay with something, but their boss isn't. Or their boss's boss. Or the CEO. It doesn't matter. Whoever the decision-maker is going to be, they need to be involved when the decision is made. Get them in the room, or find some way to get a rough cut in front of them.

6) Be patient. You're asking people to imagine a lot. There will be indecision. There will be a lot of questions, and a lot of what you might consider hand-holding. Just expect this. Be clear, be patient, and be organized. If you do all these things, it'll help everything run more smoothly.

Lessons from the Master

I’ve been reading bits and pieces of The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, and recently came across this story:

In 1502, in Florence, Italy, an enormous block of marble stood in the works department of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore. It had once been a magnificent piece of raw stone, but an unskilled sculptor had mistakenly bored a hole through it where there should have been a figure’s legs, generally mutilating it…So, despite the money that had been wasted on it, it gathered dust in the dark halls of the church.

This was where things stood until some Florentine friends of the great Michelangelo decided to write to the artist, then living in Rome…Michelangelo traveled to Florence, examined the stone, and came to the conclusion that he could in fact carve a figure from it, by adapting the pose to the way the rock had been mutilated. Soderini [the mayor of Florence] argued that this was a waste of time—nobody could salvage such a disaster—but he finally agreed to let the artist work on it…

Weeks later, as Michelangelo was putting the final touches on the statue, Soderini entered the studio. Fancying himself a bit of a connoisseur, he studied the huge work and told Michelangelo that while he thought it was magnificent, the nose, he judged, was too big. Michelangelo realized that Soderini was standing in a place right under the giant figure and did not have the proper perspective. Without a word, he gestured for Soderini to follow him up the scaffolding. Reaching the nose, he picked up his chisel, as well as a bit of marble dust that lay on the planks. With Soderini just a few feet below him on the scaffolding, Michelangelo started to tap lightly with the chisel, letting the bits of dust he had gathered in his hand to fall little by little. He actually did nothing to change the nose, but gave every appearance of working on it. After a few minutes of this charade, he stood aside. “Look at it now.”

“I like it better,” replied Soderini. “You’ve made it come alive."

The statue was Michelangelo’s David. And there are a few very applicable things to take away from this story.

1) The first is a lesson in diplomacy. As Greene points out, arguing with a man like Soderini would have earned Michelangelo nothing and perhaps endangered future commissions.

2) Michelangelo worked with what he had. He worked “inside the box,” as Ernie Schenk might say. To bring this down to the level of what we do, if you know, in your TV spot, you have to show a big product shot and have someone say “Wow! This magic lotion sure does make my legs feel younger!” try starting there and building the spot around it.

3) Perspective is everything.

If you want to be successful in this business…

Art directors need to understand and respect copy.

Copywriters need to understand and respect art direction.

Account planners have to be creative and recognize great work.

Creatives have to be able to write their own briefs and recognize great insights.

AEs should understand and respect great creative.

Planners and creatives should understand and respect client relations.

Clients should understand and respect great creative.

Agencies should understand and respect the client’s needs.


(Notice how it gets more and more difficult?)

You should know something about everything and everything about something. If you want to succeed in this business, start by understanding everything about your craft and almost everything about the crafts of those around you.

Why I Am Strong

As has been written before, it’s a lie that the client is the enemy. Most clients are smart, thoughtful, and want great work because they want their brand to be great.

That said, as a holiday treat, here are a few of my favorite client quotes I’ve collected over the years.

• I would not aim for solving the problems we have to solve.
• It’s one thing to show a towel. It’s another thing to celebrate its essence.
  
• I don’t want to use the word “improved” because it will make our new product look better than our old product.
  
• We don’t have time to tell stories.
  
• I hate it. I think it’s crap.
  
• Oh, I wish I had the guts to run that.
  
• You know I’m not a lesbian, don’t you?
  

What Is The National Interest?

I just read this article on CNN.com that the cute little Chinese girl who sang at the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing was actually lip synching. The actual singer was chosen for her voice, but deemed not cute enough for TV. CNN quotes the ceremony's musical director saying, "The reason was for the national interest. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression."

It cracks me up that the Chinese officials (who are used to controlling their media) did this "for the national interest" and may have made the country look like more of a joke. One thing I love about communists: they're a very consistent brand.

I bring this up because it reminds me of clients who think that they are still in 100% control of what their brand is and how others will interpret it. Jim recently wrote about the knee-jerk reaction some clients have, assuming they're in complete control of their brands.

It's easy for creatives to snigger and poke fun of clients like this. And, yeah, maybe they deserve it. But when it's our own clients, and when they start talking to themselves, and when we start listening, I think the onus is on  us to raise a red flag.

Triangles

Mike Gorz, the Director of Creative Services at Y&R Chicago used to have this diagram taped to his office wall. There's a lot of truth to this little sketch, and you'll find yourself often wishing clients understood it better.

But if this is the triangle clients should understand, here's another one agencies should have a grasp on.

This represents the reasons you continue to do work for a client. This isn't a "pick two" scenario. In fact, most client-agency relationships are founded on just one. If you get two, you're lucky. All three is surprisingly rare, but absolutely possible.

Hopefully, none of us are in this business just for the money. That's a lousy reason to get into advertising. But sometimes agencies stick with a client that they don't like and who continually kills good work simply because they pay well. Presidents and managing partners do this do avoid laying off employees. It's not ideal, and it's probably not a long term relationship, but it keeps the pink slips away.

A lot of pro bono work is done with the "we like you" and the "you let us do great work" legs. It's the symbiotic relationship of a pro bono account.

I don't know if there's a magic formula for getting all three. If you stumble upon it, please let me know. But I think it's enough for us to realize that these are the reasons we do work for clients. And if none of them are present in a relationship, there's really no reason for it to continue.

Charlton Heston Memorial Party

I’ve worked with some tough clients. Some have acted irrationally. Others with distrust and even distain.

But none were as tough as Pope Julius II.

It wasn't that he was demanding. It was that he kept changing his mind. He had wild, ephemeral expectations, but gave little concrete direction. He probably coined the phrase, "I don't know what I want, but I'll know it when I see it."

He considered himself a great patron of the arts. He did much to beautify Rome, laid the foundation of St. Peter's Basillica, and was a friend of Raphael and Bramante. So even though he wasn't a craftsman, couldn't paint, sculpt or design, he thought he knew great art better than those producing it.

To compound the problem, Pope Julius II was more concerned for his own personal fame as a member of the family of della Rovere (i.e., personal glory) than for the advancement of the influence and authority of the Roman Catholic Church (i.e., the brand).

Each of you will probably have a Pope Julius II sometime in your careers. Maybe several of them. Ridiculous. Egotistic. Impossible-to-please.

Here's the thing. This is what Michaelangelo did for this impossible-to-please client:


This weekend, if you're planning your Charlton Heston Memorial Bash, I suggest you skip The Ten Commandments and check out The Agony and the Ecstasy, the movie based on Irving Stone's biography of Michaelangelo.


It will show you that if you’re not doing great work, you shouldn't blame the client. Michaelangelo didn’t.

My book is my boss.

A couple of posts ago I asked "Who will you work for?" My answer (which most of you hit on in some form or another) is this:

I work for my book.

It sounds selfish. Ego-centric. A little self-absorbed. But it's the only answer I've found that really makes sense to me.

When I work for my book...

I win. Because I know I'm pushing myself creatively, and I'm more likely to end up with a breakthrough idea. If my end result doesn't garner any awards, I'll still know that I didn't phone it in, and I'm that much sharper for the next assignment.

The agency wins. For all the reasons listed above. The agency gets another number by its name in the index of the One Show and/or I've become that more valuable to the office as an employee.

My creative director wins. For all the reasons heretofore listed.

The client wins. I can't do great creative if the client's not benefiting from the effort. It's not creative if it doesn't sell. And it probably won't sell if it's not creative. Also, outside the industry, when a great ad appears, it's the client who becomes famous, not you. Happy to live with that.

Your alma matter wins. No matter what portfolio school you went to, they get to say that you went there as a recruiting device.

The industry wins. I think we'd all agree at least 90% of the advertising out there is garbage. Work for your book and you'll automatically be in the top 10%. Better yet, you can be part of the effort to push the percentage of bad advertising down to 89%.

My bank account wins. Keep your eye on the ball. But, yes, this too will be affected.

Work for your book. It's the only thing guaranteed to follow you to the next gig.

Portfolio School Lies to You, Part 3

In the continuing series of lies that are somehow harbored before you’ve even begun interviewing, I offer yet another lie:

The client is stupid.

It’s easy to believe this one. We continually promulgate stories about boneheaded CMOs who killed a campaign because their spouses didn’t get like the color of the background. Or marketing managers who tested and tested and tested an idea into the ground until it was so devoid of soul it was the commercial equivalent of marshmallow fluff. Or clients who kill work with all the glee of those Muppet hecklers in the balcony. And you’ll all have your own stories within a month or two of your first job.


But the lie you need to uproot from your worldview right now is that the client is stupid.

They’re not. You’ll find that more often than not, they have more education than you. They have more business experience than you. They make more decisions and handle themselves better under pressure. That may be why they make four to ten times more money than you.

I’m not defending poor judgment or playing it safe. You’ll face clients who are inconsistent, timid, egomaniacal, and downright silly.

But the problem with believing the lie (other than it being false) is that it usually prohibits you from communicating with them. Why aruge with an idiot, right?

Dave Lubars has said that his talent is less in creative development (although he certainly has that in spades), and more in being able to listen to people and understand exactly what they need.

I’m sure Dave Lubars could tell more stories than me about clients giving schizophrenic feedback, or being gun-shy on a campaign that could make the company millions. But instead he listens. He knows there’s a reason for their actions. If he can understand their motives, their desires, their modus operandi, he can figure out what to do next.

Whatever his next steps are, I guarantee it’s not mope, complain, or talk about how stupid the client is.

Timeline of a Pitch

June 2007: We begin pitching the National City Bank business.

July 2007: In a preliminary meeting, the client gravitates to the line “Some banks have tellers. We have listeners.”

August 2007: After a couple rounds, the client still really likes the tellers/listeners line.

September 2007: We make our final presentation to National City. The campaign isn’t all about that single line, but it’s included in the work.

October 2007: We’re told that we had the “best strategy” the “best creative” but that the agency is “a little too young, and a little too hip” for them.

November 2007: The business is awarded to Campbell-Mithun.

March 2008: I pass this National City Bank window on my way to work...


I’m not posting to complain. I just want to share a good joke.

Every Day Is Like A Saturday Morning...

Ignore for a moment that this is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time talking about making movies. His advice is about working with clients. There's some good advice in here, if you can get past the overly rosy pictures of puppy dogs.