by Judy Neer
19. August 2009 05:37
Is it risky to present just one campaign idea or does it show the agency’s conviction and confidence?
Should the agency present many ideas and blow the client away with all its thinking?
Should the agency just give them what it thinks they will buy and not push the envelope?
Agencies frequently ask us these questions. We have a few examples
where agencies have won a review having presented any one of the above
approaches. But our recommendation is none of the above. And it is
important that agencies understand what the risks are for each.
1. Presenting just one campaign idea:
The purpose around a spec assignment is not to have the client choose
an agency based on the “winning campaign”. It is about seeing how the
agency can think about the client’s business and gaining confidence
they can develop creative that will work for them. If they only see
one idea and don’t like it, the client is often unsure the agency can
develop work they will like.
2. Blow them away with tons of ideas:
This approach is rarely successful. Yes it can be a way to demonstrate
how much the agency wants the account, but it doesn’t show the agency’s
process and rigor in evaluating work. It looks more like you are
throwing everything up against the wall and hoping something sticks.
3. Give them what you think they will buy:
If you can back this up with strategic insight and support, this isn’t a bad way to go.
But we think there is an even better approach.
Present two to three ideas that support your creative strategy. Use
these ideas to show that you can develop a range of work. Maybe one is
more conservative, one is what you think the client is looking for and
one pushes the envelope. When presenting the ideas support with pros
and cons, again relative to the strategy.
Is it more work? Maybe. But it is the best way to show a client how you think about their business.
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