TIME’S UP: addendum to an article on ad age.com by MARK WNEK

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=134398

There’s no disputing time to think is in short supply. So be it.

Certainly, a halfway decent individual or team can fashion a solution in any given amount of time. (I once conjured a piece — that earned a place in my book — in under forty-five seconds, as a layout was on its way to the printer.)

The trouble is, while a solution may be workable, is it original? When rushed, we tend to grasp for familiar tools. When rushed, can we create work that isn’t derivative? Work that moves (sells) because it is relevant, memorable and speaks for our client alone? Maybe.

If there’s little time to conceive an idea there’s probably no time for a brief. More often than not, I’ve found myself rewriting any particular brief that chances to come my way because, let’s be real, precious few deliver any genuine, workable insights.

The answer for time-starved creative departments is found in continuous familiarity with the client and his business. When there is human contact we (creative types) are exposed to the truths and nuances that are the seeds from which we can germinate real ideas (as opposed to familiar, hackneyed executions).

If any agency genuinely believes it’s “all about the work”, don’t insulate your creative teams from excellence by layering the business with levels of account contact.

Account people can seldom know what information is necessary for great, original work. That’s not an insult — for neither do your writers and art directors. Until, that is, our frontal lobes begin sweating blood with a deadline looming just thirty minutes before the start of Flight of the Conchords. (HBO/HBOCanada. Check local listings.)