Kansas City Freelance Writer Liz Craig

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. — Ralph Waldo Emerson

My goal in my early years in advertising was to build a portfolio, win creative awards, and make more money. Today, my goal is to do work that helps my clients, and thereby, to make a good, honest living. I would call that going where there is no path, and I hope, leaving a trail for younger creatives to follow.

I always felt there was something narcissistic about winning creative awards, but it seemed the best way to get ahead. At least, that’s what the CDs told us. After awhile, I began to question the whole value system around creative award shows.

In a sense, creative awards shows are a scam. Agencies think awards enhance their reputation, and thus, their chances of winning new clients (And in the past, surveys of clients bore this out; they would hire agencies based on creative. But how many listened to creative advice thereafter? Not many.)

So agencies or individuals pay major fees to enter their work in local, national or international creative shows. Then, a judge (or, if you’re lucky, at least one art director and one writer), suffering jet lag and recovering from a late night being entertained by the show personnel, scans hundreds of entries in dozens of categories. Anything that leaps out because of color, outrageousness or size catches the judge’s or judges’ eye. And it generally wins.

I’m not saying good creative work doesn’t win awards. Often, it does. But other than the Effies, which are awarded for creating positive results for clients, measured by actual numbers, I don’t know what those awards mean.

I do not speak these words as an embittered creative who has been spurned by awards shows. About 15 years ago, I stopped listing my awards on a sheet of paper when the type size had to be shrunk to 7-point to fit. Later, I realized that good work means work that brings the client business. Revelation!

At some stage in a creative career, you feel secure enough to stop building a “killer book” and start doing what’s right for the client. Younger creatives can’t be blamed for doing outrageous creative, any more than puppies can be blamed for teething on bedroom slippers. It’s what they’re bound to do. I only wish these creative puppies paid attention to who they’re talking to, what that audience really needs to hear, and in what voice.

Does he really know what your company needs to say?

Once I saw a magazine ad produced by a famed, “cool” Kansas City agency in Ingram’s Magazine. The product or service (can’t remember what) was obviously meant to appeal to upper-level corporate executives. The style of the full-page ad was arresting: the copy was done in red 9-point type on a black background. And the visual was unclear, since for some reason, it was obscured by thin red scribbles over it.

Now, think of the age of most upper-level CEOs. Not Silicon Valley types, but Kansas City types. Most are over the age of 40 or even 50. They’re presbyopic; they can’t easily read 9-point red type on a black background. And they don’t have time to decipher an obscure message conveyed in a graphic style more suited to a punk band flyer than to Ingram’s.

I wonder, how did this ad do with its target audience? I’m willing to bet it failed miserably. How the heck could the target audience read it? But because many clients and agencies don’t bother to build in a response mechanism or any way to track results from their advertising, do they even know? Did the agency just take the money, do whatever they wanted to do, and let it fly?

This ad was published a number of years ago. Maybe back then, companies had money to burn and didn’t give a rat’s posterior about results. “Image advertising” was hot. Or sometimes, even these days, company advertising managers want to work with a “cool” agency so the stardust will rub off on them. They like telling friends at the Club that they’re doing an ad with such-and-such “cool” agency. It’s a sign of your coolness, like letting it drop that you and Brad and Angelina lounged around your backyard pool last weekend sipping Mojitos.

Now, every company is cutting expenses to the bone, and generally, advertising is the first “frill” that gets cut. Wrong move. If you quit competing for “room in the box,” the customer’s memory banks, the other guy wins. No one should quit advertising unless they are in danger of having their lights and phone cut off. I hope, though, that this new frugality may prevent companies from throwing away money they can’t afford on ads that don’t pay them back.

“Cool” advertising, whose style and language are aimed at the wrong audience, isn’t cool at all. ‘Cause it just won’t pay the bills.

Remember “Assume makes an ass of you and me?” When sellers and buyers — of advertising or anything else — have different assumptions going into a relationship, disaster may follow. Here’s how to avoid it.

Have you ever been in this nightmarish situation?

You worked your brain to a nubbin coming up with a creative approach you were sure would work like gangbusters for the client. You presented your concept to the client with verve and enthusiasm, anticipating high-fives and praise. Then, at some point during the presentation, you noticed an expression, not of delight, but of tight-lipped anger, on your client’s face. You stumbled and stuttered through the rest of your presentation feeling like a child who is about to be banished to “the naughty step.”

When you finally sputtered to a halt, the client was angry, your concept was dead, and the dank odor of failure hung heavily in the air. Before the presentation began, you and the client were friends and comrades talking and laughing about sports or movies. Now your relationship was on the rocks. Wow. How did the situation get so bad so fast?

Quite simply, the client was expecting one thing, and you gave them something different. Your client was happily anticipating pistachio ice cream with a cherry on top, and instead, you brought garlic mashed potatoes. S/he just suffered mental whiplash, and now s/he is hurt and angry, feeling like the victim of a bait-and-switch scheme.

• “Assuming” really does make an ass of you and me.
Your client’s assumptions and yours going into the project were clearly at odds. And as it turns out, you’re the ass.

• In case you’re wondering
Yes, I have been the ass before. This article is about what I’ve learned, not what I’ve always done.

• The rules of effective advertising are so basic that we think everybody knows them.
We think if we follow those rules, the client will recognize how rational and effective our concepts are. Wrong. Many clients need education about what constitutes effective advertising, and it’s to your advantage, and theirs, to provide it, diplomatically. You’re sure, of course, that they already know all of this, but you’re just going over it to make sure everybody’s on the same page.

• Clients have ideas
During your initial discussion about a project, the client may offer some ideas about what their advertising should be like. Sometimes, those ideas are good. Often, they’re not. Your best approach is to listen respectfully and acknowledge their ideas. Maybe you even take notes and summarize what they said to show you were listening. Then, once the client feels “heard,” you can artfully turn the conversation slightly and begin to explain your operating premises. Like the goals you try to reach, and your creative approach to getting more business for your client. You need for the client to start nodding in agreement. If you can get that nod upfront, you can avoid a lot of trouble later.

Here are a few instances where you may need to do some client education:

• If your client wants to do “we”-based advertising
You must explain that effective advertising is not about what their company can do, but what it can do to help its customers meet their challenges. See my post, “Do You ‘We’ On Potential Customers?”

• If your client wants to focus on machinery
That gleaming, expensive XŒ985/OT machine they just bought is really neat and machiney-looking, but how does it help solve customers’ problems? Tell that story and forget the picture. Or use an arty close-up of some part inset in the copy. Or maybe a wallet-sized photo the client can show to envious colleagues at trade shows.

• If the client hired you just to execute their creative ideas
You may need to tactfully inform them how much more you can do than just regurgitate their ideas into print or Web vehicles. However, if you find that a wrist or a typist is really all they want, you have a choice. You can turn down the project. Or you can play the game and cash the check.

• If you educate, inform, cooperate, and produce good work, and your client still isn’t happy
Well, some people are just naturally unhappy. Maybe it has very little to do with you. Take heart and know that there are some clients out there who will appreciate all that you have to offer, and that with diligence and good referrals, you will find them.