(as the saying goes) …Shit.

So, after all the partying, hangovers, reminiscing and resolutions; we are greeted by the daily grind.

In advertising, that means more last minute rush jobs, late nights, over-the-weekend special bonuses and new business pitches. No one said it was going to be easy, but I think we addies somehow enjoy the pain.

Here’s to another year of adver-chaos, no matter where you are. But for us in Boleh-land, don’t worry, CNY is just round the corner. You just got to love Malaysia sometimes!

Possibly what you can expect all over again this year, thanks to Advergirl:

Suddenly, on a late Friday afternoon..

But, but... it's the weekend?

All hands, heads, legs on deck!

Who's paying the pizza guy?

And they actually bought it; really?

Wasted effort, or strong initiative?

Here are the real secrets why the agency that developed the Facebook pages charged such a ridiculous amount…

1. Because the client only opens 1 counter during peak hours
2. Because the client went for coffee at 10.45am, then lunch at 1pm and the tea at 3.45pm
3. Because they had to complete Borang FB/003/11, Borang FB/112/14A and submit along with photocopies of their IC, Audited Accounts and Birth Certificate
4. Because the system was downlah!
5. Because the Person in Charge Cuti Bersalin

The question is why they like to throw our money down the drain?

6.   Because the Nombor Giliran for today has finished
7.   Because this issue can only settle in Putrajaya
8.   Because the approval process takes at least 2 to 4 weeks
9.   Because someone wore a short-sleeve blouse

And the top reason why it cost 1.8 million for 6 Facebook pages *Drumroll*

10. Because each e-mail sent and received cost the agency 50 sen

If I had to go through all of the above, I’d freaking charge 2 million… per page! But for my dear readers, I’ll do it for RM59.95… interested?

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This is it. I found the freaking jackpot. Experiments that confirm what I have believed all along. All those times clients picked apart creative options and tried to make them into 1 rojak creative, now I know why!

Because they couldn’t decide which creative option to choose.

Quick! Don't think, just choose a rojak...

In advertising, giving clients design or copy options is the norm. It shows that the agency takes the initiative to provide choices, and that we’re not a bunch of lazy arses force-feeding one single idea to the client.

But it turns out, providing too many options, actually makes the client decision much harder to make. Consider these studies conducted, excerpted from Chip and Dan Heath’s book Switch!

Study 1: at a Gourmet food store

On a sampling table, 6 different jams are on showcase for free tasting by customers. The next day, 24 types of jams were on display. As expected, the 24-jam display attracted more customers. But when it came time to buy; shoppers who saw only 6 jams were 10 time more likely to buy.

Study 2: on a speed-dating night

Singles meet one-on-one, spending about 5 minutes with each person. The result? Young adults who meet eight other singles make more matches that those who meet twenty!

This is called Decision Paralysis where too many choices make making a decision much harder than usual. I guess the key words here is ‘too many’, we can’t help but weigh in all the options presented to us. One or two options (at most) are still fine I’m sure.

Well now we know what “Less Is More” really means. While people like having choices, they hate weighing those options to make a decision, probably for fear of making the wrong choice.

So think about all those times that you found it hard to make a choice. Were there too many options?

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