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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The revolution will not be advertised.

The revolution will not make the account manager choose the clients over his colleagues. It will not make him say ‘yes’ to pretty much everything concluded by the client. It will not make him add a few more slides just to make the presentation look more credible. It will not make him do contact reports that will not hold the client accountable anyway. It will not make him sell ideas he does not believe in. It will not make him resort to MLM just to make ends meet.

The revolution will not make the designers become overworked drones. It will not make them take in the comments of art directors, copywriters and account managers, and then listen to none. It will not make them wish they’d listened to their parents and study accounting instead. It will not make them do freelance in the little time they have because they’re severely underpaid. It will not make them choose a competitor’s product just to spite the client when making a purchase.

The revolution will not make the advertising or direct marketing or interactive agency a marketing errand firm. It will not allow clients to judge creative work based on personal preference instead of the common marketing good. It will not make agencies spoil the market with ridiculously low prices just to get the job. It will not make the agency to pitch for a job without a pitch fee as prescribed by AAAA. It will not make advertising professionals among the least trusted professions in the world.

The revolution will not be advertised, because the revolution is alive. And it will not end with this post, as the revolution is in you.

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Love for the brand seems suicidal

Do clients realise what they are doing? Do they know the kind of repercussion it has when they set a ridiculous deadline? Don’t they know that the agency/client relationship is a two-way lane?

Are they doing it intentionally? Those irrational amendments, the last minute change of direction and the sudden additional information that screws up the whole layout. Are those petty, trivial, tiny, obscure comments to show whose in-charge even necessary?

Okay, just for the benefit of the doubt. Clients do have loads on their plates too. ROI, reports, post mortems, justification, analysis, sales, meetings, bosses, big bosses and many more responsibilities to shoulder. But does that give them the right to take it out on agencies.

Yes, we’ve heard of the customer/client is always right adage. But we do not sell a product and then forget about it. We are in the consultancy business, which often means full-time involvement. We’re in it for the long run, to grow together, to share the ups and downs… to essentially be a part of the brand.

It is that difficult to realise that we, the agency folks, are consumers too? We eat, buy clothes, go to the mall, own cars, get married, buy a house, plan finances, invest, have children, travel and do pretty much everything ‘civilian’ consumers do. We have our needs, wants and aspirations too. We, the marketing errand boys are in effect clients of our clients, now or perhaps in future.

If we start hating a particular client, we start to hate their brand. This kind of hate, is usually the one that lasts a lifetime. Even the brands we used to like suddenly doesn’t appeal to us anymore. And if we hate a particular brand, how on earth can we make others adore it?

Please guys, give us due respect. Nobody likes to be told how to do their job. Yes, we may screw up occasionally, but it’s part of the leaning process. We really, genuinely want the finest for your brand. If possible, we want to be in love with your brand: to honour, understand and cherish it. If we work for a brand we love, it means you’re getting the best from us.

Let’s make some love shall we?

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