While I was running New Media Edge, a continuing frustration for me was that we always had to turn out compromised work.  Advertising’s conceit is that it gets to turn out quick, high impact ideas with a good-sized media budget.  Advertising people strut around saying ‘we know what people like’ and ‘we know what people respond to.’  And for the most part, they do.

Clients on the other hand make decisions on what agency to work with based upon experience.  Heck, they make the decision TO work with an agency with the clear understanding that there are things they (client) do not know, and need someone else (agency) to explain for them.  This is the way the world should work.

However, anyone in advertising has to realize that the client will always override the decisions of the agency.  This is not an exception.  This is one of the core rules of engagement, and anyone who thinks differently is in for a rude awakening.

Advertising is a services industry, which ultimately means that we are not in control of the work that puts out.  We have a lot of input, but the responsibility of what comes out is the client’s.   It is their  brand that is printed on the advertising, and ultimately, good or bad advertising is confirmed or driven by them.

And there are many times where the client and the agency disagree.  The client will say that the agency doesn’t understand the brand, or the point of the campaign.  The agency might say the client is being too blunt with their message, or worse, just boring.  But at the end of the day, the client will always win.

It is not the client’s job to try and convince the agency, but instead the agency’s job to try to convince the client.  The client’s duty is to give the agency enough time to explain its position, and to try and convince the client.  If the agency manages to convince the client, then everyone is happy.  However, most conflict ends with the agency unable to convince the client, and the agency walks away feeling ill-used and frustrated.

Which is probably the unhealthy way to look at it.  It’s something that has affected me a lot, and I have tried to convince client’s to do the right thing.  Of course, the “right thing” is “my thing,” which establishes that the client POV is the “wrong thing.”

Both sides ultimately want what’s best for the campaign, but I often think the way we go about these discussions is fundamentally flawed.