Sacrificing standards at the altar of low prices
May 28, 2007If you didn’t read Gavin Bennet’s excellent article in the Sunday Nation (28th May, 2007), go and do it now.
How many times has a client service wimp told you that the client will never buy an ad because it is too expensive?
How many times have you caved in (against your better judgement) and done a “cheaper” ad?
How many times has the cheaper ad looked cheap?
How many times has the client been displeased with the cheaper ad?
How many times has the cheaper ad damaged your client’s image?
How many times has the client taken their business elsewhere as a consequence of their disappointment with the agency?
Still think it was cheaper?
Someone in our agency opened my eyes as far as relating with Client goes. She said that first and foremost Agencies should run their business as a business and not a “let-us-make-client-happy-all-the-time” organization.
When you go to a Doctor, lawyer and architect you don’t bargain with the prices because you know your health, freedom and home require the best. Same way client should be made to realize that we are the experts and that we want the best for their Corporate/Brand image.
But I have a feeling it’s been tried before and failed miserably. Maybe one day….
Off to read the article.
Never ever start work unless the creative brief includes a budget.
If your idea exceeds the budget, be creative and find a way to get the client to love the idea so much they’ll find the money.
Failing that, be really creative and have great ideas that rely on the quality of thinking, not a big budget.
I agree with Stan Lee on that one. Plus it’s Kenya, it’s easier for a needle to enter the eye of a camel than client to approve the budget you need. On the other hand, a low-res image on a full page newspaper ad (Telkom Kenya ads) is worse than tacky. I can bet Agency tried to get them do a photo shoot or buy stock but client would rather save a few bob for something more important than marketing. Ha!
Where did my comment go?