Butz's Grumbling: Do You Learn Anything from Grumbling?
Complaining and grumbling isn't really in my nature. But since Pierre Meier encouraged me to grumble three years ago, I've not only had a lot of fun doing it, but I've also learned quite a bit.
What we’re talking about today: If you’re a professional critic who has to watch and evaluate commercials every day, there’s no getting around all the junk out there. Advertising airtime, for example, is unfortunately too often wasted or worn out by too many repeats, which turns the intended effect into a negative one.
To reiterate: 90 percent of advertising falls flat. Either the message is too complicated, too long, or placed in the wrong medium at the wrong time—all for a lot of money. I’ve already discussed many examples and pointed out the flaws in various advertising messages. I know I reach a lot of readers, but why isn’t anyone listening to me? It’s so simple. To convince someone of your cause or the benefits you offer, you first have to communicate that message clearly, and if you want to make it even more impactful, you need to present it in a creative and memorable way. That can’t be that hard. But apparently, there are problems.
My theory: The client doesn’t understand the advertisers, and vice versa. There’s a gap between the client and the advertising agency or a design team. The client doesn’t have a clear idea of what they want to convey to consumers through advertising. While they do have an idea, they can’t articulate it clearly in a briefing. The agencies’ consultants or account executives then meet with this client. They, too, don’t fully understand what’s in the briefing. But they’re determined to land this job. After all, it’s about income. The creative team is subsequently informed about the new assignment and tasked with coming up with something original yet appropriate. A re-briefing could undermine the relationship with the client. In the end, an ad is produced that the account managers can present to the client as the optimal solution. The consumer doesn’t understand a word of it and switches channels.
The solution to breaking this vicious cycle would be to introduce an intermediary. A neutral party who could serve as a link between both the client and the creative team. I’ve personally overseen a project like this before and found that it led to a more focused, stress-free dialogue for both the client and the agency. Stress is the worst possible starting point. Joy must prevail. As Ogi used to say. Happy holidays.
The highlight of the week is that we're on winter break until January 17.
Theophil Butz, graphic designer, advertising agency owner, source of inspiration, and—for the past three years—also a complainer for *Werbewoche* readers. Please send relevant information to [email protected]
