Comments on: Do you tell the client they’re wrong? http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/2010/04/20/do-you-tell-the-client-theyre-wrong/ Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:22:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: JasonTheodor.com » Blog Archive » The Delicate Art of Telling The Client They’re Wrong http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/2010/04/20/do-you-tell-the-client-theyre-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-510 JasonTheodor.com » Blog Archive » The Delicate Art of Telling The Client They’re Wrong Mon, 03 May 2010 11:49:05 +0000 http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/?p=4121#comment-510 [...] The Delicate Art of Telling The Client They’re Wrong Hello and welcome to JasonTheodor.com. If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed to stay up-to-date on the latest activity.Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress Plugin via ideacouture.com [...] [...] The Delicate Art of Telling The Client They’re Wrong Hello and welcome to JasonTheodor.com. If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed to stay up-to-date on the latest activity.Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress Plugin via ideacouture.com [...]

]]> By: jill atkinson http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/2010/04/20/do-you-tell-the-client-theyre-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-494 jill atkinson Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:42:43 +0000 http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/?p=4121#comment-494 I can't answer the competition part of this question - and it seems client or competition brief are both being asked here - but I do have an opinion regarding client briefs. If my agency team doesn't have a trusted, quality relationship with the client, and isn't able to go back to them to discuss discrepancies, research, best practices, changing paradigms etc. then I would have to say the client is working with the wrong agency. And any agency that would allow themselves to be set up for failure deserves to lose the account, because they are not doing their jobs as marketing partners. I can’t answer the competition part of this question – and it seems client or competition brief are both being asked here – but I do have an opinion regarding client briefs. If my agency team doesn’t have a trusted, quality relationship with the client, and isn’t able to go back to them to discuss discrepancies, research, best practices, changing paradigms etc. then I would have to say the client is working with the wrong agency. And any agency that would allow themselves to be set up for failure deserves to lose the account, because they are not doing their jobs as marketing partners.

]]> By: Patrick Glinski http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/2010/04/20/do-you-tell-the-client-theyre-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-488 Patrick Glinski Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:09:05 +0000 http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/?p=4121#comment-488 Actually, we had Chinese food :) I recognize that the "process" from a competition isn't necessarily a reflection of more traditional client interactions, but when responding to an RFP, it's pretty easy to be put in this same situation. In this case, there were actually three options: 1. Follow the brief, 2. Break the brief, or 3. Run away. 15 total submissions in the competition, but it kind of makes you wonder how many people bounced after they looked through the brief. I'm in the 2 or 3 camp myself (depending on the situation). There is no way a project will be successful if the team working on it doesn't believe in what they're doing, and there is no benefit for anyone in doing work that is being set up for failure. Actually, we had Chinese food :)

I recognize that the “process” from a competition isn’t necessarily a reflection of more traditional client interactions, but when responding to an RFP, it’s pretty easy to be put in this same situation.

In this case, there were actually three options: 1. Follow the brief, 2. Break the brief, or 3. Run away. 15 total submissions in the competition, but it kind of makes you wonder how many people bounced after they looked through the brief.

I’m in the 2 or 3 camp myself (depending on the situation). There is no way a project will be successful if the team working on it doesn’t believe in what they’re doing, and there is no benefit for anyone in doing work that is being set up for failure.

]]> By: Bruce http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/2010/04/20/do-you-tell-the-client-theyre-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-487 Bruce Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:50:06 +0000 http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/?p=4121#comment-487 Forgive me for my speculation, but it seems obvious to me that you disagreed with the chosen winner. It also seems obvious to me that the judges HAD to chose a winner that answered the brief versus one that didn't for the sole reason that Sympatico sponsored the show and probably paid for the shitty sandwiches that you ate while arguing. My condolences to the mis-guided soles that were brave enough to challenge the brief. Being right is not always the best way to win. If you can't speak directly to the client to challenge the brief and set a new strategy then you're left with little choice but to work from their brief. Forgive me for my speculation, but it seems obvious to me that you disagreed with the chosen winner. It also seems obvious to me that the judges HAD to chose a winner that answered the brief versus one that didn’t for the sole reason that Sympatico sponsored the show and probably paid for the shitty sandwiches that you ate while arguing.
My condolences to the mis-guided soles that were brave enough to challenge the brief. Being right is not always the best way to win. If you can’t speak directly to the client to challenge the brief and set a new strategy then you’re left with little choice but to work from their brief.

]]> By: Barry http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/2010/04/20/do-you-tell-the-client-theyre-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-484 Barry Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:51:52 +0000 http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/?p=4121#comment-484 Your clients are never wrong :) Your clients are never wrong :)

]]> By: M http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/2010/04/20/do-you-tell-the-client-theyre-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-483 M Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:15:05 +0000 http://www.ideacouture.com/blog/?p=4121#comment-483 It's especially difficult in this situation because you can't talk through your submission ideas for change in great detail - you simply submit and wait. Also for this competition, no mention was made that the client was open to changing their product. The challenge of the brief was to develop a creative answer within the constraints of the real world. I think you have to stick with the creative that answered the brief within the constrains. ... I mean we could all sell more widgets if only the client would listen to our vision for their product/service right? It’s especially difficult in this situation because you can’t talk through your submission ideas for change in great detail – you simply submit and wait. Also for this competition, no mention was made that the client was open to changing their product. The challenge of the brief was to develop a creative answer within the constraints of the real world. I think you have to stick with the creative that answered the brief within the constrains.

… I mean we could all sell more widgets if only the client would listen to our vision for their product/service right?

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