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11 agency buzzwords you need to know

Sean X Cummings
Media Planning & Buying Posted on March 28, 2012
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Crowd sourcing

"You are either not giving us the budget we need to pull off anything useful, or you are giving us way too much budget and are dumb enough not to fear the consumer. In either case, we have pity on you. I should only have to utter the words 'Chevy Tahoe' and you should go running for the hills. We may say 'crowd sourcing,' but you should hear 'crowd slapping.' All crowd sourcing means is that instead of us coming up with ideas, you are going to put your brand in the hands of the great unwashed masses. Yes, advertising in not rocket science, but it is a scientific art of influence. Yes, everyone thinks that they can make a better commercial or campaign: 'Oh, oh, I know, you should have a commercial that (insert insanely lame pun here).' We do not walk into your company and tell your CFO to invest in gold. Why do you continually believe you have great ideas? If you did, you would be an ad agency, not a client.

If we are advising you to crowd source something, we are not worth the money you are paying us. Essentially, we have admitted we are out of ideas, and if you are saying we should do it, then you do not trust us to come up with ideas, and you have no idea how much damage the crowd can do to your brand."

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Comments

Andrew Boer
Andrew Boer March 30, 2012 at 8:11 PM

Sean,

You warned that it was going to be cynical and it was. At no time did I find it unethical, disturbing, twisted, or disrespectful. I liked it. As curmudgeons go, Wendy may have you beat.

Sean X
Sean X March 28, 2012 at 5:26 PM

Thank you for the feedback Wendy. I am a curmudgeon sometimes. I say what is often in people's shadows. I have worked with, and been a part of some amazing organizations. The vast majority of people are trying to do their best for the client, however, there are often times when agencies continue to run into truly frustrating and clueless clients.

There are also countless arrogant agencies who understand nothing about how their clients actual organizations function. Some of them are considered the most well respected, and most creative agencies on the planet. However, they also tend to attract certain personality types.

For those who seek to be knowledgable about their business and marketing on the client end they will read this and laugh. For those who are insecure they will be paranoid (but they already were.) For agencies or clients that treat each other with respect they will be a bit offended and sad (as you were.) And for those agency personnel who have had these thoughts but are not comfortable with themselves they will get outraged and insolent because they are ashamed they have those thoughts (I have had those responses.)

In the end it is about a relationship. If you have a great one then keep it. If you do not, seek to make that relationship great.

Wendy Storey
Wendy Storey March 28, 2012 at 2:29 PM

This could almost be funny. But it's not. Sad that you have so little respect for your clients or for the profession. You've clearly worked with some unethical organizations in your past. In my experience, most agencies (I've worked for a few) have their client's budgets, business objectives, political culture, customers in mind when they are proposing business solutions. There are some grains of truth here, but it is so twisted and disturbing looking at it through your view of the industry. I don't agree with a lot of it, and see the industry in a much more positive light. And btw, you misspelled herd under Cool hunting when you reference "heard of buffalo."