The Question

Ask any Marketing Director in the world one question, “What’s your favorite ad?” They’ll be quick to answer – saying the ad moved them in some way. Maybe they laughed or cried or thought differently about something. But one thing is for certain – they’ll say the ad was unique. They’ll say they had never seen anything like it before and that the experience has given them a positive association with the brand.

Now ask those same Marketing Directors why they demand forgettable, ho-hum advertising from their agencies.

You’d probably get some blank stares followed by some meaningless banter about low budgets, challenging marketing objectives or differing target audiences. The excuses would come fast. Because every company feels they have unique situations. Different challenges. Fickle customers. And they’re right. They do. So do those companies who allow their agencies to do great advertising. But those companies chose to trust their advertising agencies to do their jobs. And it worked.

I can go on and on naming companies like Nike or Apple to illustrate my point. But I think you get it. And, if you’re a Marketing Director who’s getting a little angry as you read this, you really get it. Because you know you can take your company to the next level. You just have to take the first step and trust your advertising agency to help you do it.

And if your agency won’t take you there, find one that will.

There are millions of ads out there that nobody sees or remembers because they’re too safe, too generic and too boring. Is that an effective use of marketing dollars? Is that what companies want from their Marketing Directors?

Or maybe I should ask, “Is that job security?”