The Age of Creative Clients

Nowadays, anyone can claim creativity.  What with technology and all, everyone's exposed to every inspiration, every trend, and everyone has a fair share at dipping their fingers in the cookie jar of bright advertising ideas.  Everyone can claim brilliance.  After all, creativity isn't something you learn at the university.  It's something you're born with.  Or, for some, something you pick up.

Makes you wonder if you still have the right to the title 'Creative', huh?

On the good side, this is what gives your client the privilege to throw their own concepts and executions on the table.  Brainstorming will happen.  Ideas --no matter how ridiculous-- are tossed around.  And you learn that your client knows her product well and the output will be productive.

On the bad side, this is also what gives the client the so-called right to mandate concepts and executions.  You'll hear lines like, "I saw this neat ad by so and so in London and I want to do the same thing but a little different." or "This new video by hot sexy singer like this and that is a great treatment for my material." or "There's this funny clip on YouTube!  Let's do that!"

Your job now is to curb client's overenthusiasm.  To keep her new lease on creativity in line.  Is her plan strategic?  Or just a whimsical attempt at grandeur?  There is no point in shooting down her ideas on the get-go.  First, that's called bullying and it will hurt her feelings.  Second, she could be on to something.  The Eureka moment isn't monopolized by you, you know.  Time to keep the ego in the back pocket for a while and hear her out.

Now, if her ideas suck, that's when you tell her nicely and back it up with a good one.  Build from what she suggested.  Create an original based on her 'copied' nugget.
Now, if her idea is beyond awesome and far better than anything you could've come up with in your entire career as a true blue Creative Person --take it and laud her.  Sincerely.  And then quietly vow to yourself that THAT would never happen again.  :P

Comments

  1. And that my dear friend is the reason why I thoroughly enjoyed my working experience with you. Dakila ka, RaketChick!

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