Creative Differences.

Those two words are often what you hear when a band or musical partnership parts ways.

It is also why a lot of brands/clients sever ties with agencies/creative firms, they claim that the creative work is not getting the results they expected so they go looking elsewhere for new creative thinking. They're having creative differences.

But whose fault is it? After all there are two sides to every story.

It may seem strange but in a communications based business a lack of communication is often the reason things go awry.

The business is not exactly rocket science, although many would like you to think it is.

Clients need work that gets results and most want work they can be proud to have their brand attached to.

Creative firms want to produce creative work they are proud of that gets results for their clients.

Both seem to be on the same page.

But the problem can often be that many clients don't get exposed to as much fresh new creative work as the people in the agency do so it can be hard for them to judge what is good and what is not.

So when a client kills an idea it may not be about anything more than uncertainty, what they are seeing is so alien to them that they are not sure what to do with it. Meanwhile the creative people return to their offices and start to hurl expletives around about the sheer stupidity of the client.

But who is really at fault for this? Well, to be honest, in most cases it is the creative firm/agency.

Clients managing brands have a lot more to do than only look at new creative work presented to them from their creative partners in an often hurried meeting. They have a brand to run, ever shrinking budgets to manage, very defined marketing objectives to meet, an anxious CMO, countless meetings to attend, and then deal with their creative partners.

So the onus falls directly in the lap of the purveyors of the creative work to show their clients what is happening in the marketplace, what is fresh, what is engaging, and what is possible. Help make it easier for them to like your work. That should be part of your job.

People in creative firms paw over great work and inspiration on a daily basis, their clients do not. Creative people know where to look, most clients do not. Help them.

Why not collate the best work in the market and have a regular evening of drinks, food, and creativity with your clients? Show them what excites and inspires you. Bring them into your world. Oh, and don't make it only about your agency/network's work, be brave enough to show them the best of the best from anywhere.

Also, please, please, please don't just show them 'ads'. Show them inspirational creativity, such as brilliant short films, maybe a great documentary or branded documentary, art, art that blends with commerce, amazing animation work, as well as any other great branded communications and ads.

How about setting up a blog of sorts that is password protected that shares all of this work and the client can browse through it over a coffee, regularly. Keep them engaged with and connected to great work, the same work that inspires you and your team.

And ask them what they like, see what gets them excited, tap into where their heads are at to help you better understand them...this is a relationship after all.

The Client/Creative Firm relationship is a team effort and a partnership. There is no time nor use for an 'us and them' mentality. You're in it together so you need to work together.

Creative types do tend to live in a bubble at times and all too often we expect everyone to understand what we do and why we do it and why we're so passionate about what we do. But life doesn't work like that. I'm yet to meet a client, or anyone else for that matter, who is a mind reader. My own Mother doesn't even understand what I do, and it's been 25 years now.

Don't be like the band. Don't let the fact that the bass player likes The Beatles but the guitarist likes Slayer cause a split. Everyone looks at creative work through a different lens. But it is not impossible to have a Beatles fan like Slayer and vice versa...stranger things have happened.

So the next time you present a concept that shows a rabbit flying out of a donkey's butt while a monkey is playing death metal on a ukelele maybe do some relationship building beforehand, well beforehand, so as the client is already inside your creative head and applauds the idea instead of showing you the door and slamming it on your butt on the way out.

Rodd Chant

I'm a Creative Director / Writer / Strategist / Thinker and a bit more. I work with clients/brands directly and with agencies and production companies. I also teach creative thinking and idea generation to groups and individuals. You can read more of my LinkedIn musings here. You can also find me on Twitter,  Instagram and on Facebook. Or drop me an email – [email protected]

#creativity #creative #creativecareers #creativetalent #inspiration #ideas #advertising #creativethinking #innovation #ideageneration #brands #marketing #cmo