Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

One of the interesting subplots during the last couple of years of Super Bowl advertising is how well the "consumer-generated" commercials have fared against the big-budget spots created at traditional ad agencies. Last year, the "Crystal Ball" commercial for Doritos -- created and submitted online by two unemployed brothers from Indiana -- won the coveted top spot in USA Today's Super Bowl Ad Meter, which measures in real-time how much viewers like the game's ads as they air. And this year, another "homemade" Dorito's ad (featuring a dog's shock collar being put on its owner) ranked second on the Ad Meter (and garnered its Cary, North Carolina-based creators a $600,000 prize from Frito-Lay for the feat).
 
Statistical and contest measurements aside, my subjective take is that these low-budget spots stand up remarkably well next to agency-created work. But having worked at some of those large shops, I think I know why that's the case. When it comes to creativity, it's a good rule of thumb that the more people that get involved in a creative project, the worse the outcome will be. And when a client is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to have an agency create their commercial -- and another $2.5 to $3 million running it on CBS -- you can imagine how many layers of approval come into play, especially in these economic times. In the process, many of these spots end up suffering a death by a thousand cuts. The consumer-generated ads, on the other hand, get created in a relatively unfettered creative environment, and get a simple "go/no-go" call from the client on their finished product.
 
It's the classic problem of Creativity by Committee. This isn't to deny the value of collaboration, of course. But it does shed a little light on the all-too-common inverse relationship between the "stakes" of a creative project and the eventual quality of the outcome. (See: Most Hollywood movies and municipal art commissions.)
 
What's the answer? Nurturing as much trust as possible between any creative "patron" and the actual creative team. That trust is built up-front, by a proven track record on the part of the creative folks, and healthy ability to "let go" (within limits) on the part of the client. When all is said and done, creativity requires many leaps of faith. Companies who excel at spotting creative talent, then giving them room to do what they do best, will usually be happiest with the end results.

If you missed Adam Cohen's Brand Bowl insights on the WRAL noon news, you can check them out here: