We Are Problem Solvers
By / / How many times have you received a brief with the medium already baked in to the assignment? We need a print ad. We bought some radio time. We come to work to solve our client’s problems. For the creative team to really be able to do our job, we need the flexibility to think independently of the medium. Matt Ingwalson already touched on the problems hidden inside each brief. But what about the problems on the surface? The first step is correctly identifying them. I’ve seen countless briefs where the goal is to drive trial. Gain new users. Increase market share. The client thinks that their problem is not enough sales. Yes, that’s a problem. And it’s a problem that great work can solve. But it’s not the problem that the creative team should be thinking about. The real problem is a little more complicated. It might be that people think that making their own pizza is too hard and doesn’t taste as good as a pizzeria. It might be that too many people think the beach is their only relaxing vacation option. Once you identify the problem, it should be up to the creative team to come up with an idea on how to solve it. And that includes the right mediums to execute your big idea. If that’s not how it works, you’re not really solving your client’s problems. You’re just completing assignments. There’s room for a creative spark on every assignment. And the better the brief, the bigger the spark.
Comments
jefflesser March 31, 2011
What you’re saying is solid.
What you’re saying is solid. Spend 5 more minutes on proof-reading so people don’t dismiss it (and so the vultures here don’t pick you apart).
Mark Stiltner March 31, 2011
Matt, everyone makes
Matt, everyone makes mistakes. I’d like to congratulate you on the hundreds of words you got right in this article. Also, it was a great read. Nice work.
Mark Stiltner March 31, 2011
And by Matt, I mean Dave.
And by Matt, I mean Dave. See, everyone makes mistakes.
Dave Fymbo March 31, 2011
Wow. Just exactly what a
Wow. Just exactly what a writer wants to avoid. Maybe I should have written an article about the importance of proofreading. Thanks for the heads up Jeff.
soojay March 31, 2011
Here’s another problem.
Here’s another problem. Verbosity. It shouldn’t take 250 words to say “It’s the creative team’s job to choose how and where the ideas are executed.” It’s hard to be concise, but it’s necessary.
anonymous March 31, 2011
It shouldn’t take 33 words to
It shouldn’t take 33 words to say, “I’m a dick.”
knightgj April 1, 2011
If you want to be a problem
If you want to be a problem solver, spend more time in that “defining the real problem” phase you breezed through. That drives the building of a message, and a great message can be successfully integrated into any medium IMO.
Are some mediums better than others? Sure. Should a message fail because it’s a print ad and not an interactive iPad app? No.
Anonymous April 1, 2011
Dave:
As a guy who’s been
Dave:
As a guy who’s been picked apart in this forum as well, let me offer you a welcome to Denver. This had a compelling idea. Don’t stop.
Jordan April 1, 2011
^^That was me, by the way.
^^That was me, by the way. Stupid login.
Mark Stiltner April 1, 2011
I’m with Jordan. I made a
I’m with Jordan. I made a typo in the first editorial I submitted to the Denver Egotist too, and I also got my assed ripped by the first comment. It’s kind of a right of passage. I look forward to your next post.
Jordan's Mom April 1, 2011
Now Jordan, you know you’ve
Now Jordan, you know you’ve always been picked on. It’s not just here, darling. {kisses and wipes the lipstick off your cheek with a wet thumb} Call your mother sometime.
Jordan April 1, 2011
Yep. If you think my mother
Yep. If you think my mother wears lipstick, maybe you should come for Passover.
Jordan's Mom April 1, 2011
The Afikomen waits for you.
The Afikomen waits for you. lil’ Jordo,
jefflesser April 1, 2011
@soojay The gold is in the
@soojay The gold is in the details. His article stated a problem, referenced another work, gave examples, and offered a solution. All of this was done in a concise fashion while getting into specific details. I thought it was a great point and well written.
I agree with the anon: It shouldn’t take 33 words to say, “I’m a dick.”
Bigheaded April 2, 2011
Youre just jealous you dont
Youre just jealous you dont work at Starz
If you did , then you might understand the need to be
Concise
The Colorado Creative Community April 4, 2011
Dear Mr. Suggett,
It’s those
Dear Mr. Suggett,
It’s those kinds of comments that reinforce your reputation as one of the biggest dickhead hacks in town. Congratulations.
Sincerely,
The Colorado Creative Community
JC Bourque April 4, 2011
Wow. Hypersensitive,
Wow. Hypersensitive, hypercritical, preening, prima donna dickheads. You don’t see those types in marketing very often.
I wish I had the time to bust people’s balls over insignificant details when they try to contribute to a community forum. But, hey, I guess I’m just too busy producing real work.
Soojay, please provide a full critique of my message. It’s only 72 words, but I feel like it’s overwritten by at least 30%.
soojay April 4, 2011
Oh no. I’m pissing people
Oh no. I’m pissing people off. I’ll be losing sleep over that tonight.
JC Bourque April 4, 2011
Work your strengths…
Work your strengths…
Observer April 4, 2011
As an outsider who’s seen a
As an outsider who’s seen a lot of soojay’s off-color comments, I have to chime in. So, here it goes.
Soojay, you’re an ass. It may take balls to write the kinds of things you do with your real name but it sure as fuck doesn’t take brains. Your comments are rude and unnecessary. Your criticism is far from constructive. Every post like the one above furthers your reputation as an asshole. A lot of assholes can get away with it because they have a killer book. But guess what? Your book is weak. You have one good campaign in there. One.
If you lose any kind of sleep tonight, it should be over the fact that there are a couple dozen 21-year-old CU Boulder kids and hundreds of other Egotist members who have much, much stronger books than you. And guess what? They’re not assholes that lurk comments to call out any little detail. Think this is the only time you’ve done it? Type “soojay” into the search bar and see the kind of results that come up.
Oh, and people aren’t pissed off. They’re calling you out for being such a know-it-all hack.
Colorado Art Director April 4, 2011
Good God, this is the problem
Good God, this is the problem with Colorado right here. As I recall, Suggett was instrumental in the campaign that took the Denver 50 People’s Choice. And he took Amelie from not just nobody’s, but a shop with a shitty reputation, into a legit shop doing decent work. He’s one of the sharpest ad guys I’ve ever met.
But because he dares to have an opinion, he gets shredded by people with some piss poor work. JC, really, your work may be real but it’s garbage. And you still took time to comment, so your whole “I’m too busy doing real work” platitude is worthless, just like the work on your site.
In my opinion, hacks don’t do good work and hide behind anonymity. But as I am hiding, that makes me one. Or maybe it’s because you can’t have a contrary opinion in this town without getting blackballed by fucktards like JC and Observer. And what exactly was rude about saying that the post should have been more concise? Have any of you worked in any real ad cities? You’d never survive if you’re getting your panties in a wad over that kind of mild jab. What a bunch of dipshits. Wah wah wah. Go suck your momma’s saggy tit.
JC Bourque April 5, 2011
Well, Colorado Art Director
Well, Colorado Art Director (not verified):
This will be my fourth post on The Egotist, ever, so I don’t think it belies my point about being busy.
You may think my work is shit—and you are entitled to your opinion—but a long chain of evidently ignorant assholes has paid me to do it for over three decades, and have considered their money at least reasonably well spent.
One of the first things that prospective clients ask me to do is critique the work of their current firm, or the one they just fired. After making a good living in this business for a long time, this is what I have learned to tell them: Without knowing the objectives, audiences, budgets, legacies, brand value, operational constraints, media options or anything else pertaining to their marketing efforts, judging my predecessor’s artwork is irresponsible and arrogant.
I have seen lots of work that I think is bad art, but without context, I can’t say whether it’s bad advertising unless I know how many widgets were sold as a result. If you are one of those Art Directors that think this business is about Art, then feel free to piss all over other people’s portfolio whenever you see something that you don’t like—or don’t understand. We are in the business of furthering our clients’ interests. If your needs as a creative person overshadow your customers’ needs to move product, then you are stealing their money.
People who contribute editorials to a forum such as this are taking their time to share their experiences and ideas with their contemporaries. If you’d like to debate and comment about the underlying ideas presented, then you, too, are contributing to the community. If you think that giving someone a load of shit about the writing style of their post is a contribution, then that is exactly the nature of my objection—and of the others posted here.
Suggett may very well be a fantastic creative—I don’t know him or his work. I don’t see how comments about someone’s brevity either add to the conversation, or even constitutes “another opinion.” Let’s stipulate that Suggett (or anyone else around here) can say the same thing in fewer words. What is the point? Is the forum a copy writing critique platform? Those of us who have commented here are objecting to unnecessary and destructive personal criticism. In Suggett’s defense, you can only come up with more—and more vile—poison.
Criticizing the delivery of an idea in this context is lazy and mean. Come out from behind your anonymous handle and let the rest of us judge your work. I dare you.
Account Man April 5, 2011
“Without knowing the
“Without knowing the objectives, audiences, budgets, legacies, brand value, operational constraints, media options or anything else pertaining to their marketing efforts, judging my predecessor’s artwork is irresponsible and arrogant.”
No, it’s not. There isn’t one consumer in the world who looks at a piece of advertising and says “I wonder if the operational constraints and media options were limited on this account? That would explain why it’s not convincing me to buy the product.”
You can view the work through the eyes of the consumer and give your honest opinion. And you should. This is the business we’re in, the back end is never an excuse when you’re a consumer.
EMT April 5, 2011
Props to JC Bourque for
Props to JC Bourque for posting under his real name. Sort of props to soojay for doing the same, minus the acting like a prick part.
Oh, and this whole debate is just plain silly.
Darryl April 5, 2011
When a brief clearly states
When a brief clearly states the intended medium, consider it a constraint in terms of how the piece is to be executed. It may not be appropriate but perhaps such deficiencies, if it is felt they color the process, reveal opportunities for creative latitude elsewhere.
Felix April 5, 2011
It’s been a while since I’ve
It’s been a while since I’ve contributed anything to this site or any of the “wonderfully light-spirited debates” that go on here, but this one was brought to my attention and I thought I’d chime in. As someone who has been the object of your hate, and love, it seems apt.
I’ll start with Soojay, while there’s still something left of him to finish off. Dude, as we know each other I will keep this civil, but you know your comment was empty and added nothing. Even if it was true, it’s not the point. My rants go on for pages, they could easily be cut down. But you would miss the finer points. Yes, we need concision, but not at the cost of the tonality or a greater message. But the biggest dickhead hack in town? You’re not even that well known, so I couldn’t put that moniker on you. There are way more people above you in the food chain. John Meyer for one.
Jeff, you have rotten taste in sweaters and cardigans. But nice beard.
JC, I took a look at your work. You’re really in no position to be calling people out. Your work is mediocre I’m afraid. If anyone would like to defend it, go ahead. I’d love to know if I’m the only one who thinks it’s the kind of work that gives Colorado a bad name. It’s real, alright. Real boring. But by all means post your best work here and prove me wrong.
Observer, you’re just full of bile, like one of those bullies in the playground that puts kicks in once the guy is already down. The point had been made, you brought nothing, just like Soojay. And as far as I can see, Soojay’s comments are 50/50 on the negative/positive front, so you’re also full of crap.
Colorado AD, you’re clearly a good friend of Soojay’s so you don’t count. But I did like the saggy tit reference.
Account Man from Crispin, 100% accurate. You should not hold back an opinion on work because you don’t know the back story. 99.9% of people who see advertising don’t know the back story. It’s no excuse for poor work JC.
And EMT. Agreed, this is all going nowhere and stopped a discussion about the actual subject matter, which is way more important. So, can we pull the plug on this once and for all now and get on with something more constructive?
For the record, this whole reply is 440 words long. Longer than the actual article. So I’m guilty of incredible verbosity.
Anyway want a new rant by the way?
M Wilde April 8, 2011
Inept Problemsolving
Inept Problemsolving
Im a Townie too April 10, 2011
Last time I checked, there
Last time I checked, there arent any major players
reading/contributing to this blog. It’s classic townie mentality.
M Wilde April 12, 2011
Well, it is the best twitter
Well, it is the best twitter blog in Denver?
There are great contributions[& that is in the eye of your highness]. Check out other cities. If you want townie mentality: go to your local steakhouse w/your family, if you can afford it, for a special occasion.
So what’s everybodies beef? Go out there & get it already! I don’t know who is so unhappy & insecure, that they have to slime somebody on the internet!
Information Provider January 11, 2012
JC is right. Good work is
JC is right. Good work is defined by the needs of the client and their business objectives. Leave art for the artists.