Lessons from a Long Career -- Part Two

The March column was about respect for others39 expertise and recognizing that noone not even you can be an expert in everythingThis time the theme is curiosity and the benefits of being curiousBe curious about your particular specialism take the time and trouble to discover what others are doing or saying about the latest trend the newest techniques This applies even in fact especially if their views differ from yoursSo far so obviousAdrian Vickers one of the founders of that great agency AMV once said that one of the best things about being in advertising was the freedom to be able to suggest anything however random to the client who trusts you without having to take the ultimate responsibility for actually making the decision to do itYes we are all accountable Yes we all have bonuses and PRIP schemes But those things are really about justifying or being penalized when something you do doesn39t come off That39s different from actually deciding to do the thing in the first placeThe point is The more you know the more relevant your offthewall ideasMark Palmer in a comment on last week39s post on the new breed of media entrepreneurs put this very well He suggested that one reason for these guys39 successes is quotAll of them amp8230 lean forward and are bothered about understanding their client39s businessquotWe39re in the privileged position of being asked for our opinion and advice We39re listened to because we have views considered to be of valueHow can that be if you haven39t bothered to find out all that you can about what it is the client does what makes his business tick or stumble and what constitutes the art of the possibleMcDonald39s always used to insist that their agency teams spent time working in a restaurant they may very well still do this I hope they do For those in management the time was a week for the direct client team it was four weeks Noone in the restaurant besides the manager knew what we were there to do nor did we tell them We were simply shortterm helpIt was a brilliant way to learn not only how hard the staffers work and what they think about their jobs but also the practicalities and I speak from experience You wouldn39t be quite so quick to suggest multiple Happy Meal promotions if you39ve spent time working out where to store the bits and pieces and how long it takes to box a setThe art of the possible is also about ambition Procter and Gamble once asked Carat to put together a team we weren39t then a PampampG agency to come to their European HQ to present to them on what we saw as the key trends impacting the media business over the coming yearsquotWe39ve enjoyed a competitive advantage in media over the last 30 years how do we maintain that for the next 30quot was the modest briefAfter the presentation we went to lunch Tell me said the senior PampampG guy what are the implications for us of these new satellite channels I remember wittering on about media stuff when to consider this or that channel how to measure audiences and concerns over what we would now call brand safetyNo said the client what I meant was how do we rent one What programs should we make or commission Should we resurrect PampampG Productions What would the commercial model look likeMy understanding of their ambition was all wrongThe lesson is to understand the client39s business and take every chance to spend time with them doing what they do away from talking about the minutiae of media and marketingBe curious Your clients deserve it and your career will thank you for itClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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Lessons from a Long Career -- Part Two

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Brian Jacobs

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Lessons from a Long Career -- Part Two

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