If in doubt, give it the overnight test

There is a saying my creative director had way back. He said ‘if you ever had an inkling that the creative was not right, give it the overnight test’. That’s exactly what we used to do. We would hang the artwork on the wall, and examine it the next day.

Writing a proposal or a difficult email late at night can benefit from the overnight test too. Creatives tend to practice this more than client service. With fresh eyes the following morning, you see more objectively.

When you are tired, or distracted, it is easy for the meaning of an email or an idea to become distorted. It is better to delay sending until you have had time to review it the next day.

Delaying sending it can avoid the necessity of apologising and re-writing a new one.

To conduct an overnight test, leave proposals on your desktop, and emails in your draft folder. In the morning you can correct ambiguous explanations, and remove any tone which may be misinterpreted.

This practice backs-up the idea of doing less, but doing it better. By getting it right the first time, you conserve energy and save yourself the time repeating the task.

Vision, first and foremost

Having a vision is what drives results. Vision is foresight to see beyond the hurdles and distractions of now, to what is possible and necessary tomorrow.

To develop a vision, client service need to deeply understand the nature of their client’s business, and the behaviour of their customers. They have to not only come up with an idea, but simulate how it would fly in the face of reality.

Creating a vision requires experience, reflection and conviction. It should come from a person who is closest to the Client, as they are the most motivated to see the project succeed.

Client service need to believe with their hearts and minds in the vision. They shouldn't be precious - instead sharing their vision with many colleagues and laypersons to get feedback.

Once the Client and others in the Agency have bought into
the vision, it becomes a matter of maintaining it through to execution.

This is easier than it sounds. Production is complex, and there are issues which arise not considered before. To overcome these problems and not cut corners requires discipline, and an inbuilt guidance system to check decision-making is inline with the vision.

Protecting the vision from erosion is paramount. The trick is to place a perimeter around what is fundamental, and then guard it viciously. You must be clear on what can and cannot be compromised.

Taking ownership and becoming custodian of the vision may make you unpopular in the short term. However this approach in the long run will reduce the number of client revisions, and make the most of the Agency’s creative people.

Clients don’t engage Agencies to prove they can produce a television commercial, or a website for that matter. They are paying for a vision, and the results which come from a vision.

Client service are doing everyone a favour each time they remind themselves and others of this often forgot truth.