I don’t recall when I first heard this sarcastic expression of frustration, but I must confess having repeated it on a few occasions: “The business would be great if it wasn’t for the clients.”
To state the obvious, the business of advertising is unlike any other. It thrives on imagination and ideas generated by creatives. This creativity, once endorsed by clients, evolves into products, services, ads, and campaigns.
The challenge within this endeavour often arises with the client. According to many creatives, clients often lack creativity. While many are good at briefing creatives, recognizing exceptional work isn't always their strong suit.
Before I go on, let me acknowledge that I’ve encountered clients with a profound sense of what is outstanding, who have even propelled creative directors to elevate their work to new heights and effectiveness. Yet, the narrative that “clients impede great work” persists.
The advertising legend David Ogilvy succinctly encapsulated this sentiment: “Don’t hire a dog, then bark yourself.”
This implies only dogs can bark. However, while most clients may not attempt the bark, they certainly recognize an exemplary one when they hear it. In fact, I’ve had clients who, despite their initial “I’m not creative, but…” disclaimer, have provided not only constructive feedback, but also enriched ideas to amplify their creativity.
In my experience, most clients seek a creative business partner akin to a companion dog. They look for a partner that uses creativity to build brands. These clients may not be artists, but they employ the creative acumen of others to connect sellers of goods, services, and causes with buyers or supporters. This interaction is transactional in every sense, including how creativity is appraised and marketed as a service by creative agencies.
Consider the great 19th century French painter and illustrator Henry de Toulouse-Lautrec, an artist who also created advertisements. His painting, “La Blanchisseuse,” fetched $22.4 million at a 2005 Christie's auction. Commissioned by the Moulin Rouge cabaret in 1889, Toulouse-Lautrec produced a series of posters, a task scoffed at by other artists. He was a part of the Post-Impressionists, a group that also included Vincent Van Gogh.
To my knowledge, Van Gogh did not create advertisements. However, he is featured in a clever and beautifully produced short film by The Association of Independent Commercial Producers to promote the 2024 AICP Awards, conceived by BBDO New York, produced by O Positive, and directed by Brian Billow.
The film underscores the difficulty of producing truly great creative work, by depicting artists who are creative solely for artistic purposes, forced to contend with the restrictions and expectations that come along with commercial creativity.
The AICP aims to honour ads that merit inclusion in the Museum of Modern Art’s Department of Films archive. It humorously highlights the obstacles faced by creatives, ie. clients and the account teams that relay their requests.
This ad, spotlighted across various online platforms, has elicited a plethora of reactions. Many commend the work as brilliant, and it has seemingly provided a nearly cathartic experience for the advertising creative class.
Yet, some critique it as “a conceptual miss,” arguing that fine art and advertising undergo entirely different forms of critique and evaluation; art doesn't sell products, making the comparison between art criticism and client feedback akin to comparing apples and oranges.
I find merit in both viewpoints.
However, I strongly oppose the notion that clients need to be set straight on the damage they can cause to great creative ideas as expressed in comments like this one: “This should be played right after the client signs the contract.” While it might elicit laughter, it could potentially send you searching for new clients. In my experience, clients do not appreciate feeling marginalized by those they hire.
Yet, we must confront an undeniable truth of the creative industry: Clients receive the advertising they deserve but, just as importantly, agencies attract the clients they merit.
Like any union, this relationship is built on a foundation of mutual aspirations—each party bringing to the table a vision for success that, when harmonized, can produce campaigns that resonate deeply and effectively.
An advertising agency, with its creative zest and strategic acumen, complements a client’s intimate understanding of their brand and market, much like partners who bring out the best in each other. This relationship thrives on respect; acknowledging each other’s strengths and graciously navigating shortcomings ensures that when challenges arise, they are met not with contention, but collaboration.
As in marriage, there's an underlying hope for longevity, prosperity, and the ability to evolve together through the ups and downs, and disagreements. It's this shared journey that turns the agency-client relationship from a mere contract, into a partnership that can stand the test of time.
