On Good Salesmen

I recently had a short talk with an account from (luckily) another agency, she asking me why I never considered a job like hers. Before I even could answer she already answered that with another question: “Is it because you’re afraid you would lose a client?” … WTF!? … I never even considered that being an option among the idea that a career as an account manager simply does not serve my interests or even qualifications. I was stunned that this was considered an option, perhaps even THE option and goal for her and I think it showed what’s wrong nowadays how a lot of agencies are being run and operated. We’re going backwards.

One of the many reasons why advertising became so booming in the sixties and following decades is because you had a shift in leadership and client relations. Creatives were sick and done with the fact accounts would take all the credit for winning over a new client “Because they both play golf on Sunday”, while the creative masterminds were left behind in the shadows with their ideas and accomplished work that proved to be effective. In those days, lots of brilliant creatives also left that ‘business oriented’ environment to start their own agency, where they could pull the strings themselves and prove good work sells. And it’s most of those agencies that proved their success by still being the leading ones today.

But I think we’re slowly growing away from those brilliant days again. Because campaigns are simply not one print advertisement or TVC anymore; 360 campaigns require a lot of different and varied angles, talent and people to make everything work and fit together. Because everybody is so busy contributing his part to the big puzzle, client relations suffer. And so, bigger responsibility comes into the hands of accounts (again). Don’t understand me wrong: I have nothing against accounts or their job. I think I would terribly suck at it myself. But I do feel we need more people in the industry that know how advertising and creativity work precisely. Who are not driven by a fear losing a client or a relation, but driven by the same passion the Creative Director has for the work the entire team has worked on. And out of that passion, good and persuasive selling skills can grow and develop. We need more accounts that don’t think individually their job depends on how the client thinks of the agency or even their own position; but think in a team spirit how the agency thinks of the client. And how we can help them grow and become better.

I do am optimistic. In those Mad Men days, an ad agency was more than simply producing advertisements for them; they were the entire communication consultancy for a company. One company: one agency – and everything that had to deal with the tone of voice of an industrial HQ, the ad men were there to help you to bring something human inside and outside. I think we can go back to those days. While the online world and communication is taking over and changing our entire way of interacting with each other at such a rapid speed; companies will need again one strong leader and opinion maker who consults them and is highly engaged with the knowledge of how to communicate at your best today and tomorrow. Since the world is becoming globally so connected and a lot more complicated; companies will need highly effective agencies to keep up with the world, the communication, the people and everything that comes along with that, as they will be too busy looking over the markets that are intriguing and challenging the status quo anywhere possible.

Time for agencies to prove themselves worth again …