±±¾©Èü³µpk10

You can scarcely open a magazine at this time of year without

finding articles on ’my new year resolutions’. Like the rest of you, I

suspect, I browse them in the hope of finding something of interest,

which is rare because generally the technique is used by desperate

columnists when their copy is due way before Christmas for publication

way after Christmas - a bit like the situation I find myself in. So

here, in a new twist on an old theme, are ’my ten things you know only

too well about advertising’, the idea being that when a number of

depressing facts are grouped together it might at least prompt you lot

to try to change some of them over the next 12 months. Here goes ...

1. Awards juries are biased towards a superleague of ’elite’

agencies.

2. Few clients understand that the risks of adventurous advertising are

outweighed by the potential rewards.

3. Adspeak is used by agencies to impress/befuddle clients. ’Let’s run

it up the flagpole and see who salutes’ is not an acceptable way for

adults to communicate.

4. Too few creatives are allowed to meet clients.

5. Which is partly why clients mistrust agencies and agencies mistrust

clients.

6. While agency managers sweat over providing their clients with ’total

communications’, most agency creatives are sniffy about anything other

than a TV brief.

7. Too many clients have the power to say no, and not enough to say

yes.

8. Luvvies.

9. Virtual agencies. (RIP the RAC campaign.)

10. Some people who work in agencies are malicious liars. This final

thought is prompted, in part, by the revelation that ±±¾©Èü³µpk10 was duped

in our last issue of 1997. One of the letters published, apparently from

the head of TV at Dorlands, Barry Stephenson, turned out to be written

by someone else at the agency masquerading as him. Grovelling apologies,

Barry.