Category Archives: something had to be said

No, The Client Is Not Always Right.

Written by Bryan Jones. Filed under something had to be said. Tagged , , , , , . 14 Comments.

Why does it feel so wrong to say the client is not always right? Take a job in advertising, and if you don’t learn this fact by the end of your first month, you are probably too much of a people pleaser and you should move on to another career. I’m not trying to be caustic, it really would be for your own good.

When it comes to their business objectives and goals, the client is most definitely right – except for when they’re not right there either, and in those cases Darwin’s Law seems to work things out. The role of a marketer is to help the client achieve their goals through strategic creative executions. (As I typed that last line, In my head I could hear John Cleese reading it aloud with his mocking tone, chastising me for falling into MBA speak.) Read More »

Why Social Media Marketing Is Not For You

Written by Bryan Jones. Filed under something had to be said. Comments Off.

Play Along. Play Nice.

Here is the modern version of advertising’s dirty little secret: Social media marketing is not for you. OK, that is not entirely accurate – let me temper the statement a bit: Most likely, social media marketing is not for you. It is time to put the brakes on the rush to go social – at least it should be, but with the projections of companies increasing their their investment in social media marketing by 34% over the next five years, such a pause for a reality break is not likely.

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Indirect Authenticity

Written by Bryan Jones. Filed under something had to be said. Tagged , , , . Comments Off.

Waggener Edstrom flack Frank Shaw confirms that Microsoft is not going on with Seinfeld, and echoes his underlings’ spin that the move was planned. There is the “potential to do other things” with Seinfeld, which Shaw says is still “possible.” He adds: “People would have been happier if everyone loved the ads, but this was not unexpected.” unexpected.” (via Valleywag)

And with that, the Microsoft/Seinfeld/CP+B party has been canceled. During the campaign’s brief life there was quite a bit of angst over the disconnect between the company’s identity and the image presented in the episodic commercials. Now, though accidentally, Microsoft has reconnected the presentation with their true persona: Big Budget/Big Hype/Big Fail.

Just as Vista slipped off the stage to a cavalcade of cat calls, Jerry and Bill have left the building.