Oh hell - I've just gone and solved the problem the wrong way.

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When misunderstanding can be good « Happily Misunderstood

When misunderstanding can be good « Happily Misunderstood — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:21:54 GMT

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Why misunderstanding each others can be good « Happily Confused

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re: Oh hell - I've just gone and solved the problem the wrong way.

steve booth — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:31:40 GMT

hey Rory,

You make me feel a bit thick. I didn't think about where to put the sign (at the squash court exit of course!), but then I didn't think very hard. But I do ask this...

Why not have everyone shower before they go in the pool?

Why force the sweaty squash players to shower? Isn't the pool chlorinated anyway? And don't we all know what some people do in the pool?

What about the squash players that are so good they don't even break a sweat when they win? Is it only the sweaty ones... and how sweaty?

Sounds like I better not try getting a corporate job I guess. :) steve booth

Oh hell - I’ve just gone and solved the problem the wrong way. - Rory Sutherland’s Blog - Blogs - Brand Republic « I’ll get to it in a minute

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:27:17 GMT

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re: Oh hell - I've just gone and solved the problem the wrong way.

John Baker — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:50:24 GMT

This is a great post Rory. Amazing how a simple story can illuminate so many things that are crazy in our industry. And very true.

Just one comment -- isn't part of the problem that the process? It is all so compartmentalized and serial.

in fact managing a creative process as a "client to planner to creative --> solution!" seems about as collaborative as Mr. Ford's original Model T assembly line. And about as iterative as well.

A bit like a lot of our agencies, he figured out how to make cheap, quality cars. The challenge is today everyone needs a different type of car to get where they are going which really messes up the process and forces us to rethink everything.

re: Oh hell - I've just gone and solved the problem the wrong way.

Leo Rayman — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:16:17 GMT

One of the most lucid and jargon-free posts I've ever read about integrated marketing communications. I love the story as the way in - must be the copywriter training coming out again.

My question is whether you think responsibility for changing the current structures that prevent this kind of thinking lie primarily with the clients, or their agencies? It's chicken and egg I know, but where's best to start?

For me, part of the answer lies in having a good Planner as strategic partner to the client. They must identify and answer the problem, without feeling duty-bound to always sell their own agency's product. Keeping the client's best interests at heart seems like the place to start. (It's also I believe what good service is about right?)

re: Oh hell - I've just gone and solved the problem the wrong way.

AdLand Suit — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:36:39 GMT

This reminds me of the old Ogilvy story of recommending to a North American forestry company that they spend their money on planting trees, rather than on press ads to tell people how nice they were. If I remember correctly, they went a different way too, did they not? There really is nothing new out there.