Why do agencies wait for briefs?

Ever wondered why agencies aren’t as creative as they should be? Ever stopped to think why an agency can produce dull work and then make a fantastic pitch? Ever been really impressed by a start-up?It’s not difficult. The client brief / agency response / client feedback scenario is not inspiring – and can lead to a really tedious game of table tennis. Of course a client needs to brief its agencies carefully. Equally the agency has to be disciplined in the way it develops creative work in response. But that shouldn’t mean that the agency ONLY works reactively. There’s no rule that says that agencies can’t be proactive. You can’t win a pitch unless you are – however tight the brief. And start-ups have so little business to begin with that they create all sorts of ideas on spec. I blame the wretched people hours remuneration system. Because time sheets are the basis of agency charging, we have fallen into the trap of believing that unbillable hours are a crime. Most of the best ideas in history were thought up by clever people in their own time. Very few were commissioned to order.  If you come up with a really brilliant creative idea, find someone to sell it to. Might be a client. Might be a prospect you’re pitching to. Might be a company or an individual you’ve never met. Think about it, and get selling. The payback will come later. 

Why don't agencies sell problem-solving?

Big ideas. 360º. Red hot service in 47 markets. Digital at the heart of the agency. A complete campaign ready-to-run within 6 weeks of the pitch. A saving of 20% on what you are paying now. We’ll create a completely new agency for you. Try our Brand Orgasm proprietary tool.………………There’s a lot on offer from agencies right now. But is all this what clients want? We have been running pitches for very nearly 20 years now, and most clients want a transformation. A new look. A radical and fresh approach. In short they have a problem, and they want someone to help solve it. Not: 

• Free goods
• A year’s campaign put together in four weeks
• A hastily put-together team to outperform the one we have now

No. Most clients look to pitch their way out of a problem, not into an instant creative solution. Restraint and professionalism is everything. Less is more. A problem shared is a problem half way to being solved.

Why should anyone launch a 1000 strong house agency?

So the 'DaVinci' agency commissioned by Dell from WPP is behind schedule and still lacking a CEO.