If the AE (aka account executive – the suit that takes care of the Almighty clients) isn’t alert to spot that silence isn’t golden, it might just be too late.

We said the client doesn’t listen. The client also says the same thing about us. The relationship between the client and agency is always  a sensitive one. Sometimes, it is not about who is right or who is wrong. It is just a communication issue and the angle we look at things. We made our call based on our knowledge and past experience.

Anyway, someone printed the following text for me and I had it stuck on my wall.

Said also don’t listen
Listen also don’t understand
Not understand also don’t ask
Ask also don’t do
Do also do wrong
Wrong also don’t admit
Admit also don’t correct
Correct also not happy
Not happy also don’t say

To remind myself to smile it off whenever a sticky communication issue arises

If they can remember what they have briefed me; if they can recall why we ended up with a copy like this and an advertisement like that, my team of Account Executives probably will have an easier time on writing Contact Reports.

Call me old fashion, but, yes, I still get my team to write a tight Contact Report every time they returned from the client’s office.

I prefer everything to be properly documented because Contact Reports have saved lots of time and hassle for me during the past decade.

“No, I didn’t say that. No, I’m quite sure I didn’t agree to having my TVC appear after midnight.”

“Yes, Ms Client, you did. You agreed after the TV Station agreed to let you have a huge discount of 80%. You actually met Cleo, the TV Sales Rep with us on 21 Sept 2009. See, Ms Client, the details are all recorded in the Contact Report.”

I trust you would have such a client at least once or twice in your marketing and advertising career with an advertising or design agency. If you don’t, count your lucky stars. If you do, maybe you would like to buy them a ticket to a Super Memory workshop. I got from the grapevine  that the Guinness Book of Record holder for Best Memory, Eran Katz, is heading to Singapore to hold a Super Memory seminar. I’m thinking a ticket to the seminar may be a better gift for some of my clients compared to a few bottles of Shiraz!

Ahhh…

The enterprising proprietor placed an extra table outside the shop, piled high with Michael Jackson CDs alongside with some gigantic posters of the King of Pop’s in his heydays.  The speakers were belting out his hits one after another. With a visually long queue and music so loud, it’s no wonder more and more people were attracted to this little shop.

Those slick dance moves. From Taipei to Lima, Shanghai to Mexico City, fans of the late Michael Jackson pay tribute to the music icons by impersonating him and by snapping up anything about him. Michael Jackson could very well be worth more when dead.  Smart merchants globally, like this one , are cashing in from all sorts of merchandises from CD to posters to mugs to black hat to white glove to dark glasses etc etc.

Is this exploiting the dead? Yes but this is still clever marketing. The merchants basically swim with the flow of the tides and stand in the direction of the wind. I see nothing wrong with that. This opportunity is so big and so obvious that I would be totally surprise if merchants retailing in souvenirs and CDs don’t make a move.  Yet again, I’m not surprise if some don’t.

Marketing opportunities are everywhere however, how many people actually sees the wood in the trees? Even if they do, how many take action?

“OK with design. Except to change 2C to 4C. Hope you can absorb cost in view that we are likely to award you the design job of the XXX event”

This is a trying time for both the clients and agencies, where everyone must manage their cost carefully and wisely. I can understand the client needs to tighten their budget but from which angle should our agency look at this scenario?

1) Why should we be absorbing the cost? They have their headache, so do we.

2) OK, we will absorb the cost in view of the past support of this client. When time gets better, they will surely support us.

3) OK, we will absorb the cost in view that the client is likely to award us the future projects. At least we know that the client will not abandon us.

4) OK, let’s talk to our printer to see if they can help. If the printer can drop his price even further, we’ll do our best to break even and not make a loss.

5) OK, We know the printer is already giving his best price and we are actually putting more time than quoted on this job. The only way is to explain to the client nicely that we cannot.

Actually, we are a little shy to press down the printer’s price. He is already doing his best and squeezing him any further will be a little unreasonable.

Anyone wants to give an opinion?

The annual report must go on press on Good Friday – yes, it is that urgent that our printer is prepared to work on a sacred day – and yet, amendment is still triggering in. We would just roll our eyes and said “not again” if it’s the accountants and auditors emailing us a new set of financial data and figures for the 15th time.  We had enough experience with auditing houses to know that frequent data changes are the norms. It’s the senseless change of photographs that’s making us boiling. That corporate HQ building was shown in our draft since day 1. Yet, after countless of revision over the past 5 weeks, the client decided that the said building was “not nice” yesterday.  Of course, the cafe’s lighting was too dim too; we must digitally touch it up to make the room brighter.  2 hours ago,  the group shot that graced the back page should be removed. My AD finally lost it after keeping cool and mum all these while, “What the heck am I supposed to use to fill up that empty space?”

My printer had the unglamourous job of working on Good Friday through Sunday so that we can deliver on Monday. Yet, I wonder how we are going to get everything ready by tomorrow with so many last minutes request.

In fact, my AD just gave me the title of this post. He was shrieking, “Why are they rocking the damned boat now?”. One of our freelance guys quipped, “That’s why they are called CLIENTS”.

Hmmm, this is just one of those memorable days in the agency.