The Strategist-Creative relationship can be make or break for a creative project. Without mutual respect and excellent baton passing, followed by constructive feedback and supportive client sell-in, the resulting work is never going to be as good. And the client will wonder why they paid for strategy when they can’t see it in the final creative.
I’ve worked with some amazing creatives, who were talented, generous with their time, collaborative and kind – and I’ve worked with a few nightmares too. Here’s what I’ve learnt:
Understand who you’re working with
They aren’t a ‘creative’, they’re a designer, art director, copywriter, visual artist etc., with specific skills, experience, and, if you’re new, possibly more understanding of the client’s business than you have. Try to find out what they excel at, what their experience is, if they’ve worked on the client before and whether this project is in their comfort zone or stretching them. When in doubt, ask Traffic or the AD.
Figure out how they like to work
Some creatives want a brief they can print out, a 20-minute max. briefing and a check-in session as late in the project as possible. Others would be in every client meeting if budgets would allow, to the point where the creative brief is simply a piece of paper for the record as it’s already in their heads. Some are super-collaborative and enjoy sharing work in progress, while others would rather be left in peace to do their best work. Obviously, it’s helpful to be able to spot any issues before it’s too late to do something about them, but sometimes you have to be flexible about how and when that happens.
Be prepared
Get your story straight so that you can effectively sell-in the brief to them with enthusiasm. Have a brief that’s readable on a small screen / printed out with copies for everyone. Get any supporting materials ready for sharing in the briefing. Expecting creatives to do background reading is a poor use of creative time, if it’s important, summarise it yourself and share it in the actual briefing.
Keep the briefing collaborative
You aren’t all turning up so that you can read the brief out loud. We’re back to passing the baton, making sure that the creative(s) understand what’s being asked of them, have all their questions answered and feel equipped and, most importantly, inspired to get going. Expect and encourage questions. And if there’s an opportunity for them to experience the thing we’re working on, whether that’s watch the movie trailer, see photos of the store’s interior, taste the biscuits etc., make it happen. On the subject of biscuits, in-person briefings tend to go better when accompanied by tea and McVitie’s finest.
Be constructive
Creative reviews should always be a meeting of people who are on the same team, respecting experience and client knowledge on both sides. And it’s easy to let our own preferences and bias impact our reaction to creative work. Your opinion should relate solely to solving the problem at hand – does it meet the creative brief, will it persuade the target audience to think/feel/do what we want them to and is there anything about it that could cause a problem? Keep it helpful and related back to the brief, you’re not the Creative Director.
Present back as a team
When creative concepts are presented to the client, try to make sure that both you and the creatives who worked on it are in the room. You show your workings and set the creative work up for success, and then once they’re up, you’re around to be supportive and, perhaps, reassure/flatter the client that the insightful thing they said in the first meeting is reflected in the work.
The most fulfilling projects I work on are usually the ones where I’m able to be involved from the first client meeting right through to getting creative executions in different channels approved. Because developing effective brand communication is a team sport.