* Get fat quick chicken.
Posted on September 11th, 2008 by The Shop Keeper. Filed under The Kaiser.
This may well be the biggest rant I have ever unleashed on The Kaiser Edition. I may regret it.
I received an Email this afternoon from a very nice gentleman, asking me if I would be prepared to contribute 50 words for an IPA event taking place on the 1st October. The gentleman in question is part of the IPA strategy group, a managing partner in a PR agency and his Email was suitably polite and to the point. The event in question is called the “Fast Strategy Conference” and his polite request was really very simple:
“we would love around 50 words on your top-tip for doing strategy FAST for a set of cards that we are making to support a forthcoming event”
I’m sure many of you have received the mail, but, vain as I am, I was initially quite chuffed. Chuffed, until I clicked on the link and saw what I’m about to post here:
“The most important skill that strategists need to learn in this era is speed. The quality of a strategic answer is now partly determined by the time taken to create it. Slow-baked strategy, no matter how good, can never be great.”
Guy Murphy, Chairman IPA Strategy Group and Worldwide Planning Director, JWT
Now, I may well be getting my regal knickers in a twist about nothing here, but I happen to think that that is a disgraceful statement, that mirrors all that is wrong with the communications business today.
Yes, it is true that lead times are getting shorter and the client demands things to happen quickly but that does not mean that it is right, and it does not mean that it is good, let alone “great”. It just means that they happen quickly and in a way that satisfies the needs and mollifies the fears of middle (high turn-over) management. Of course there is always the dreaded “share holder” or the owner of stock that we have to keep happy but if you think about it, a super-fast strategy, that has only been created to satisfy the perceived needs of those financially entwined within any given business cannot and does not satisfy the needs of the woeful “customer” - which in turn does not lead to sales (that is the point of any business strategy after all) - which in turn can’t be good for the client, or their share holders. And that is nonsense. It may be a reality that somewhere, deep within the organisational chart of the client, there is someone benchmarking the speed of the agencies strategic thinking but it does not mean that it is right, nor acceptable, and it is the agency’s business responsiblility to protect it’s own business interests, the interests of their staff (which are apparently their biggest asset), their client and their customers.
Measuring the quality of a “strategic answer” based on the time it took to create it (SPEED-FAST) and measuring that against an idea that takes a little more time to mature (SLOW BAKED) is like saying industrial chicken is (partly) better than free range chicken. And that a chicken that is bread to get fat quickly in order satisfy our demands is a healthy thing. Which it is not. It’s obscene.
Just because “that’s just the way it is”, does not mean it’s right, and surely the role of the agency as a communications/business expert/consultant is to guide their client down the right path. Yes its hard, and yes it doesn’t always work and the agency may loose the business but if, as with the chickens you allow a little more time for the idea to grow and spend a little more time thinking about how to make the idea a more happy idea, then the customer might just find the idea that little bit more tasty, and want more; buy more. And surely that’s got to taste a little bit better for the agency too, which makes it so much more disappointing that the chairman of the IPA supports FAST instead of SLOW.
So, to the gentleman that sent me the Email request; I must decline. If you’re going to think fast then think fast slow, anything else is just “get fat quick chicken” and I simply can’t support that.
I am The Kaiser. I am back. Good evening Sir Martin.
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36 Responses to “Get fat quick chicken.”
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September 11th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Which brings up the old question: how can you possibly provide a forecast for a client or project. You can can have an idea immediatly or never or something in between.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Full ack!
Great rant!
September 11th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
That sounds just like another bloody new business strategy tool to me. Just like MCSaatchi’s “one word equity”, Leagas Delaney’s “the brand in a second” or whatever rubbish name was born out of corporate toadiness. Now the next big thing is Guy de JWT’s Drive-in ideas by McStrategy. Boring.
Has it ever occured to these guys that those agencies, pushing the lmits, questioning the rules and boundaries of communication and exploring new ways, that those agencies don’t have these fancy tools?
Whenever you ask the likes of WK, Crispin, Mother or Droga5 they think, they take their time, and then after spending some quality time for their clients they come up with all the great ideas. Good simply takes time.
Or simply ask yourself next time you’re at your local bakery: Do I want the fast baked breadrolls or the delicious, crunchy ones that took some more time to do?
September 11th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
@Tim: I think it takes time to get the dna of a client and a story that fits to this special code of identity. Fast shots could maybe bang on target but it’s a game of pure chance. If I was a client then I would expect more than some guys gambling with my money …
September 11th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Tim: 1984
Seb: Crispins! Do me a favour.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
@The Kaiser: Oh yes that is a great commercial. Did that take time or did it just pop up right away?
@ Patrick: depends. For a new client probably yes. If you are working with the client for a couple of years (at least 2 as Christian Scheier would tell you) maybe not so much.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Tim, don’t confuse a great idea that happened quickly with the DEMAND to make an idea happen quickly.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
[...] Epilog: Das ist die Fortsetzung zum großartigen “rant” vom Kaiser. [...]
September 11th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I’ve just put them in because it might sound obsessed if I put WK in for everything good happening in advertising. Oh, some more: Anomaly, Naked.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Seb - just nit-picking young man. But as you know I’m a bit pissed at Crispins right now.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Why? What was it again?
September 11th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Microsoft.
September 11th, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Oh right. Already forgot about it.
What probably isn’t a compliment for their advertising.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:24 am
)Without doubt speed is a competitive advantage … without doubt an ad planner has to work under tighter time constraints … without doubt clients are getting what they - and their ad agency senior bosses - deserve.
The bit that bothers me most … apart from Seb’s excellent comment about it sounding like an ad agency PR soundbite (which it is given JWT used to talk interms of ‘time’) … is that even though they highlight the changing expectations of business, they (1) don’t highlight how this attitude ultimately is undermining opportunity and potential for everyone - clients, agency, society and/or (2) they don’t change their process to at least try and counteract the inevitable decline in standards.
Superman couldn’t keep up with the speed of Asia but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to let my guys put out shit … which is why we always have a minimum of 2 planners on every piece of business as well as open up theories to the whole network to check on validity, cultural relevance and - most importantly - common bloody sense.
I just wish Guy’s advice had said speed requirements dictate planners need to collaberate, open up and debate more than imply they need to sit behind their desk reading their research papers more quickly.
Financial greed has led to this situation where we’ve become a disposable society … it’s almost human devolution … and while I accept you can take too long for things, you can certainly take too short a time and I’m sure alot of the time constraints are bollocks anyway - designed to make people look important than anything to do with market opportunity. Great post Marcus and you have every right to be angry.
September 12th, 2008 at 9:49 am
As an employee of JWT id like to state that that pisses me off too.
Speed is an advantage, if you can generate that great insight quicker then it helps. But to say slow baked strategy can never be good is an unfortunate hangover of the mindset that says your ads have to change every six months, campaign not working? change it, change your strategy change your thinking do it NOW, quickly.
There are numerous IPA papers that demonstrate exactly how effective slow careful thinking and time to develop an idea can be.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Very proud of you young ad-pit.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Mr Mortimer … I salute you.
Well said and well done.
September 12th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Speed per se is not a competitive advantage because fast and wrong maybe even more detrimental than too slow. If you get too focussed on being fast, you end up being tactial rather than strategic and might react to blips rather than trends. But slow is obviously to be avoided.
The goal is to be fast enough. Fast enough to be proactive rather than reactive. Fast enough to keep up with market and communication dynamics, But not so fast that you can’t see the wood for the trees.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Stop being pedantic Dodds …
You know as well as every other bugger here that speed CAN be a competitive advantage - however I appreciate the potential for mistakes or missed opportunities is high.
Saying that you could follow China’s attitude to business which is be super fast but continually evaluate what you’ve got and what people want so you can produce an updated version within weeks. In essence they follow a practice of cumlitive learning - which is probably better than the alternative of continual consideration.
Go on, rip the piss out of that you grumpy old sod
September 12th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I’ll agree with that Rob. Collectivism does offer the opportunity to “think fast slow”.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I wonder if guy whats-his-name has the same attitude to sex.
September 12th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
kaizen
September 13th, 2008 at 11:05 am
I think you meant “think slow, fast” Marcus … how depressing, I’ve turned into Mr Pedantic Dodds.
September 13th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
[...] Denne satte sinnene i kok over hos The Kaiser (anbefalt blog). [...]
September 14th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I agree with nearly everything that’s already said here: The statement of Guy Murphy is nonsense.
But you missed one thing, when talking about being fast: Today’s demand of being fast supports those people in the business that have initiative. Which is a good thing.
From my point of view it’s better to be wrong than not to have initiative.
So therefore, I think the most important skill that strategists need to learn in this era is not speed, but initiative. To rather make mistakes than doing nothing. To play around with new things, than playing by the rules.
September 14th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Michael - I’m concentrating on what Mr Murphy said. And he’s talking about speed - speed as a quality. You’re right initiative is important, really very important. I didn’t forget it ad I am, as always, grateful that you brought it up.
I have been locked in a train for most of the weekend and have been thinking about this a little more, and I just wonder if Mr. Murphy said what he said because he believes that it IS important for the planning community - that it is the future - or if he was just popping out a neat little “new business sound bite” that he thought might interest a wayward manager.
Rob - you are right on both counts.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Guy’s comment has helped me finally understand why most agencies respond to a client business challenge with yet more advertising.
This despite their continuous claims of being about ideas.
Thank you Guy, such honesty is refreshing so I look forward to JWT celebrating their focus on executions rather than anything more meaningful or commercially helpful.
September 16th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
For those who don’t know, Lee is a client [my client actually, ha!] - and whilst the company he represents is very different to the FMCG’s who provide JWT with the majority of their fortune - his comment is very interesting given his organisation is one of the most highly regarded interms of entrepreneurship and brand adoration.
I do find it somewhat weird that Guy say’s speed is an asset given so much of JWT’s business is from clients who’ve been putting out the same bloody idea for 10,000 years.
Sorry … couldn’t help myself.
September 18th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Well his idea of speed does kind of go against the agency mantra of ideas that people want to spend time with. How can they spend time with you if you are zooming about changing things every 10 minutes…
I like my part of JWT I must add. We do good work. And overall the agency has drastically improved their creative output over the last few years. But that comment just doesn’t make sense to me.
September 19th, 2008 at 9:04 am
[...] next week around performance, speed, age, money and reform. These posts are a build on the “get fat quick chicken post” and form part of the central argument for something that is currently being organised. It’s a [...]
September 19th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Just seen this. Much more thorough than my mini rant. Good.
September 19th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
“There was a concern in Italy, because of it’s rich and diverse food culture, that people’s taste was becoming homogenised. Many people, partly out of necessity and convenience, shop at big supermarkets where you find only the well known national brands on the shelves.”
Eataly opened its doors in October 2007 in Turin with a completely different take on the supermarket experience:
http://www.monocle.com/sections/business/Web-Articles/Eataly/
Within a year it’s shown that Italy’s concerns are global concerns and it’s opening in Tokyo on 26th September and New York in December.
You can keep your homogenised pap - I’m not interested. I’ll take slow and personal because I believe I’m worth it and I’m your audience.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
“Superman couldn’t keep up with the speed of Asia but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to let my guys put out shit … which is why we always have a minimum of 2 planners on every piece of business as well as open up theories to the whole network to check on validity, cultural relevance and - most importantly - common bloody sense.”
Completely agree (and it’s why i’m pissed i’m the only planner on a certain car brand).
Marcus, I got the same email - i’ve contributed something to the conference, but I don’t agree with the principles of fast strategy; I like careful thought, and whether that’s fast or slow, it’s always the right thing to do.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 am
[...] Speed, Reform“. As I mentioned in the prologue, these posts form a a build on the “get fat quick chicken” post and are part of my central argument for something very exciting that will be hopefully [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
[...] Speed, Reform“. As I mentioned in the prologue, these posts form a a build on the “get fat quick chicken” post and are part of my central argument for something very exciting that will be hopefully [...]
October 1st, 2008 at 3:50 am
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/2008/09/slow-strategy.html
mr davies puts it quite eloquently, as usual.