Why You Shouldn’t Fire Your Creatives
February 17, 2009
The economy is tough, we all know it. It’s on the news repeatedly. We get it.
A concept that companies may not grasp easily, however, is the value their creative department / agency can provide in a down economy. Today, in what I like to call a ripe economy, a lot of companies are looking for ways to spend wisely. Quite often, managers conclude the creative positions would be easy to cut because someone else (often an untrained eye) could do it instead. After all, they have Microsoft Publisher, right? I know too well that some companies think a do-it-yourself creative option is a great way to save and increase profits.
Trust me, this is not entirely true.
You, the client, may not want to spend money on creative support right now because the economic outlook is not great. You feel like holding on to those funds, or spending them elsewhere, is best for your business right now. This is understandable, but quite contrary to what can really launch your business to the next level of greatness.
You see, in a ripe economy like this one, businesses must find a way to stand out among the others. Trustworthy creative professionals can help you do that by understanding your business goals, target audience and products / services–and then communicate those messages effectively to help you get more business. Having a strategic plan and professional support (in all creative forms: written word, video, design, etc.), will help you and your business flourish in an economy that is challenging your competitors.
Lessons for Clients
The time is now to learn the value of trusted creative support. While your competitors are struggling in challenging times, you can flourish. Learn to stand out from the crowd with top-notch creative support.
February 17, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Yet again, a very interesting and very TRUE blog post. I would have to say that I have seen this first hand where I work. We were asked to cut our budget into a third of what it was originally, while this was a shock, it also provided us with an opportunity to think more creatively about the way we spend money and what shows care to our customers (volunteers + attenders). Our e-media department has felt the effects of this way of thinking first hand, because a lot of departments have decided to do promo through video instead of through print, and while this saves money, it doesn’t always save time. It’s a catch twenty-two in terms of resource usage, but when you’re in a clear shortage of money – time seems to be at a (rare) premium. Where I work, we’re all excited about the opportunity to think in a more innovative way, instead of just doing things we’ve always done them.
February 18, 2009 at 12:49 am
While many people are loosing their jobs over the economy taking a nose dive, I think you’re right to look at the ‘bright side’ here. Working for a church, we totally rely on the charitable giving of our congregants . . . who cant give if they are making less (or aren’t working at all). On top of that, we are trying to help out our congregants who don’t have a job by paying a few of their bills. So our income is down, and we are increasing our outflow (in the form of increased benevolence). So we’ve had to make some major cuts to our budget and get even more creative in how we do things.
But the most amazing thing is that, while our overall income has gone down because many people have lost their jobs or have reduced incomes . . . they continue to give what they have.
February 18, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Wow, budget cut by a 1/3? That is a shock! I’m glad you are using the opportunity as a way to be innovative. Time is definitely money…in fact, I think that shall be my next post. Thanks for the inspiration, Kelly!
February 19, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Hopefully, the day will come when clients realize they are not SPENDING money on ADVERTISING, but INVESTING money in MARKETING. Traditional advertising is gone, and in many ways, it was wasteful. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for some of the traditional media somewhere in the mix, but throwing your budget at newspaper, radio and TV by default just ain’t gonna cut it these days. Marketing is good communication, focused on building a relationship around a brand. A brand is a promise: of an experience, of a benefit, of a life improved somehow. “Creatives” are the perfect people to come up with today’s solutions precisely because they “think different,” they’re a little off, and, hopefully, they don’t care if they make you uncomfortable. Playing it safe (i.e. firing these people to save money, slashing budgets and withdrawing from the marketplace) is most definitely not creative. It’s obvious, it’s short term, and it gets your brand nowhere.