Evaluating and feeding back to creative work.

Marketing is quite a nice job to have. You get sent pens in the post by people who want to do with business with you, no one laughs (much) if you wear gingham shirts, and nobody dies if you get something wrong.

There are of course though challenging aspects to marketing. One of these, when looking at things from a client perspective, is feeding back to creative work. An agency will show an idea for a TV ad, a print ad, a mug, or maybe a website. They'll present their idea, then they'll all turn to you and ask what you think. Being able to answer this question helpfully at the time, or even in a more considered way later, is one of the most important parts of making interesting and business changing stuff. It's also in my view one of the most difficult things to do.

To follow is a list of rules, questions and thoughts I try to follow. It's not supposed to be an exhaustive list, merely some scribbling on the tube. There are other techniques that look more into the content of the work but in terms of attitude this is where I would start.

1. Prepare to see the work. What am I expecting to see? What are we trying to do? What will impress me?

2. Get in the mood to see the work - read the brief - remember what if feels like to have the problem fresh in your mind.

3. What's my instant emotional reaction - do I like it? Hate it? Am I surprised - why? Is it confusing? (It's not always a good idea to share these thoughts, but note them.)

4. What caused the reaction you had - is it 'what' the work is saying? Or, 'how' it's saying it?

5. Does the work contain a real brand idea that changes perception, as opposed to a nice advertising idea?

6. Never act like Simon Cowell. My job is not to say whether something is good or shit. But to say how right something is, and to find ways of expressing how to make it more right (if that's what it needs).

7. Feedback does not mean criticising. It means trying to understand and articulate why the things that are working are working, and why the things that are not are not. These are equally important.

8. Start macro when feeding back but go micro. As long as feedback is something the agency can action then all comments add to the intelligence around the problem,even the little things.

9. Post-rationalise. If something you didn't think was previously important or salient now looks like it might be. Try and understand why - strategy never ends.

10. Be aware of the self-serving bias and the confirmation bias - interpreting things in a way that confirm preconceptions, or meet your interests.

11. Always say thank you. Creative work is hard work.

Comments

[Lebowski]

So are you going to buy our Christmas card idea or not?

Whilst nobody will die if you get something wrong, marketing has caused plenty of deaths when done well - fags, booze etc.

Great summation of the inherent difficulties in feeding back. And a list I know from experience you follow. Which is good.

[helenltaylor]

Showing the work to a bunch of non-marketing people and listening/watching them discuss what they think helps too;-)

Seriously though, and if nothing else, it helps you to figure out what you are thinking and feeling about the work anyway.

(I find researching creative work the hardest, most challenging and frightening kind of work to do - fun though)

[Colman]

Helen, I was actually talking about stuff well before it is ready for research (if you choose that route).

Although I do like to show my mum and ask her opinion.

[Ben]

1,2,6 and 11 are brilliant.

Maybe you are a great client after all.

[helenltaylor]

All your thoughts would still be valid at a later stage, though maybe you would need to add - 'try to look at it with fresh eyes' later on?

Showing it to your mum is pretty much what I was meant, it doesn't need to be formal research.

[Javier Aldana]

Point 6 is vital. Sometimes i think i should write it in my visit card. "Javier Aldana is not your work/idea enemy" :S

[Rusty-Chubb]

Nicely put.

An old client of mine had the curious habit of not letting us set up the creative - no strategic schpeel, nothing. We said hullo and showed him ideas. He'd say that consumers didn't have this luxury, why should he?

However frustrating, this practice was beneficial. Because when it came time for client to provide feedback, the agency was already aware of the works shortcomings. A strong set up can make people see things in the work that don't really exist.

Of course, we'd have long chats about the strategy afterwards but it was a different way of evaluating work and I've never met a client who has worked that way since.

[Colman]

Rusty-Chubb, in my experience the more closely you collaborate with your agency partners the less need there is for the strategy preamble. It should be clear to everyone what you're doing and why.

Helen, mum's know best.

[henry Lambert]

great post P.

[Gavin Heaton]

Hi Paul ... this is excellent. Hope you don't mind, but I have added a few items and turned this into a checklist document. Let me know if you have a problem with it.
Gavin

[Colman]

Of course not Gavin - that's why I posted it.

What have you added?

[Kerry]

I wonder does anyone have any ideas how I can get some insights into how to probe for client feedback. Rather than I just don't like it. Any resources I can look into?
Thanks

[Gavin Heaton]

Paul ... I was just looking over this post and the checklist again. You mentioned you were going to do something on how to provide feedback on messaging. Did you ever get around to it? (I have been digging around but haven't found it.)