Zigurds Zaķis gave a presentation on being a great client for advertising and communication agencies. He discussed understanding the agency process and challenges, choosing the right partner, providing a clear brief, evaluating and evolving work, and being a professional client. The presentation covered agency structures, competencies to consider, evaluating creative work, and the changing role of communications professionals in today's society.

1. Intensive training session
for Estonia-Latvia project ”ICT DCNet” (EU 34537)
Demo Center participants, Latvian IT Cluster members and partners
Day 1 // April 25, 2012
@ Rīga Business School, Skolas Str.11
Being great client
Zigurds Zaķis
Blogs (LV): http://zz.typepad.com
Twitter: @zz_zigurds

2. Being great client
Understanding the process & your challenges
Choosing the partner
Brief and briefing
Evaluating and evolving work
Being a professional

3. Communication (Advertising) Agency
Implementation
partners
Media Production Video
Audio
Photo
Account Client Illustrations
Planning Service Digital & Interactive
(Strategic Planning) Print
Special Production
Creative Events
Art Direction, Copy Writing, Desing, DTP,
PR
Illustrations, Video, Art Buying, Interactive, Multimedia etc Special Projects

4. How
do
agency
process
changes?
FROM:
Brief
&
Crea2ve
Produc2on Launching
briefing Process

5. How
do
agency
process
changes?
TO:
Improving
Produc2on
and
Launching,
Brief
&
Crea2ve
and
evolving
suppliers
maintaining,
briefing Process
ideas
and
system involvement closing

6. Dilemmas of choice
External vs. Internal (in-house)
Agency vs. Team vs. Individual
Broad (full-service) vs. Specialized
Established vs. Emerging
Resources/competences/capabilities in-house
(vs. free-lance)

7. #3 Competences & Capabilities
Strategic
Ideas & Storytelling
Art/Creative Direction
Design
Copywriting
Production (A/V, print, digital)
Interacive & Multimedia
Media, Channels, Platforms

8. #2 People

9. #1 Portfolio

10. #1 Portfolio
“It is not
The Work. The Work. The Work.
what you say that matters,
it what you do”
Darbi. Darbi. Darbi.

11. Building professional co-operation
• Collaborative attitude: one ‘team’ not supplier
• Emphaty
• Mutual respect for expertise
• Honesty and openness
• Constructive debate not dictatorship
• More carrot than stick
• Healthy ambitions

12. Brief
and
Briefing

13. Creative Brief Creative Briefing

14. Brief for Creative Work
Where are we now? Where do we want to be?
What are specific business goals?
Where the business will come from? What are we doing to get
there?
What is the role of marketing communication and/or creative work?

15. Brief for Creative Work
Who are customers associated with growth?
What is important to them?
A: What do they do (think/feel/do) today?
B: What do we want them to do (think/feel/do)?
What are key touchpoints?

16. Good brief:
“THE ESSENCE OF
focused, single-minded A GREAT BRIEF IS
SACRIFICE”
“OUR JOB IS
in as plain language as possible TO SIMPLIFY”
BILL BERNBACH
“BRIEF IS AN AD
stands-out TO INFLUENCE THE
CREATIVE TEAM”

17. Good brief
“The brief should be brief”

18. Creative brief
Get: (whom / target)
Who: (think/feel/do this)
To: (do think/feel/do this)
By telling them : (proposition)

20. Good brief + Good briefing
Informs and inspires
Is distinctive and relevant
Helps understand people we have to
address
Gives clear direction for creative work
Creates sense of possibilities.
Has an amibition. Challenges for great
work
Is well prepared

21. Evaluating and evlolving
the Work

23. “Logic and over analysis can immobilise and
sterilise an idea. It’s like love, the more you
analyse it, the faster it disappears”
Bill Bernbach

24. Source: IPA guide to junding creative ideas

25. Is the idea “on brief”?
(NOT “I like/don’t like it”)
Is it relevant to brief/brand/company?
Is it distinctive?
Will it be compelling to our customers?
Is it focusing on customer benefit?
How can we devleop it? How can we make it great?

26. Communication
Professional
Today

27. Communications
technology
society uncertaintly
economy new rules
is chaning:
culture new competences
creative work opportunities
communication
One of most interesting and challenging
professions today

28. Communication specialist professional today
Wang Chengyun/Xinhua/ZUMA Press
http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2010/02/25/pictures-of-the-day-356/

29. Society
Storytelling Economy, business,
marketing
Culture,
video, music, photo Media
design
Interactivity,
multi-media Tools, platforms
Customers

30. Communication
Arods* Work 9:00-17:59
Ремесло
> Career

31. Communications professional today
Behavioral Economics
Social Anthropology
Design Thinking
Service Design
Designing Experiences
Cultural Branding / Studies
Transmedia Storytelling
Social Media Management
Content Management
Account Planning
etc
1970 - 2000 2000-2012

32. http://youtu.be/Hz4hPbHIZ6Y
00:02:30 - 00:04:00

33. 10’000 h
of systematic work

34. Theory
Theoretical models. Multidisciplinary knowledge.
Your own “world-model”
Field Mastery Practice
Applying everything
Benchmark Cases
Learning by doing
Research, analysis, discussions
Skills
Tools, platforms, techniques: efficiency

36. Communications professional:
1) knows the role of communication
2) focuses the work
3) inspires!
4) co-operates
5) is open to experiments
6) evaluate to evolve and develop ideas
7) is defending good ideas
+
personal professional growth

37. Thanks!
Blogs (LV): http://zz.typepad.com
Twitter: @zz_zigurds

38. Intensive training session
for Estonia-Latvia project ”ICT DCNet” (EU 34537)
Demo Center participants, Latvian IT Cluster members and partners
Day 1 // April 25, 2012
@ Rīga Business School, Skolas Str.11