New Study Says Ad Agencies Suffer "Creative Arrogance"

The Association of National Advertisers has released preliminary results from a study which reveals a third of marketers think their agencies are suffering from "creative arrogance", charge too much for their work and the work that is produced is off strategy. Seems agencies dirty little secret has been found out. Without bashing all agency creatives, the problem stems from the inability of some in advertising to realize that making an ad is not art. It's a commerce of craft. While agencies do need to stand their ground on creative and strategic direction if they truly believe in it and it's backed up by research but at the same time, they need to realize the client is the one paying the bill and is the one who has the final say.

This is not to say agencies should just roll over at the wim of the client but they should realize they are not creating the next Mona Lisa to be hung on the wall or entered into the awards show of the month. An ad has the very important purpose of moving consumers to a distinct mindset or action.

This is also not to say all agencies are arrogant and clueless. There's plenty of clueless clients out there as well that make agencies jump through hoops for no good reason other than simply being clueless about what marketing and advertising are supposed to accomplish. Like anything, there bad marketers and there are bad agencies. It's a very personal, opinionated business. The problem arises when people with no personality and opinions based on nothing rise to positions of power and ruin it for the rest of us.