Marketers are the ones whose reputations are most at risk if they are complicit in scam advertising
With questions being raised over the integrity of some awards entries in recent weeks, former creative director Darren Woolley says scam can be as damaging for marketers as the agencies involved.
Scam awards entries have come to industry attention again, following the most recent Cannes Lions Awards. In the process, several high profile advertisers have been associated with their agencies’ entries. But what are the implications for the advertiser?
It is a standard response that advertisers are not really interested in creative awards. But the fact is that marketers are human and those that have healthy and close working relationships with their agencies actually enjoy seeing them being recognised, especially for work they may have created together.
But when it comes to controversy such as scam ads, it is natural that marketers would prefer not to comment on these situations. The advice from their corporate affairs people would be to ignore it and hope it will go away.
Is Darren Woolley the new Steve Allen?
Next year, when we are a couple weeks out from the Cannes entry deadline, mUmbo should do a piece for the Rouse Hill Times, saying, ‘few weeks left everyone. Get your one-off tests into Rouse Hill now before all spots are taken.’
I know I’m booking mine for the final week of eligibility now. I don’t know what the product or client will be, but these placements are sure to be snapped up. I’ll figure out the ‘who’ later.
@Darren, don’t media agencies book the media? Why is there no mention of them here?
Seriously, I must be missing something.
A well worded piece of advice to any marketer when approached by your own agency or another to ‘sanction’ a one-off for the awards.
If the agency is one of yours, I would go through all your future production estimates with a fine tooth comb for hidden costs.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch or free work,.
If the agency isn’t yours, then I’m afraid there’s still no cure for terminal stupidity.
@Why are people blaming the ad agencies? err.. no, the creative agency books the ad in the rouse hill times themselves.. pays $300 and then enters the award.
trust me, there’s no media planning schedule recommending clients place ads in the rouse hill times
(with due apologies to the good people at the rouse hill times)
How about next year all and sundry book an ad (1/4 or half-page) in the new, but still distressed media title – the Ruse Advertiser?
Ethics: “If you see fraud and don’t shout fraud, you are a fraud”. Nassim Nicholas
@Why are people blaming the ad agencies?
You are an idiot.
Chris Garner, that is a great quote. For all aspects of the industry. (And infact for business in general and life itself)
this is a bit ‘guns don’t kill people, people kill people’ for me, and is designed solely to distract attention from the fact that agencies are and will always be the chief drivers and beneficiaries of award submissions
i find it hard to believe that someone in the business of helping advertisers and agencies manage their relationships is genuinely advocating that an advertiser publically dumps their naughty agency in the shit if they spend $8k putting a sneaky ad in the Rouse Hill times
this would signal a far more antagonistic approach to agency relationship management than usually advocated by said pitch doctor
When their argument or point of view is flimsy, politicians and lawyers frequently attack the credibility of the person rather than the credibility of the person’s argument.
And when that happens, Mental, you’ve truly lost the argument completely.