There was a great article on Talent Zoo from Josh Fahey on “The Need for Paid Creativity Will Never Go Away” http://bit.ly/aq6NMa.
I’ve had this ongoing discussion with my friends throughout marketing — communications and research. All of us in the industry know the need will never go away; however, we have to continue selling our clients, or bosses, on the need because there are a lot of people running companies today that have no understanding of the need. They think they can do it themselves or see no value in paying for someone’s outside perspective whose thinking may be contrary to their’s.
I think it’s both hilarious and sad to see job postings for marketing directors that require five to seven years of experience in strategic planning, copywriting, PR, as well as InDesign capabilities.
A lot of successful brands started on a shoestring (e.g., Nike) but I can’t think of any that grew on a shoestring not investing in professional marketers, copywriters, designers or researchers. Those companies who have decided to do their marketing and research on the cheap are getting what they paid for — poor brand awareness, disintegrated marketing and low customer satisfaction. Ultimately they have gone, or will go, out of business or keep trudging along wondering why their competitors are eating their lunch.
How many start-ups have failed because they didn’t run the concept by their target audience before they went to market? Upfront spending to get some consumer insights would have saved investors billions. Smart investors are asking for consumer insights when they review the business plan.
It is up to all of us to convince our clients and bosses why there is value in paid creativity and research. As marketers, we need to do a better job of marketing ourselves and showing the positive ROI of the investment made in the services we provide.
What are you doing to help educate your clients and bosses?
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