Matt Fey, VP Creative Director
Lee Clow is a titan of the advertising industry, an undisputed creative heavyweight. As the global director of media arts at TBWA/Chiat/Day, he channels one of the most inventive minds the industry has ever seen. Steve Jobs brought him in to revolutionize the creative for Apple … twice. Oh, and Clow just happens to be a personal hero of J.Schmid’s own Brent Niemuth, who often displays inspirational quotes from the veteran ad man around the office.
In a recent talk at the Ad Age Small Agency Conference, Clow addressed the need for the industry to shake off stagnancy and find new, fresh creative ideas. As a former member of a small agency (Chiat/Day had only 14 people when he joined some 50 years ago), he issued a challenge to all the other small agencies out there.
That challenge? Ignite a new creative revolution.
Well, as a member of a small agency (20 people strong!), let me respond to Mr. Clow with this…
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
If you want to go big with your creative, start small.
Less splashy than the Ice Bucket Challenge. More palatable than the Cinnamon Challenge. Less rigid than the Mannequin Challenge. I hereby accept the Lee Clow Small Agency Challenge!
It’s hard to argue with the clout of a man like Clow. So I won’t. Instead, I’ll simply agree. His challenge to agencies like J.Schmid and others to fuel a new era of creativity comes at a time when gaining and keeping the attention of customers is more important than ever. With so many brands vying for their business, it’s vital to cut through the clutter and make them not only take notice, but take action. Creativity can make a difference.
The venerable creative genius is right. Small agencies are positioned like no other to bring truly inventive ideas to their clients. And here’s how we’re going to do it.
- Small Agencies Think Fast
When you have a small group, like J.Schmid, the creative energy sparks from a handful of people. That allows us to be nimble, to think fast. We don’t spend a lot of time in endless meetings vetting the ideas of dozens of people. When we get an idea, we run with it. We can take an idea from concept to execution faster than you can say, “Think Different.” (Thanks for that one, Lee Clow.) Our brains run like a caffeinated cheetah. New ideas. Better ideas. More ideas. And you’ll work directly with the creative team generating those ideas, free of filters or message dilution. When you have a small, dedicated team igniting the creative process, anything is possible.
- Small Agencies Push Limits
To get noticed, you can’t play it safe. We face that every day. If our work looks and sounds and smells like everything else, we won’t possibly stand out against the big guns. So we have to test boundaries. We have to push beyond comfort zones. We’ve learned over the years that it’s always a good idea to bring a new idea. The client may not take it, but they come to appreciate the ingenuity on display. Or, they may not take it “this time,” but you’d be surprised the number of times those ideas percolate and resurface. Smaller teams have a willingness to take chances that other agencies may not. Here, in this environment, we foster creativity. It’s a cauldron, bubbling with unexpected ideas.
- Small Agencies Try Harder
Remember the story of David and Goliath? Yeah, cliché. I know. Yet applicable. We go up against big agencies all the time, conglomerates with a wellspring of resources. How can we continue to not only compete, but win against these behemoths? Effort. We work harder. We put more into it. We want it. We try harder. Not just because we have to, but because we want to. We want to show those big agencies that they don’t have a monopoly on ideas or vision or expertise. We can stand shoulder to shoulder with them. We do it by standing on each other’s shoulders. We put forth the effort. And that effort gets results.
Clow issued the challenge for small agencies to lead the new creative revolution. We accept that challenge. We’re doing it every day. Small agency. Big ideas. Bring it on.
And for more about Lee Clow’s talk, check out this article from Ad Age.
Ready to go big with your creative? Start small. Small agency, big ideas, medium-sized creative director. Contact Matthew Fey at mattf@jschmid.com or 913-236-2414 to accept the creative challenge.
Tags: branding, challenge accepted, Lee Clow, Lee Clow creative challenge, Matthew Fey, small agency big ideas, small agency challenge
