10% Diss
The worst part of working at a targeted agency is when the client uses the targeted agency’s work without paying for it. I’ve watched it happen for a few years. The program is simple:
The targeted agency shows its work. The client picks a campaign or creative direction. Next they bring in their targeted agencies (Asian, Hispanic, Black, etc.) to essentially translate and tailor the lead agency’s work for their respective audiences. But sometimes the targeted agency comes back with work that’s hipper, stronger, and more relevant than the GM agency’s. (This is often confirmed when the client focus groups everything and the targeted work tests higher or the general market work tests poorly.)
Oftentimes when this happens, the client and/or general market agency mysteriously “puts off moving forward” in lieu of further “brainstorming sessions.” This is where the client and/or lead agency take the work, including the targeted shops’ ideas off to ‘rethink directions,’ etc. A little time goes by and next thing you know the lead agency has a campaign that’s remarkably similar to what the targeted agency showed weeks back. And if the idea explodes, the lead agency gets all the praise while the targeted agency is rewarded with a couple extra table scraps. (Beat biters, dope style takers…)
