Four score and seven revisions ago

Quite honestly, clients have been spoiled for too long. Sure, I know clients got taken for a ride in the 80’s and early 90’s, but for the most part, ad people have been taking major shit from stubborn and spoiled clients for too long. While 80’s advertising had TV commercials that had bigger budgets than some films, 2012 advertising has most creatives doing miracles with peanuts.


As if the haggling wasn’t the most annoying part, there are the revisions. Stating the obvious, there are revisions and there are revisions. Some things we get, we accept and we actually apologize for. Other things are new perspectives that make us go, huh, and not only do we acquiesce but we support the revision. Now before you go thinking this is the majority, realize that it’s less than 2% of the revisions we do because seriously, most revisions are capricious, stupid, inane, senseless and a waste of not only time, but electricity.


Revision 1: “I think the logo should go .005 inches to the right.”


Revision 2: “Now that I think of it, I think it should go .003 inches to the left”


Revision 3: “You know what, I think I’m going to sacrifice a hen, splash blood on the layout and let you know my next revisions.”


Come on people! I know it’s your money. I get that. And I’m cool with giving you what you want. But why does what you want have to slice away from my time. You see, although at one point most of us thought we really did want to do this as a career, eventually we all realize that advertising is just a job and although you love the preferred client treatment, sometimes we could care less if there’s an emu sphincter in the layout or god forbid, a typo.


You see Mr. and Mrs. Client, every single stupid revision you give us is a gamble you’re taking that something is going to go wrong. It’s not that we’re not committed to excellence, it's that your abuse of leverage and power gets us to the point of not caring, and that’s the last place you want your creative team. You want your creative team motivated, loyal and pumped up. You don’t want them cringing at your products and consuming the competition out of spite. And it all starts with that first little simple revisions that you’re sure won’t take but a minute… you know what? Sometimes it doesn’t take that long. But when you multiply 15 minutes by 12 in a span of 24 hours, the whole commitment to excellence and efficiency goes out the window.


So by all means, next time you have a quibble of a revision, keep it to yourself and call us when your revision is something that matters, will make a difference and will justify the money we will charge you for abusing your power.


Cheers