Do agencies still need suits? Join the debate
Do agencies still need suits? Join the debateDo agencies and clients still need 'suits'? That's the question the Marketing Industry Network will be debating in Manchester next month.
It's a debate that raged on these pages earlier this year when Chester advertising agency speake2 relaunched as The Other Agency and billed itself as "the agency without suits".
The Other Agency's director Saul Peake, who said at the time that "most account team members are little more than message carriers", will share his experiences of a business without account handlers and client service staff at the Manchester event.
It will take place on 15 July (venue TBC) and Peake will be joined on the panel by Unsuitable's Jon Harrison and Adrian Bentley of And Partners to weigh up the pros and cons of a suitless agency.
If you would like to come along and join the debate contact Caroline on 0141 559 6066.
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Comments
Of course you need suits in an agency they are vital.
If they weren't there who would pay for the taxis and lunch?
I worked with a great suit over at Sequoia (apart from wearing a blue Burburry tie) he brought everybody in the the agency an ice cream when it was hot. Mind you they went bust.
As a creative I do remember good suits like I remember good creatives. I have been in the business for 20 years. I can only name about 10 that I think where a pleasure to work with and they added great insight.
Sadly most couldn't write an inspiring brief to save a life. As a creative if you constantly produce shit your out on your arse. Shit suits are always defended by someone saying "but the client loves them"
I feel there should be a suit awards where they can be judged on best brief best planning doc etc etc then we can really weed out the shit
Suit awards top idea we all put our selves up for awards we stand by our work let them stand by there work
Let creatives and clients be the judges
Without suits, who would creatives have to moan and bitch about? Oh, apart from clients.
Please don't knock the suits too much as some half-wit hired them usually on the promise that they're going to bring in tons of new business.
Over the years I've worked with some really good ones ..well three.
Without a suit nothing would go out the door. The art director would be still on a A5 2pp leaflet 18months after the job came in. Usually changing the background colour for 87th time, kerning the headline(again) and moving a picture 1mm to the right.
The roles in agencies exist for a reason.
Hardly worth commenting on but... it really is a team game. There are agencies with #1 better Suits and #2 better Creatives and when they work well together you tend to end up finding, winning & retaining better Clients and producing better work.
I seriously wonder if the "agency without suits" will soon be the agency without Clients or profits.
Surely the suitless agency is not your USP? If you are only a direct creative shop then you might as well be a bunch of freelancers, just be careful what you wish for.
"Blah, blah blah, a suit stole my porridge!". Blah, blah blah, a creative doesn't like me!".
Shut the F@@k up!
Grow the F@@k up!
and f@@k the f@@k off!
On one hand a good suit can be the friendly, approachable face of an agency. With some of the creatives I've worked with over the years, even when their work is excellent, people skills were not one of their strengths and clients would be easily put off.
On the other hand, a poor suit can cost the company money with poor communications, fiddling hours, uncharged work, a skiving jobsworth not putting in any extra effort for the client.
Guess it comes down to if they are just an order-taker/paper shuffler, sales person or more public relations minded.
As a suit, I feel that people should use their talents appropriately in an agency. I don't think it would be best use of our creative team's time creating estimates/ invoices, drafting timing plans, developing media strategies, doing background research, travelling across the country for meetings, writing tenders, drafting proposals, checking artwork or spear-heading new business initiatives etc. etc. In my view, creative people are best concentrating on developing compelling creative solutions. It's our job to give them the best brief, the most comprehensive background and to sell in their ideas effectively.
Neale, you've clearly never heard of everyone's favourite 'Suitless' agency - Unsuitable? They're doing brilliantly without the cheesy Crystal Ken bag carriers.
they are really good at forwarding on emails and blowing up balloons
Good suits spend their days spoon feeding arrogant arsewipe creative’s the essential propositions, market background and campaign objectives. Bolstering insecure egos, ensuring creative flights of fancy are minimised and profitable accounts retained by the agency.
There you go....throw those recipes into the wok, give it a good stir and see what magnificence appears........go on, raise the bar with your creative responces!
Funnily enough, there are actually some great creative’s who are mature enough to actually appreciate and understand the strategic input of the much maligned 'Suit'.
I'm new to the agency game, having spent most of my career on client side. One of my first experiences as a 'suit' was to lead a pitch opportunity. The creative director and design turned up for the meeting full of ideas that were non-sensible, non-constructive and not aligned to the brief.
The main problem being that neither had bothered to read the brief before the meeting. Creative arrogance at its best.
Personally I wouldn't want creative getting caught up in sorting out the paperwork. Creatives need the freedom and space to be focussed on making the proposition, that you've carefully crafted, come to life.
Anonymous 11:49, I'm on the client side. My company works with a small group of freelancers, and I'm really pleased with the work they provide and the way they go about it.
It helps to go into a meeting remembering that designers, writers and web folk are there to help. When you can talk to them directly about what you need, life is an awful lot easier. They're experts in communication. Although as a suit, you should probably know that yourself. Maybe try talking to them. They don't bite. Well, not many of them.
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