About 6-7 years ago, I was working on an IMC plan for Brand X, and the client manager was Ms. X. At the time, the client wanted to launch a new, groundbreaking product for the entire category, so the agency was excited about the pitch. The brief clearly stated: WE NEED A NOVEL, GROUNDBREAKING APPROACH.
So, when we started working, besides a creative idea that correctly solved the client's problem, we also tried to find executions that were as novel and groundbreaking as the client wished. The presentation day went well, the brand team praised us highly, and if you're reading this, you can probably guess the result: we lost the pitch (otherwise, why would I be telling this story? 😂)
The team was frustrated, so we tried to find out what went wrong. Through the Account team's professional detective work, here was the answer: "She said a novel, groundbreaking APPROACH, not a novel, groundbreaking EXECUTION, dear? 🙂"
Wait, what?
Surprise, surprise!
I was shocked. I felt guilty—did I misunderstand Ms. X, or did she set a trap for me, huhu.... After the team sat down to analyze, we realized that besides the industry having many limitations, Ms. X had been in that position for 10 years, and she was very hesitant to do anything she WAS NOT FAMILIAR WITH. For Ms. X, doing something new = risk (for both the brand and her).
