A "Crisis" of Epic Proportions
Account people are notoriously the most annoying people in advertising. Their primary job is to keep the clients happy, a task that usually involves making the rest of the agency mad.
One of my least favorite things about account people (and I used to be one) is their overuse and misuse of the word "crisis." Everything's a crisis: client doesn't like the color of the border on the ad? Crisis. Client doesn't get an email reply within 30 seconds of sending an email to the art director? Crisis. Client only wanted green M&Ms in the focus group facility and instead was served red and green? Call the papers - the sky really is falling this time.
The worst part about it is that a lot of account people really do respond to these "emergencies" like true crises - they drop everything and run around like chickens with their heads cut off until someone figures out how to use the conference calling feature on the phone or whatever other non-issue the catastrophe du jour happens to be.
These are often the same people who believe that I, and the other 60 million people who voted for Bush, am overreacting to the terrorist threat that exists today. What, exactly, is their rational, you ask? How is it that they are able to prioritize so clearly?
After careful analysis, the only answer that I see is that they are horrifically, unbelievably, selfish and self-centered. And until they, personally, are attacked by a terrorist EVERY DAY, they're very sorry, but the international crisis will just have to wait. Because they have very important clients to deal with.
One of my least favorite things about account people (and I used to be one) is their overuse and misuse of the word "crisis." Everything's a crisis: client doesn't like the color of the border on the ad? Crisis. Client doesn't get an email reply within 30 seconds of sending an email to the art director? Crisis. Client only wanted green M&Ms in the focus group facility and instead was served red and green? Call the papers - the sky really is falling this time.
The worst part about it is that a lot of account people really do respond to these "emergencies" like true crises - they drop everything and run around like chickens with their heads cut off until someone figures out how to use the conference calling feature on the phone or whatever other non-issue the catastrophe du jour happens to be.
These are often the same people who believe that I, and the other 60 million people who voted for Bush, am overreacting to the terrorist threat that exists today. What, exactly, is their rational, you ask? How is it that they are able to prioritize so clearly?
After careful analysis, the only answer that I see is that they are horrifically, unbelievably, selfish and self-centered. And until they, personally, are attacked by a terrorist EVERY DAY, they're very sorry, but the international crisis will just have to wait. Because they have very important clients to deal with.
posted by Kit Pollard at
1:55 PM
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