Failing to Succeed

November 8, 2010

Failing to Succeed

Failing is not fun, however, it’s expected of everyone and in every industry. It’s a way of life, right? Not in advertising…at least thats what people are led to believe. Derek Walker wrote an intriguing article in the small agency diary on AdAge. According to this article, failure is not accepted in this industry. Too many times agencies are found in a position for needing to get it right the first time and make promises to clients that sometimes can’t be kept. We’re going to pose the same question as Walker did in this article…is this reasonable? Should agencies NEVER have room for failure?

Sure, agencies should always exceed client expectations and provide work that doesn’t just leave the client satisfied. The client should LOVE what they see. However, according to Walker failure is more than an option for advertising – it’s a necessity. “Failing means we’re taking chances, trying new things, pushing to find new ways to engage consumers for our clients. Failing takes courage”.

Failure is hard, especially for companies who want to make clients and consumers happy ALL the time. However, failure has to happen…it just simply does. And if all is said and done correctly in the act of failing, failure isn’t always a bad thing. Failing usually leads to learning, and who doesn’t need to learn something every now and then?

Tags: advertising, agency, clients, consumer, industry, interesting, life