Fallon's Chairman on Getting Clients to Take Creative Risks
Fallon's Chairman on Getting Clients to Take Creative Risks
The author has worked in advertising for four and a half decades, and during those years he has spent a lot of time persuading clients to run ads that feel risky--maybe even dangerous--when they're first pitched. A client's risk appetite depends on the emotional makeup of the decision makers, the state of the company, the industry it's in, and many other variables. Strategy is the rigorous, behind-the-scenes part of Fallon's process: Driven by research and consumer insights, it helps to precisely define what the company is trying to accomplish with a campaign. Realizing that the agency has thought it through, the client becomes more comfortable taking the leap. The author describes three highly successful campaigns: "Live Richly" saturated New York City and other big markets with provocative signs that proved much more powerful than TV ads and created meaningful differentiation for Citibank in a category that had defied differentiation. "Just the Right Amount of Wrong" developed a niche market for the Cosmopolitan hotel of Las Vegas--people who like the spirit of the Strip but want something more refined. "Never Settle for Less" helped H&R Block expand its customer base by offering a free second look at tax returns in various locations. The company's professionals discovered thousands of dollars in additional refunds, and ads created from film footage of the event raised consumer awareness of a key selling point.
CITATION: Fallon, Pat. Fallon's Chairman on Getting Clients to Take Creative Risks . : Harvard Business School Press , 2014. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 92, No. 10, October 2014, pp. 35-38 - Available at: http://library.au.int/fallons-chairman-getting-clients-take-creative-risks