The Art of Client Service

Chapter 28Always Ask, “Does This Advertising Pass the ‘So What’ Test?”

The airwaves are filled with ads that, at best, put the viewer to sleep. At worst, they debase the client's brand, rather than build it.

It is not enough for the work to be on strategy. It has to engage consumers and make them want to pay attention. You can't influence how people think and act with boring advertising. To achieve those results requires advertising driven by a smart, honest, and emotionally true idea.

Whenever you're reviewing work with your creative colleagues, first ask yourself if it is on strategy. Then ask yourself if it makes you think, “So what?” As in, “so what's this advertising about, and why should I care? Actually I don't care at all for this work.”

Advertising like this is dead from the outset, and is easily dismissed or ignored, or worse, disliked. It doesn't attract or hold attention, let alone motivate people to act.

If the work doesn't pass this test, it will not pass the test of the marketplace. This isn't work that should go to the client. It is better, instead, to keep working, and to keep pushing for a solution that passes the “So what” test.