This post got me thinking about one of the best places I ever worked. It was a medium-market radio station where, because of the ownership and management, we didn’t define differentiate between creative and account management.

When it came to producing material in-house, those of us who were on-air and in copywriting simply wouldn’t consider moving ahead without the account rep involved. And vice versa. The clients were unbelievably happy with the results, the station’s revenues grew, and we actually turned down opportunities for awards and recognition. That part was short-sited in terms of furthering individual careers, but no one still seems to care.

What I now realize is that we were totally focused on business results for the client and the station. The fact that we continuously achieved them brought enough satisfaction to take care of our intrinsic needs.

While this isn’t an agency example, the principle is still the same. If you want a lot of cooperation around creative output and business results, don’t start putting people into boxes that spawn an us vs. them culture.

Really enjoyed this topic, Mark.

Too many creatives go into a project to win awards first, thinking that selling something would be a nice side effect.

Obviously, this isn’t the name of the game.

I have not worked in an agency environment so I cannot speak to the mindset you describe there. In companies I often find the “everyone is a cook in my kitchen” mindset. Without exception, everyone feels that they could come up with better logos, writing, and ads than the marketing or communications department. So it sounds like the exact opposite is happening.

Looking at the issue from that perspective, I would say that few understand that although we all posses creativity, creative work that sells is an art and a science. And listening to those who are getting paid to do that might pay off in the long run.