Why Creatives Should Always Present Their Own Work

In advertising, marketing and design agencies, different roles exist to facilitate the production of good, creative work. There are people trained in account management, others who are trained in production, and there's a whole department filled with creative minds. These are the copywriters, art directors and designers who produce the creative work that makes the agency what it is.

However, all too often, these creative are not there to present their own work. This happens for several reasons, outlined below. It is strange to think anyone could stand there and say "keep the creator of this work out of the meeting room, we don't need to know his or her rationale" but it happens. Here's why:

The Arguments AGAINST Creatives Presenting Their Work.

1. It's hard to trash work with its creator in the room. "Oh, that's awkward." Clients and agency-people alike don't feel comfortable being completely honest with the creatives there to hear every crushing word. Without them around, it's way easier to pull the work apart.


2. Creatives aren't trained presenters. Well, that's true, but this isn't a case of giving a keynote speech to 2000 people. This is a handful of people in a room, and it's much more important that the ideas are presented by the person who knows them intimately, rather than a slick presenter wearing Hugo Boss and smelling of Lagerfeld cologne.


3. We need to keep the numbers downs. "There are too many people in the room, we can't have the creative there as well." Wow. I've heard that often. It's odd though that there is always room for everyone else who touched the job, and even some that didn't. This is like saying "we couldn't fit the band on the tour bus, the entourage took up all the seats." If you're organizing a meeting for a presentation of the creative work, there are two parties that must be in there above all others - the client, and the creatives. Everything else is merely good housekeeping.


4. Creatives are too honest, and too close to the work. Yes, and yes. Isn't that what you need - some honesty and genuine passion? Of course, you don't want people screaming at the CEO of the company, but at the same time you don't do yourself any justice by filling the meeting with nodding dogs. It's only when you're all passionately arguing over a piece that you know you've really got something.


5. Creatives cannot take criticism. Not true either. I don't know anyone in the industry who does not applaud genuine, constructive criticism. I have seen people shoot their own work down when hearing the client's feedback, realizing that it's off brief. What creative do not like is unqualified, biased, arbitrary feedback that helps no one. "I don't like the green" is no reason to kill an idea. "I'm just not feeling it" should not be the end of the conversation, but the beginning. Why? Over and over again, creatives want to know why. Tell them, and they'll happily redo the work.

So, with so many arguments (and seemingly legitimate ones) out there, what do you say to those insisting that creative should stay out of the board room? Or, worse still, how do you convince a shy team to get in there and present their own work? Here's the ammunition:

The Arguments FOR Creatives Presenting Their Work.

1. You birthed it. You took it from a fragile sapling to the giant oak that stands on the page before you. There is a meeting room full of people with axes just waiting to cut it down. If it's a good idea, it will almost sell itself. But it may need some help, and there is no one better to explain it than the proud parent.


2. You can defend it better than anyone else. Even clients who LOVE the idea will look for excuses to kill it. It's easier to say no than commit money to an idea. And, they're not as brave as you are. So, you need to be there to defend it. Tell them why it's good to stand out. Explain that risk = reward, but please, put the emphasis on REWARD.


3. No one loves the idea like you do. Sure, the creative director may be a close second, but they can't tap into the recesses of your mind and find the proof the client needs to give it the green light. A good CD can sell anything, but you don't get to be a good CD unless you have plenty of practice selling your work.


4. You can deflect those "what if we did this?" bullets. You know, the clients want to combine ideas, or add their own touch of flair, and before you know it everyone in the room has agreed to produce a three legged, one-eyed camel instead of the thoroughbred that trotted through the door. You know why it won't work to make those changes. Be vocal. Protect your stallion.


5. You can kill it. Yes, kill it. A lot of people in the room will be too afraid to let a good idea die, they'll quite happily turn it into something awful that limps out of the room. But as the person who created it, you are in the best position to say "that won't work, let's scrap it and come up with something that fits the new assignment." Yes, it's more work. But it's better than the lame duck they want to send out into the world. And you're on salary.