Brands demand creativity. Agencies demand respect.

By Marla Kaplowitz, President & CEO, 4As

As we start to emerge from the pandemic, the impact of the last two years has left a lasting imprint on society, government, and businesses – but most significantly on people. While some say that it’s time to get back to normal, I view this time as an opportunity to do better. Now is the time to leverage our collective experiences to evolve the way we work, and eradicate bad behaviors and tired narratives across the industry.

Recently, one of those tired narratives surfaced as a brand CEO chose to disparage agencies in a dismissive tone, incorrectly praising his internal team for developing a creative idea when it actually was presented by one agency and later developed and executed by another. Sadly, this incident hit a familiar nerve for the agency community. When the pandemic hit, agencies did what they’ve always done and stepped up to help clients figure out how to address challenges including supply chain issues and marketing obstacles from production to media, as well as remote ways of working and many others. It is therefore disappointing to see that some are resurrecting dated narratives.

Read the full piece here.