How do I tell my CD their work sucks and it’s basic?
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Was sat down unexpectedly by my ECD with feedback. The Good: they love my work, my execution, my demeanor in meetings and with client. The Bad: Need to better prioritize what to spend time on and who works on what, which projects to push the work on… my crossfunctional teams feel I push too hard on quality of work and used the word “combative.” Never had an argument, just creative deliberation (and yes, Account/Strat very much overstep into creative). What should I take from this?
I can help. The first step is for you to DM both your and their books to me.
By showing work that everyone immediately picks and buys. If yours is that much better, people will figure it out quickly
Good response
You don’t
Doesn’t most advertising suck and could be described as basic or mediocre, so like average maybe lol
How come you don’t help make it better? Start there
I don’t think I want to be one that’s the only issue
This is such a real question because you’re gonna constantly adjust your work to fit their taste for approval. Next thing you know, you are them!
just like that?
lolz nvm
Text them a photo of your post.
I am sorry that I suck 😞
You don’t suck but maybe the work does sometimes and that’s okay. I just wish feedback went both ways
The CD shouldn’t be doing a lot of work, their job is to help get yours and the creatives below them up to par.
That’s why I think we need to switch roles
So, in my humble opinion... this is one of the biggest, most toxic issues in pharma advertising - why do fellow Creatives continuously undermine each other? I would say, it's far better to STOP comparing ourselves to each other, and START learning from each other. Regardless of "level" and "job titles," being a Creative is such a gift - and working with so many talented Creative colleagues is a limitless opportunity to become better individually, and AS A TEAM. Working in the niche of pharma advertising is too cut-throat, and difficult enough, without all the additional judgement and politics - maybe find a new way to connect with your CD, and increase the 1-1 collaboration - it could be so rewarding for both of you, and the creative output will certainly improve in the eyes of your broader team, and most importantly, your clients. I know how frustrating things can get, so I hope this helps - it's always served me well!
No one mentioned pharma
Don’t do this. Do your best to elevate the work where you can. Make strong rationalizations for why your idea could work, but in the end, you need to defer to the hierarchy. This will eventually lead to you being unsatisfied, so I would begin looking to make a change now.
☝️ just present the work you want to make. Sometimes yeah, you’ll have to work on some bad stuff. But just keep pushing, find the opportunities, take the big swings, never present straight ideas. Call out straight ideas. Ask if something can be pushed. Contribute to a culture of creative ambition. Doesnt need to be ground breaking. But how about a twist. A concept. It will keep things interesting and get people around you to take note.
Well hopefully they read this so you don’t have to
Start dressing like a medieval knight
LOL why?
Step one: Lift your leg and mark their desk.
I lost a job for this. To be honest, it was the best thing that ever happened. I tried to improve it. I tried to show them all 4 ideas they were presenting to 4 different clients were all the same. I tried to keep it objective. Ultimately, I made myself a pariah. I was fired and I landed a better gig where I've got more freedom and better leadership. If it bugs you enough to know you might not have a paycheck, say something. It worked for me, but I had to take some lumps in between.
I said I think we are recycling a lot of ideas and I don't think that's a good way forward and eventually clients will notice. I think we've gotten away from headline writing and now we create a tagline for everything slap it everywhere as a do all except on websites. We are also selling the same package of tactics instead of thinking about each client. We should be aiming to do better. That was received to no reaction, I was then chastised for weeks and then eventually looked for a new job. Timing was good good. Canned one week, started a new job 10 weeks later . I was lucky and my new job is so much better
Choose your moment. It’s a brilliant thing to say just before you get sacked.
You let the account, strategy and clients do that.
I wouldn't tell them their work 'sucks' because that's subjective and unlikely to lead to a productive conversation. Instead, be specific about what's not working. Explain why it isn't meeting the creative brief, the audience, or the business objective, and come prepared with examples of what you think could make it stronger. The best creative feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on the work, not the person.
Good luck comrade