got rhythm?

I was thinking the other day about inter-agency and client-agency relations. Specifically, the stark difference between creative synergy and friction. One of the biggest potential issues in both cases - IMHO - is when the lead thought/idea is too specific and therefore guarded.

I've always been against the idea of a message being the lead thought. A message is a distilled expression of a much bigger idea -- always. The same applies to a property which serves to express the thought and act as visual glue for the campaign components. You know all this.

For me, the smartest way to (A) get creative agencies working well together, (B) involve the client creatively in a way that aids and doesn't obstruct and (C) create excellent, fluid communications that people will resonate with people is to create a mutable platform. A platform that is held together with a sound belief but that can flex and change, alter its form and its language. In fact. Enough words. This explains it better than I could: