GREAT piece, Steven!

I worked at Chiat in the late 80s and had heard some of these stories (by then, the 1984 spot had taken on a mythic quality). But I had never heard all of it until now. And it’s never been told better.

Frankly, there was a lot I didn’t like about working at Chiat/Day. It could be a brutal environment. But you could never question their commitment to the work (a commitment which sometimes bordered on insanity). In that regard, they were inspiring. Chiat was the gold standard, admired by other agencies.

My first instinct was to immediately email this article to my entire agency. But to what end? It would be like asking McDonald’s to earn 5 stars in next year’s Michelin Guide. From what I have observed, many agencies today are not even trying to produce and sell great work. Mediocre will do. And no one would ever dare to disagree with a client, let alone fight for the work.

As for starting with a “great” brief? I’m lucky to even GET a brief. And when I do, it’s virtually useless — nothing more than a description of the assignment and some technical specs. It seems like no one is trained to even write a brief or think strategically anymore (don’t get me started).

Wondering if this is just my experience or part of a larger trend? I’d be interested to hear from others.