All most traffic systems do, is just progress-chase work through the creative dept.
So their main function is to make life easier for account men.
I wanted a traffic-system that worked for the creative dept, instead.
So it had to have 2 functions.
1) Create more time.
2) Make better use of the time.
As regards creating more time, you can’t put the airdate back.
But the problem was that traffic didn’t start until the brief went in.
So, if we can’t put the airdate back, put the brief date forward.
Get all the suits to predict when work is due on their accounts, a year ahead (75% of work is seasonal or tied to media schedules).
Give these predictions to the traffic department so they can chase briefing dates and get them in earlier.
So get the briefing dates on traffic’s timing plans12 months ahead.
Then traffic should give the suits deadlines for their briefs, the way they give creatives deadlines for their work.
Next, if you give a creative 6 weeks to do a campaign, when will they start?
That’s right, the beginning of week 6.
So make every week the last week.
All work going through the department gets reviewed on a weekly basis.
And if there’s no progress on it, it gets switched to another team.
No argument, no exceptions.
That helps concentrate the mind.
Finally every single creative has their own wipe-clean board in a public area.
Concept work is written up in red.
Production work is written up in black.
So everyone can see what everyone else is doing.
If you’re lazy, it’s on public view.
If you’re working flat out, it’s on public view.
If you’re a junior, once you’ve turned all the red on your board into black, you can work on any of the red on anyone else’s board.
This gives juniors a chance at better briefs.
And it stops the seniors getting lazy.
Of course there are many more details: timings, forms, signatures, but the core thinking is as follows:
1) Reverse the concept of time to create more of it.
2) Include the entire agency in traffic, not just the creative dept.
3) Create a system designed around recognising and rewarding hard work and initiative.
4) Be completely open and transparent.
And that’s the best traffic system, which produced the best work and the best people, I ever worked with.
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Great idea - except if the agency’s bean-counter led.
Years ago, I was at a bean-counter led agency that had very little accounts and briefs.
I had just one brief a day - don’t envy me.
Because under that agency’s rule, I had to fill in an 8-hour minimum every day.
So I spent as much time as I could on that brief.
Maybe not 8 hours, perhaps about 5 to 6.
But finance and the suits freaked when they saw me time sheets.
“You can’t spend that kind of time because then we lose money,” they bleated.
“Yes, but how does it make the Agency more productive if I spend 5 minutes on a job and the remaining 7 hours, 55 minutes on the net?” I asked.
“That’s not our problem. We estimated 4 hours for the job and by spending 5, you’ve screwed up the system,” they replied.
So, while I applaud the red/black board idea, I’m just saying this won’t be possible - not in an accountant-controlled network.
Because then, if there is more than 1 team working on a brief, is the agency losing money?
I don’t think so.
Then again, neither am I an accountant, sir.
there are 2 things I particulary like in this system:
1. keeps some presure on creatives. it’s rightfully observed that creatives are lazy if not under pressure. and every account is happy to see creatives sweating.
2. maintains ‘creative hunger’, which is probably the most important skill any creative should have.
Allan & Riki.
The most revolutionary part of that traffic system was that it was the only one that included account handling and planning.
The system started because a client gave us 6 months to do a campaign, and it took the account group 5 months to write the brief.
So the creative department only got 4 weeks to do the work.
And the client still judges it as if it took 6 months.
Thanks Dave.
That seems to be an eternal problem - doing up the brief.
I was once at a French agency and the Deputy MD said he would do the brief 2 weeks before the due date, which was a Tue.
I remember going back to the agency on a Saturday just to make sure the brief hadn’t been snuck in - it hadn’t.
In the end, the Agency missed the pitch.
Not because we (I was the writer) didn’t want to do the pitch but because there was no brief.
Sad, huh?
[...] Despre trafic. Si nu numai Posted septembrie 18, 2008 Filed under: Uncategorized | http://cstadvertising.com/blog/2008/09/08/traffic-not-just-progress-chasing/ [...]