De-coupling

What a buzzword this is. 

I first encountered this in 2006 when the attention that Unit attracted encouraged a few brands to come and talk to us.

However this evening I encountered the most vehement defence of the status quo I have ever come across - and from someone who used to work in post. 

Lets look at it this way. An advertising agency is paid by  a brand to come up with the most amazing, stupendous, creative idea to sell their product that money can buy.

For that, they deserve an enormous amount of money and rightly so. But...

How can you value creativity?  To be honest -  by hard facts - ROI - Return On Investment.

 The guys at Fallon who came up with the drumming Gorilla or eyebrow scary children, already know this!

However, what is to say that a brand can't pay for specialists in each area and cherry pick the very best for themselves...

Not what the agency dictates to them? 

So, focusing on ROI, why can't the brand directly pay for:

1.) The best creativity money can buy: - The Agency

2.) The best production values money can buy - The Production Company

3.) The best VFX, and Audio and Finishing money can buy - The Post Production Company.

All it needs is one savvy project manager at the brand and suddenly we are at least approaching a way to make branding films/adverts for a reasonable fee..

Or to look at another way, why would you pay extra to the salesman who says the car you want is perfect for  you in every way - but invoices you a percentage on top of the servicing charges for the next five years..?

You'd go and find somewhere else to service your car, right?

Everyone is under pressure to cut costs - and for that, especially in 2009, there is no shame.

But, there is no excuse for not paying for the very best - at what they do.

Not to just take it off your hands for a quiet(ish) life. 

There are amazing companies that are now able to deliver the creative vision an agency comes up with for a fraction of the traditional cost.

And I'm sorry if that means that the days of "cost plus" die. Good riddance I say.

It's a brave new world - will you change with it?

David