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  • advertisement/marketing idea

    Posted by Rich Mack on October 30, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    Hi,

    Newbie to the group.

    I have an idea for a advertisement/marketing idea for a specific company’s and one of it’s product groups. I have been able to get the contact information for their marketing department, but I’m unsure as to how to approach them. Do I insist on a non-disclosure agreement first? Do I try to reach the department head first? I am not in marketing, so this is new territory for me.

    Do I sell the marketing slogan and idea, or get a cut for each time it’s used, similar to a royalty?

    Rich

    Nick Griffin replied 14 years, 9 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Andrew Rendell

    October 31, 2011 at 2:13 pm

    I’d find out whether they would even consider a speculative idea before going any further – most places won’t even look at something they get sent in case seeing it opens them up to accusations about copying in the future.

    (I know that writers on a well known tv series over here are banned from looking at fan sites for that very reason).

  • Todd Terry

    October 31, 2011 at 4:16 pm

    If this is purely advertising… there’s a 99% chance that if this company is of any size they will be employing an out-of-house ad agency that handles all of that.

    You’ll need to find out what that agency is, and that’s who you should reach out to. And specifically, the creative director there, or the account exec in charge of that specific account.

    But again, as Andrew said, it would be very unusual for them to consider or even listen to a spec pitch. I guess stranger things have happened, though.

    T2

    __________________________________
    Todd Terry
    Creative Director
    Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
    fantasticplastic.com

  • Rich Mack

    October 31, 2011 at 4:42 pm

    stranger things have happened, though.

    Strange things seem to happen to me, ha. I appreciate your inputs!

    Rich

  • Nick Griffin

    October 31, 2011 at 7:46 pm

    I agree with the others. HIGHLY unlikely for you to get through. That’s not the way it works and frankly not the way virtually any agency or client would allow it to work. I refer you to one of the very first things I wrote 10 years ago for a very young CreativeCOW:

    https://library.creativecow.net/articles/griffin_nick/how_tv_spots_happen.php

    If you’re not part of this process then you’re… well frankly, not part of their process. It’s the difference between having a good idea versus being able to have dozens of good to great ideas a week which begin with a specific marketing process and the creative is providing the end step to that process. Sorry, but that’s the reality.

    The only time when something like what you’re describing happens for real is the annual (well at least for the past 2-3 years) Doritos competition for the best SuperBowl spot. But with that you have to submit a finished production and take the chance that yours is one that will be used and therefore bought.

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