“Thanks for the free ideas, now, beat it”

[Bob Cole]

[Tim Wilson] “dude, it’s Sears. Not gonna happen”

So true, and so sad. An American icon back in the day. They sold HOUSES, for crying out loud.

[Alan Lloyd]

I’m sure you’re also aware, Mark, of Sears’ tactic of crowding out other customers at their suppliers, to the point where they were the only client, and then using that leverage as a bludgeon.

On the other hand, long, long ago (in the 1970’s) I was working at Douglas Film Industries, on Kinzie St., just north of DT Chicago, and some of the very best stuff that ever came through our facility was from the Sears internal studios.

Life ain’t simple.

[Mark Suszko]

I hate to keep flogging this point, amid all the free-market Laissez-faire spirit here, but it remains that while you can’t protect an IDEA, the very specific and particular artistic expression of that idea is very much protected. People and huge corporations win suits over such infringement all the time.

Say I was to, I dunno, make a magazine about the video industry with a bovine-oriented visual theme, a particular Pantone shade of, say, for a random example, blue, prominent in the design, and so forth…..

…just sayin’….

[Patrick Ortman]

We don’t do reviews or spec work to land clients, because that’s beyond stupid. I bet most of you don’t, either.

Big advertising agencies don’t flinch at spec work, because they suck so much of the client’s money with their cut of media placements. What would their cut of $500M be, each year?

We’re a creative shop, our product is the work, not the vig. I think that’s pretty much how it is with everyone here, right? So it makes sense that, as creative shops, we’d get riled up when big old mean Sears devalues the creative work we do and make our livings doing. But again, we’re not big agencies- our businesses are set up on very different models (mostly, although Walter keeps alluding to/teasing about his special business model).

Every time I’ve been called in by a big ad agency to help with one of their pitches, I’ve been paid pretty well for my time and efforts. I’m pretty confident the As will make sure their interests are served, there’s some wicked smart people in those agencies. That said, it’s interesting watching so many old A people moving to open their own, more creatively-oriented, shops. If that continues, the old A model will indeed topple. Whether that’ll be a good thing or not, who knows.

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http://www.patrickortman.com
Web and Video Design

[Malcolm Matusky]

Pitching an “idea” may not be copyrightable, but preparing a “pitch” or presentation certainly is. Sample video programming, drawings, written outlines on campaign strategy is all intellectual property that the creator can copyright. If you are just having a meeting and talking, that’s up for grabs, when I submit, photos, drawings, video, or a detailed marketing strategy, that becomes my intellectual property and is protected. I think that is what the agencies in question are rejecting, not “ideas” but the actual creative material they are submitting to Sears. That would be a no-go for any businessman.

Malcolm
http://www.malcolmproductions.com

[Mike Cohen]

Is Sears still in business? I thought those large stores attached to malls were all abandoned…

Mike Cohen