Saatchi & Saatchi Up To No Good?!?!
November 14, 2007
For about a week, we’ve been chasing down a story about S&S and their competition entries into major awards shows. If you know what we’re talking about from that vague description, please contact us ASAP. We’d like to speak with you.
Our email is agencyspy at mediabistro dot com or IM us at agencyspy.
It’s a good story. Get involved, yeah?
Read More: Breaking Today! Agency.com Closes Its Dallas Office
November 14, 2007 at 9:40 pm
If you’re talking about the fact that most of it is fake work, that’s the worst-kept secret in the biz. Unless you’re an award show jury member, apparantly. Guess the politics involved makes them turn a blind eye. It’s lame, but then the whole award show scene has been just that for quite some time.
November 14, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Yes, yes… everyone knows, but we want proof!
Anyone?
Please?
AS
November 15, 2007 at 7:40 am
Well known. Yet Adweek and Adage/Adcritic as well as the judges all turn a blind eye to those media darlings.
It’s caused such a lack of respect for the shows among the junior to mid-levels of even the top creative shops.
Everyone knows the scam agencies. There’s even talk of blacklisting creatives from such shops as their work is probably all scam.
At the end of the day, it is highly unethical.
November 15, 2007 at 9:17 am
For Saatchi & Saatchi, read ‘everyone’, surely?
November 15, 2007 at 4:26 pm
My understanding is that it’s a bit more complicated: Granger convinced P&G to actually fund the fake ads and enter them in award shows. To boost P&Gs creative reputation as well as his own.
Thetruthis is 100% correct that the success of such blatant fakery has caused award shows to slip in peoples estimation and no one really gives any credibility to work coming out of there. We are all laughing at the new shop Leonardo Johannesburg that the two CDs are setting up. How will they handle doing work for real clients?
November 15, 2007 at 6:49 pm
No Yo_guhrt, not everyone at all, only a few. That is the misconception.
Fact is, many very creative agencies have strict policies against scam, and many creatives don’t try to manipulate the system.
November 16, 2007 at 5:46 pm
Granger, Premutico, etc. They’re surely not the only ones, but have indeed played the system.
My thought is, if you can’t make a good scam ad you must really suck. It’s a wide open canvas.
So to make a real ad that actually wins the recognition of your peers, beating out a scam ad…or even getting a bronze. Well, there should be a whole new award for that. Those are the people I’d want working for me.