AICP Summit NY: A look at industry etiquette

The 2011 AICP Production Summit in New York on October 26 and 27 stood apart from the standard have-a-big-idea creative conference by drilling deeper into concerns and changes in production. My favorite panel came at the end of the second day when people are normally burnt and ready to go home. The panelists focused on the lack of etiquette in the industry and discussed the following themes.

More training

If etiquette were a sport, the young agency producer’s team would be in last place. It’s not their fault, though. In the good ole days, agency producers in training would shadow full producers on multiple shoots and start running their own job three to five years later. Now, agencies are leaner, departments are stretched too thin, and producers are thrown into the fire quickly with less training. They have less time with mentors (senior creatives who understand the art of the budget) and learn bad habits because they don’t know what they don’t know.

Production companies are reluctant to tattle to the agency despite knowing better. So what’s an agency to do? Set clear policy so producers can absorb the institutional knowledge and understand expectations early on. Explain the value of the triple bid (not six plus) and define and monitor proper communication etiquette. If communication starts off poorly, assume the job will go poorly.

Don’t read to us

Apparently, reading the script over the phone is just as exciting as reading a script on a conference panel (Pytka, I’m looking at you). Deliver the passion and explain how you arrived at that big idea.

Good and bad phone habits

It’s 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The agency producer calls and says they need the treatment by Monday morning. You work all weekend, pull together an amazing presentation and deliver it on time, then . . . nothing. No call on Monday, no call on Tuesday. Finally you call on Wednesday and the producer hasn’t had a chance to look at it.

Yes, everyone is super busy. There are not enough hours in the day to complete every task. Unfortunately, being too busy doesn’t mean it’s OK not to return calls. If you ask someone to put in work for you, respect their time with a call. As Dan Blaney, senior producer from Wieden + Kennedy NY eloquently said, “It’s bullshit to not call people back.”

Additionally, agency producers need to build new relationships over the phone or in person. Good working relationships are a critical part of awarding, producing and completing work. Do all bidding over the phone rather than by email because you need open communication to work together when a bid is too high . . . which is often.

Good and bad email habits

Email is excellent for project details and logistics, which need to be clearly communicated. Strong working relationships can run just fine through email, but only when you both are already in sync.

Email is a terrible medium, on the other hand, for resolving emotionally charged issues. If something is going wrong, pick up the phone and deal with it.

Break up correctly

You narrowed the bidding process down to the three best production companies and finally awarded the job, which means two companies are out. No one enjoys “the breakup” call, but unless you only take single bids, it’s a necessary part of the job.

Second calls can be awkward, especially if the agency is planning to go another direction. Production companies can tell that they are not getting the job depending on which agency folk are on the call. Conversations can come across forced, even though everyone is trying to be nice. Be honest and explain which way you are leaning. The production company craves constructive feedback about why the director was not right for the project. The sales team needs to manage the director’s ego and the director needs to trust that the sales team is doing their best to land the right projects.

Simplify treatments

Remember the good ole days of big budgets, good calendars and great perks; when jobs were won on a great reel and a handshake? Yeah, me neither. Expectations for treatments have grown out of control as production companies create 20 pages with full visual references in 72 hours. Wouldn’t it be great if we could cap treatments at three to five pages and let the written word work its magic?

Production companies appreciate when the agency reads the treatment and comes prepared with thoughtful questions. 90% of the treatment may be great, so the group can focus on tuning the last 10% before the bidding begins. Once completed, the treatment becomes the bible for the client about how to do the job. Pytka’s not going to be able to do away with them any time soon.

Price fairly upfront

In an ideal world, the producer and production company trust each other and define a fair budget for a great job. But the reality is that producers hate giving a budget range because they expect bids to magically come back at the high end. The assumption is that you can’t know the true cost of the project if the information is released up front. Young producers often ignore the numbers, however, hoping to boost the value of the project through the killer big idea. Furthermore, if the job cannot be done and has no money, please explain that before bidding. Don’t ask four production companies to bid on a job that never existed.

Procurement experts P&G have taken cost discovery to an extreme. They push aggressively on budgets, get a yes and push even harder the next time. Their theory is that until they hit bottom, there’s always more fat to cut out.

Production companies also worry about honest budget discussions with the producer. They worry that they are the only vendor who is honest about the project details upfront and gets dropped early from the bid. Lack of trust on both sides results in unnecessary and expensive guessing games.