Working With A Creative Team
Advertising Career Advice
This is the second article in short series on advertising career advice. The first article addressed Steps to Becoming a Better Account Executive; this one will focus on working with, and earning the respect of, your creative team.
Be Creative
As an account executive, being creative doesn't mean doing the work of your creative team, but it does mean knowing that, if you absolutely had to, you could. Rather, working with a creative team, and earning their respect in your role, is advertising career advice you can begin putting in place right away. Here are a few suggestions.
React to the Work
The first step toward working with a creative team is reacting to the work...and do it as enthusiastically as you can. Don't just stare at copy, or a layout, or a story board when the creative team shows it to you. Have an opinion. Praise it if it is great. And if you think it is off strategy, be gentle in your criticism and explain exactly why you feel that way. If you want to make friends on the creative team—and your job will be easier when you do—heed this bit of advertising career advice and you will be on your way.
Sell the Work to the Client
After you have worked with your creative team to come up with some spectacular stuff, then put it under your arm, get out there, and sell it to the client. The creative team will quickly learn which account executives can sell their stuff and which ones can't. Take a guess which ones they'll love and respect.
Report Back Soon and In Person
Think about this one for a moment. Your creative team has put a lot of themselves into this project. If you don't come back from the client meeting and tell them, honestly, how it went, they'll be on pins and needles until you do. Wouldn't you be? Of course you would. Call it the Golden Rule of advertising career advice, and consider it a staple in working with a creative team.
Don't Hide Your Creative Team
Some members of your creative team are great presenters. When the time is right, use them. If you hand over the reigns at the right time, and the work gets sold, your client will give you credit for bringing them in. Additionally, your creative team will have infinite respect for you for letting them show off their work. Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn't it?
In conclusion, being an account executive isn't easy. And sometimes it can feel like you are in a tug-of-war between clients and the creative team. If you communicate honestly and promptly with both sides, however, you'll garner much respect from everybody involved. Pretty soon, you'll start piling up advertising career advice of your own.
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