Merrick Schmerrick
Or why everything this guy says really irks me:
http://adage.com/digitalnext/post?article_id=131841
Mr. Merrick,
Michael Lebowitz took a huge risk of losing agency business by choosing to make his complaints about Cannes so public. But he took that risk for all digital agencies, including yours. You imply Big Spaceship wanted more credit than BBDO. Not true. They only want what they were promised. Your approach weakens our industry in many ways.
First, BBDO's contract with BSS included clear delineation of credit, since both knew the HBO campaign was the kind that might warrant recognition. Though not all agencies pre-determine such issues around credit and awards in print, although we believe they should. But we should all care that our vendor agreements are respected. Lebowitz also took that risk for the talent in this industry, at your shop and mine, who choose to work for companies where the craft is being invented on the fly, where creative and technical risks are not entirely known, and where we are often left hoping those risks are in line with the reward. We should all care that our work is recognized, particularly if such recognition was made part of the promise. This is not about awards. It's about honesty and integrity. It's about the health of the relationships between traditional and digital agencies. And this is a chance to change our industry for the better. With awards in mind, studios tend to make extra investments in their execution, trading more work and longer hours for that additional currency. Agencies often use the awards platform as a carrot to lower our price. It's all part of the bargain and such recognition is often openly pursued in lieu of a studio's marketing budget. So, changing any agreement after the fact, in this case while standing on the awards platform, is not fair or honest. It's not good for any of us. And we as a group should NOT put up with it. Your approach, Mr. Merrick, is so detrimental to the entire industry: • You tell the agencies that it's okay to fuck us. It's not.• You tell our clients that digital shops are all alike, that we're only in business to slave to general agencies. Not even close.
• You tell our staff they shouldn't seek recognition for their good work, when in fact, they should stand up and fight for such clear recognition any time it's promised. You fear a worsening of "our collective predicament." We seek to step out of that predicament altogether! By shining a light on blatant wrongs of the biggest culprits and collectively upholding that stance, we – even as small agencies – can move the line; we change the practice; all boats rise. So, Lakonic can be the "American Axle & Manufacturing" of our industry. Fine. Congratulations. You still deserve for your contract terms to be respected, your bills – in cash and kind – to be paid, and your staff to get what's been promised to them. Caving to the strongman of the industry, because that's the way they've treated others for years, doesn't help. Blurring the lines between those who are happy in the production business and the specialists, like Big Spaceship, who extend our craft confuses clients and slows business for all of us. And your most ironic assault, calling other studios "whiners" in public forums (for the second time now) so that more business falls your way is shamefully more selfish than the claims you lay against your own peers. In that way, you show they are not peers at all.
We'd prefer that you'd join us, on a platform that requires transparency and integrity of all of our partners – digital vendors and traditional agencies alike, so that again, all boats rise.
