For Halloween, we asked marketers what scares them the most about their jobs:
Bill Cochran, creative group head, The Richards Group
The possibility of a data-driven copywriting artificial intelligence that can write smart-ass survey answers better than I can.
Sarah Simonetti, account supervisor, BSSP
As an account person, you are haunted (not just during Halloween) by conflicting industry news about our role and function, and whether we will even exist within agency models of the future. While some camps believe we’re an extension of the client team, focusing primarily on the bottom line and how to best bring our agency team along for the ride, others say it’s all about creative first and our kind of brand stewardship is irrelevant. Now, more than ever before, account people need to be strategic in prioritizing business and creative equally in order to survive.
Kelli Miller, creative director and partner, And/Or
As a small-business owner the scariest thing is the red line in our cash flow and its ever-present creep. We do our best to keep it at bay, but inevitably it marches forward. That pressure can force difficult decisions about what work to take on to keep it at bay. Even if our intention is to be selective about the work we create, sometimes we need to feed the monster. As a studio that puts the quality and craft of our work at the very top of our values. It’s very scary to feel the pressure to make sacrifices for capital.
And the industry:
Selena Pizarro, svp, director of video production, RPA
People who insist on trying to templatize the art of advertising.
Anda Gansca, CEO and co-founder, Knotch
What frightens me about the marketing industry today is that we’re facing a real lack of transparent, accurate data. Oftentimes, the incentive structures behind data reporting prevent transparent, trusted data getting back to brands in real time. The data that publishers and agencies provide on campaigns isn’t always sufficient, and it’s often delayed. This has led us to a place where trust is a difficult currency to earn in the industry for decision-makers.
Max Ottignon, co-founder, Ragged Edge
Branding is about turning complex concepts into simple, meaningful ideas. But if we’re so good at that, why have we done such a bad job at branding branding? Ask 10 people to define branding, and you’ll get 10 frighteningly different answers. And if we can’t agree on what we offer, what right do we have to tell other people what they offer?
