Never Let a Girl Know How Much You Like Her

I was fascinated recently to see an adage article referencing Cramer-Krasselt's success in the wake of telling CareerBuilder.com to stick it. This after the client had effectively told the agency they were putting the account in review because their Superbowl ad didn't rank high enough in the annual USA Today ad poll. We could spend all day on the this latter point, but I think the clients position speaks for itself. All I will say on this is that the CareerBuilder.com action is sadly telling of the degree of respect most clients (not all) appear to have for their agencies.

What I rather choose to do with my time today is celebrate my top 3 personal favorite moments in which agencies had the cojones to end a relationship in which they were treated as a commodity offering and give a quick shout-out to those clients (i.e. Porshe) that referenced said agencies' cojones as a reason they might (and in Porshe's case did) award an agency a piece of business.

"Hooray" to Peter Krivkovich for putting CareerBuilder.com on notice...and with such conviction, "There are a few times in your life when you have to tell someone to f*ck off and mean it!"

"Hooray" to Pat Fallon for telling BMW to beat it after the client put the North America account into review. This, after the agency work over the previous decade had established the auto manufacturer as the literal manifestation of its tag-line, "the ultimate driving machine."

And lastly, "hooray" to GSD&M co-founder Roy Spence for his most-memorable and eloquent spin on telling someone to "go f*ck themselves." ---“I want to thank Wal-Mart for inviting us to re-pitch the business. I have decided to decline. We helped build Wal-Mart from $11 billion in sales to $312 billion. We declare victory."

Honorable Mentions: Crispin-Porter (Gateway), Goodby-Silverstein (Subway)

You never win a girl's heart by telling her how much you like her nor by bending over backwards to become her puppet. You may win her attention and even keep her around for a little while, but ultimately you lose her respect and you lose your dignity.

Whereas there's always going to be another agency that is willing to sell their soul for a monthly retainer, there's something to be said for those willing to maintain their dignity, even if it means losing a piece of business.