Quote of The Week, Schunker - 3/29/09

It really starts with knowing that the agency understands the brand and the kind of work we want to do for the brand, rather than the agency trying to impose their brand on our brand. It’s critical to have partners within the agency that truly understand the business issue. That’s really where the success and trust builds from. And I think key for the agency is knowing that the client is there to be their champion.

-Pio Schunker, Senior VP/Director of Advertising, Coca-Cola North America

The Brandcenter has a track called Creative Brand Management.

It is full of approximately 25 future account directors and, God-willing, future clients. Many are fantastic, those being the preservers, the guardians, the "yes" people, the ones who contribute more than just a strong vision and a substantial budget. In my two years here I've worked with a handful of these CBMs whom I think are just as good, if not better than, a lot of creatives out there.

Myself included.

I dislike how we get caught up in titles in this business. I don't like the name-calling. The "you're a suit, you're a creative" bullshit. Everyone is creative. Sure, it's a cliche, but it's only a cliche because it's true.

My CBM roommate, Jordan, (one of the exceptions to the rule) has an interesting take on the subject.

"I have made it a point over the two years at our institution," he writes. "To constantly and at times, inappropriately point out the title of “Creative” as antiquated nomenclature and an inappropriate attempt to concoct a proper noun."

It's good to know there are people like this out there who call bullshit on the boundaries. That they will not only be on our side now and will be on our side later, they will be fighting/thinking alongside us the entire time.

Because we trust one another.

This last project, our team has decided to try a novel idea along these lines: No silos. No titles. Everyone does equal work, equal research, equal brand vision, equal insights, equal strategy, equal creative, equal writing, equal art direction, equal thinking.


I have a feeling interesting things will happen when the walls come down.

dubs. out.