Client's feedback to creative.

I'm always trying to bring some light into our world of advertising, the creative process, brainstorms, creative presentations and ideas. It is an easy job, but it comes with lots of layers and shades of gray areas.

That's why I wanted to share with you this post I found at Life in the middle.

It offers good advise about one of the hardest part of the agency-client relationship: The creative feedback.

1. Prepare to see the work. What am I expecting to see? What are we trying to do? What will impress me?

2. Get in the mood to see the work - read the brief - remember what if feels like to have the problem fresh in your mind.

3. What's my instant emotional reaction - do I like it? Hate it? Am I surprised - why? Is it confusing? (It's not always a good idea to share these thoughts, but note them.)

4. What caused the reaction you had - is it 'what' the work is saying? Or, 'how' it's saying it?

5. Does the work contain a real brand idea that changes perception, as opposed to a nice advertising idea?

6. Never act like Simon Cowell. My job is not to say whether something is good or shit. But to say how right something is, and to find ways of expressing how to make it more right (if that's what it needs).

7. Feedback does not mean criticising. It means trying to understand and articulate why the things that are working are working, and why the things that are not are not. These are equally important.

8. Start macro when feeding back but go micro. As long as feedback is something the agency can action then all comments add to the intelligence around the problem,even the little things.

9. Post-rationalise. If something you didn't think was previously important or salient now looks like it might be. Try and understand why - strategy never ends.

10. Be aware of the self-serving bias and the confirmation bias - interpreting things in a way that confirm preconceptions, or meet your interests.

11. Always say thank you. Creative work is hard work.