But who decides the budget? I’d like to believe that it’s a function of AB’s to be involved with this, not simply the client dictating, or worse the client pulling a figure out of a hat. Has the collaboration process gone missing? I’d like to believe the AB’s would provide insight into what it costs to produce an ad, and with the support of their agency, fight for an appropriate budget to work with the an appropriate photographer for the job (as decided collectively) and to create a great ad.

And if as you say the AB’s are loosing the support of their bosses, I wonder why the agencies senior people don’t stand up for the sake of executing the best they can. Surely it’s in the best interests of the agency to also push for appropriate budgets so their ads turn out as best they can. Isn’t the agencies reputation on the line? Don’t they want to produce great work more often?

Because I’m afraid what you’re saying is that money has trumped everything…. including the outcome of the creative.

Still hoping someone can provide additional insights into the inner circle of agency/client dealings. I think there’s an opportunity to make some positive improvements, not just for the photographers but the agencies and clients too.

Like you wrote, too many are losing the support of their bosses. What choices to they really have in that situation then?
-Leslie

However, I wonder if there is a disconnect between art buying and the client. That is to say, do the account reps and agency executives have the same knowledge & appreciation of the value of photography that the art buyer does?

Because photographers deal with art buyers and AD’s every day, for me at least, there is big unknown when it comes to the mysterious dealings happening between the agency and the client – and that has the potential for the value of photography to get lost. A massive black whole, where the seller and the buyer rarely, if ever, communicate directly.

Now I could be way off here, but it seems to me that there is a role for agencies to not just fight a little harder for photo budgets, but also to educate clients. I wonder if, over the last 10-20 years, agencies have become fearful to lose an account and have lost their backbone. I’m not blaming art buyers (see above – I know how hard the fight) but there are many other corporate levels and interactions going on between agencies and clients that I am questioning.

Because I’ve noticed a trend – art buyers and agencies in general have become ‘yes men’ to the clients. While art buyers (and to a certain degree account reps) may be fighting, I believe that these battles are no longer being fought with the same passion or commitment as in the past. Is it just me, or do art buyers and account reps no longer have quite the same clout or agency support they once had?

While I genuinely appreciate the efforts of art buyers and art directors – who obviously would love to have larger budgets approved to execute their vision – it seems to me there isn’t the same incentive to do so as there once was.

Is it simply fear of the client, have AB’s lost the support of their bosses, are agencies rewarded by clients (like some cost consultants) for chopping budgets, or is it something else?

Perhaps this is the new norm – the fear of an agency pissing off a client.

It’s a shame.

Rocksteady,
Danno~