Advertising is a team sport.

A relay race is a good metaphor.

When it works well, clients run the first leg then hand the baton to the account guys. The account guys race along and hand it to the strategy guys, who, in turn, deliver it to the creatives, whose job it is to get it across the finish line.

Sure, sometimes the baton gets dropped.

Sometimes a runner falls.

And sometimes everything goes right and you still get beaten.

That’s the business.

But there is one mistake that is really unforgivable: when one discipline doesn’t hand the baton to the next discipline.

When that happens, you’re suddenly running a three-legged race.

One you are guaranteed to lose.

And the people who will inevitably be blamed are the creatives, because it is our responsibility, and ours alone, to get the work across the finish line.

If you’re a planner, you may want to reread this and untie your leg from mine.

Cheers.

- Craig Crawford