You get a brief. You work up a few ideas. You get them in a nice place and decide to show your account team.

That’s when you see the look of fear in their eyes.

They’re afraid to show one or more of your ideas because they are anticipating a poor reaction from the client.  Not because the ads are off-strategy. Or off-brand. Or off-anything.

They’re afraid simply because the client has reacted irrationally to work before and they are trying to anticipate what might set them off again.

I get it. Understanding the client is account management’s job. And you couldn’t pay me any amount of money to do that job. So I’m sympathetic to their plight.

But guess what? You can’t predict irrational behavior. That’s part of irrationality’s charm. It’s just so damned erratic.

So why not put forth the best work and let them react irrationally to that?

You might not sell the campaign. You may even get yelled at. But you’ll leave the meeting with your pride intact.

And the client will probably respect you more for it.

Or not.

They’re irrational, remember? Who the hell knows what they’re gonna think.

- TJ Bennett