At the end of this month I start lecturing a course I developed for Adschool: ‘The Art of Account Management’. So naturally I’ve been thinking a bit about what suits are good for and why we need them. You know, beyond the obvious practical reasons.

Why, indeed.

Well I think one answer starts with a question about the difference between good agencies and great agencies: why do some agencies consistently have better creative output than others?

I don’t really think it has as much to do with the expected answers of creativity or bravery, as it does with shared belief and trust. And, perhaps provocatively, I think it has less to do with the creative department than it does with clients.

Yes, clients.

Consider this: if you take the same brief to the top 10% of creative teams in your city, I’m willing to bet that you’d get similarly great ideas (what comes before and after the idea are another matter that I’ll save for a later post).  But we all know there is a vast gap between a great idea and an approved idea – the consistent variable is the client.

Clients, what I‘m saying is – it’s your brief, your business objectives and ultimately your decision to approve an idea.  And you’ll be making that decision based on your expertise as a marketer and ensuing respect as an empowered employee; on your bias as a consumer; and on the level of trust you have of your agency, as a client.

And it’s this critical last bit where the suit comes in.  As client-agency conduit the suit is the one who echoes the client’s voice in the ideation process; the one who helps the creative team to understand the planner-defined client problem that needs solving; the one who facilitates the approval; the one who manages the relationship; and the one who ensures that trust grows.

When it comes to belief in great ideas, it’s this trust that is often mistaken for client bravery. And it’s often the trusted suit that is taken for granted when it comes to approval of those ideas.

You can read more about, or enrol in, The Art of Account Management course at Adschool site here.