Ethos Public Relations Manchester

Mass market or bespoke solution?

by Sean

A recent enquiry about producing a printed document - yes people aren't 100% digital yet, says me writing a blog - got me thinking long and hard about pricing. The prospective client was interested in getting ideas for their publication before committing to produce it. The issue about doing up-front work before being awarded a contract is a perennial issue for those in the so called 'creative industries'. Being something of a 'thinker' I thought well into the night about what the correct solution should be.

It seems to me that there are two types of products in the world (gross over simplification, I know). There are those mass market products (and services) such as Mars bars or daily newspapers where the manufacturer makes hundreds of them and then takes them to market and we, consumers, decide to buy them - or not.

Then there are those bespoke products such as that specially tailored suit or corporate newsletter.

Seen in this context, I think the answer is clear as to who should 'fund' work on a new publication. All corporate communications, by their very nature, should be bespoke, if not especially tailored. It's therefore only right that any development work is paid by the commissioner.

What do you think?

Posted at 10:52am on 8^th December 2009

Scumboni

Sometimes clients don’t know how far to invest, or whether to invest at all, until they’ve either been through a consulting phase, or a creative pitch. If it’s a competitive situation, clients should only ask for a ‘free’ pitch if they agree to certain conditions - i.e.

• transparency about which agencies they’re inviting to pitch
• Identical brief to all agencies, including specification of deliverables for the pitch itself
• Commitment to place the business with one of those agencies and proper feedback to the others
• Acceptance that the project cost is likely to be higher than for work placed on the basis of a straightforward ‘credentials’ pitch (because agencies will need to cover the risk cost of not winning)
• Maximum budget specified as part of the brief

If the client can’t agree to any of these conditions, they should either pay for a consulting phase to help them clarify the project brief, or pay agencies to pitch.