What's wrong with adland?

Speaking recently to Contagious renowned creative Patrick Collister, the man behind The Won Report, gave his thoughts on the current state of the advertising industry:

‘There are too many clients....Every meeting is attended by at least six people all of whom have the power to kill an idea and only one (if you're lucky) has the power to buy."

He also had this to say on the global holding companies:

"It is not in shareholder's interests to be 'risky' - i.e. have ideas which no-one can predict will work or not. Thus multi-nationals, run by managers who report in to shareholders, will always be conservative organisations."

Pretty sobering thoughts don't you think?

And yet just days ago the D&AD awarded four of their hen's teeth like Black Pencils. Two of them to Droga5 NY!

Which surely goes to prove that in times of adversity true creativity really is the only way to succeed.

Obviously clean water can wait

Corporate and brand guidelines are the bane of many an agency creative.

There's nothing more frustrating than seeing an interesting idea crushed by the guideline police.

If there was one brand I wouldn't have thought you'd have a problem just getting ideas out with, it's Unicef.

The work they do is far to important to let a typeface or colour treatment get in the way. Right?

Sadly no.

Seems the Australian launch of the Droga5 initiated Tap Project has been postponed until 2010.

If you're not familiar with the Tap Project, it gets people to pay for tap water at restaurants, with funds raised going to help supply clean water to people who need it.

This is important work.Yet Unicef have delayed the launch by a year.

Why?

Because global guidelines and support collateral will not be ready in time for the launch.

Alison Overton of Unicef had this to say:

"We wanted to do it properly and as management had changed to Geneva, guidelines , art work and training were not developed."

As Derryn Hinch would say - Shame Unicef shame.