It was not high noon, yet the atmosphere was as heated as the day’s midpoint when the hour to congregate among the differing parties had arrived. On the left were the Account Executives. On the right were the Creative Experts (Graphics and Copy). In the middle sat calmly the Human Resource Extern, here to treat with our advertising agency ailments. The moment had come – the face to face meeting, and the air was tense.
As though by some sort of communal telepathy, a heated battle was foreseen with each entry of the small meeting room. The ammunition for some was the visible folder filled with paper trails. Others made failed attempts to hide theirs behind a bland expression. Others made no attempt to disguise the inner agenda. The battle line was drawn. The clock reached the final tick. Hands were poised near their symbolic holsters, waiting for the first one to twitch.
“Before we start, let’s get something clear” Miss H.R. began. “We are not here to fight.”
“Not here to fight?” went the communal telepathy.
“We will discuss the problems that AEs and Creative have with each other,” she continued. “Keep comments work related. Don’t make them personal.” – “If you become upset and need to breathe, you are free to take a moment away from this room to cool off.” – “I never encourage shouting during my sessions.” Miss H.R. laid down the ground rules, deflating the latent antagonism.
The preamble caused all “Gatlings” to remain in their holsters. Civilised conversation followed. There were the occasional hot spots but under the watchful eyes of Miss H.R. who maintained order. At the end, honest words from each side were exchanged. From this came a clearer understanding of the constant pressure from “unrealistic” timelines that the Creative Team experiences on a daily basis. Technology has made the advertising business one of faster expectations but God has not as yet upgraded the human model. From the AE’s corner came the somewhat sympathetic cry that they do everything in their power to lessen the pressure but the clients are unrelenting.
Creative: Can’t you just tell the client sometimes that the shop is filled with work and ask if they could reschedule?
AE: We try, but they don’t ever want to. They think that changing a comma is just that, changing a comma. They don’t understand that the artists are up to their neck with other jobs which have deadlines and would have to be interrupted to change a comma. We try.
There was not much dust to settle, but after it did, there was more empathy for each side’s headache in trying to get the job done. The meeting was a success. Peace returned, however, the communal telepathy was at it again – “The client needs education too. The External generally does not know the internal mechanism of the agency. They are another component of the machine that needs to be oiled in order for there to be the cohesion everyone dreams of.”
With this, the day ended peacefully, no arms akimbo, no deafening decibels, no finger pointing. Miss H.R. rode off into the sunset, tipping her hat at the “townsfolk” saying proudly to herself, “a job well done.”
*** Stay tuned for the final instalment of the Battle of the Exes trilogy: part III: the Phantom Menace.
