How to take stress out of creative presentations!

Just before Christmas, I wrote a posting about how I think that creative presentations are the most stressful thing in a marketing job - as there is a risk that you will dismiss the next huge idea that will transform and step change your business. It is always easy to chose a safe option, or a rework of an idea that you have seen work before.

One thing that has struck me as I have been getting back into developing advertising again in a more hands-on role, is how things have not changed really in how bad clients can be in feeding back on creative work. No matter how much training we all get!

I think this is caused by the huge pressure that marketing teams put on themselves to have "the answer" and to have "the view" right there and then. I think this is totally the wrong approach and thing to do when it comes to assessing and agreeing on creative work.

The way I look at it is as follows:

(1) It took weeks (usually) to discuss and agree the brief to the agency. If it is a good brief (and on a tiny post-it note) it will have taken time and careful consideration.

(2) It will have taken the agency, and a lot of people, time (usually weeks) to develop the creative approach or approaches.

(3) You will spend several hundred thousands of dollars to make and maybe millions and millions to run the ads.

(4) So you should not put pressure on yourself to have the answer and make a decision in a 30 minute or so meeting when shown the work.

I go through 4 stages personally:

(1) First do a round of clarification questions, only to check the work is understood.

(2) Give initial impressions and thoughts, mostly from my gut around: What did I think when I first saw the work? What is the creative idea? Is it on brief (benefit, reason why)? Is it talking to my target?

(3) I then sleep on it for at least 24 hours, discussing and showing it to people who I believe have good judgement on copy - as well as relevant line management

(4) I then construct a well written feedback and take the agency through it

This takes a lot of pressure off, and time to make a better decision. Something I am trying to get all my teams to work on.

What do you think? What do you do?