Propositions

Go on then.

Propositions.

Are they actually fucking pointless or are they, as planners will tell you, "the most important thing in the whole process"?

I've seen about three exciting propositions in my life. Sometimes they are planners writing headlines. Sometimes they are suits writing novels.

I think the problem is the form. A proposition has to be this that or the other. I'm going to hear Steve Harrison talk about what he reckons they are soon. I'll report back when I find out.

Why can't a proposition be one word?

Cheaper....Freedom....Together....Finite....Faster....Convenient.

I could work with that.

The problem is the planners would then take two weeks trying to find a way to make EVERYTHING one word. It would need a rigid structure.

"We've got 'long-term' here as the proposition. But that's not one word is it? Do hyphens count?"

It doesn't matter. I know what you mean.

Fuck form. We once ran a proposition for the NSPCC that was a picture of a baby crying. The resulting DRTV ad was a huge success. Mad proposition. But it worked.

All this form "you've got 10 seconds to convince them" "what's the one big thing" "what's the inspirational truth"

all fancy ways of saying "what's the proposition" that never actually work. They make non creative people have to submit ideas into form. And that's not fair.

The worst proposition of all, however, is when a planner has tried to write a really good proposition. They often read like this...

"Feed your speed" or "Because Soap Matters" or "Spec-tacular glasses"

I'm pretty sure Just do it and Beanz Meanz Heinz were not propositions. Nowadays they would be. But if Beanz Meanz Heinz was a proposition that campaign would never have run. The creatives aren't going to use the propositions as ideas. The proposition for that campaign was probably "Heinz should be your choice when deciding to buy baked beans."

Something that simple would probably be beyond your standard planner. It has to be BRILLIANT. Look at this brief!!

Why? No-one else in the world will.

Brilliance is the job of the creatives. And it's fucking difficult to become a creative. It's not right that Oxbridge grads come and hijack our job through the back door. Planners are a lineman, not a quarterback. Planners are a radar operator not pilots. It's not right that they should steal the glory and try and limit the idea through a greedy brief.

We score the goals. Planners set them up. That's how it should be.

Propositions are not that important. Creative work is important. Consumers actually get to see that.

What is your agency proposition structure? What the shittest one you've seen?