In Praise of Budgets

WHAT DO PARTICLE BOARD COFFEE TABLES and smart communications campaigns have in common? I wish I had a great punch line, but I don’t, just an observation: They’re both easier to create if you know how much money you have to work with.

The observation was triggered by this sign, which I ran across at my local IKEA today. Still on my mind was my recent post about the need for more respect in the RFPs agencies get these days. I mentioned my frustration with prospects refusing to include budgets in their assignments so as not to “inhibit creativity.” I’ve said it before, and will no doubt say it again: Constraints are good for creativity, but lack of knowledge isn’t a constraint. It’s a deficit.

I’m not a regular IKEA customer (although I’m happy to report I’m typing this from a very affordable new home office chair that is considerably more comfortable than the spare drummer’s throne I’ve been using for the past year). So maybe this sign is old hat for the veteran Swedish homewares shoppers among you. But it was new to me and I was glad to see it.

It really doesn’t matter if you’re trying to design a cheap but attractive and functional mass-produced piece of furniture or an insightful PR program. The creative process will be more focused and effective if you have as much information available to you as possible from the very beginning.

And that includes knowing whether your customer is shopping for a $200 chair or a $2,000 chair. Or, say, a $100,000 program or a $1 million program. Having that information isn’t the difference between being creative and not being creative. It’s the difference between knowing what you’re doing and chasing your tail.
 

 

© 2009 John Armato

Comments

[Dentists Sarasota]

Liked this article, it makes you think that creativity is indeed important and should not be wasted.