Honor and Respect the Consumer and Brand
As CPG professionals, we identify white space opportunities for bringing new brands to market, or for repositioning brands in an ever-changing environment to stay ahead of the competition. The challenge and excitement of marketing can sometimes send us into the center of the ring to posture and see who has the best idea, whether within an agency or agency vs. client. At times, client/agency relationships strain when the forum for open debate is closed down. When this happens (as I know I have experienced), just as when contractors may often do on your new kitchen project, the end result is a loss of focus on the most important relationship, the end consumer and the brand (kitchen), that they will ultimately buy and to which they will remain loyal.
As I have said time and again to co-workers and clients alike, we (CPGers) will ultimately move on, on to a new position, on to a new career, or maybe even switch sides (agency to client, client to agency). In the end, the consumer is left with the brand, or new kitchen counter that should have been granite, not concrete. We have an obligation to honor and respect the consumer/brand relationship and do what is right to help that relationship prosper. Only when we have kept the focus on this relationship can we truly say we have done our job and are successful (in the eyes of the consumer).
