"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is especially true in marketing. Successful programs require calculated risk taking. We are in business to help you develop communications programs that will target the right audience--grab attention--relate your message--and be remembered. Achieving that level of impact requires planning, creativity, and a willingness on the part of the client--you--to take some risks.
One agency executive has said: "An advertising agency that shows you work that does not contain some sense of the unexpected - at least a few surprises - is simply not doing its job the way it should. I am quite serious when I say that one of the main responsibilities any advertising agency has is to prepare, propose, and fight for ads that make clients nervous!!"
If you feel nervous after your agency has made a presentation, ask yourself: Is my reaction based on a valid intuition that these creatives simply won't achieve my goals, or am I timid about really making an impact?
Would customers and others consider the program under review refreshing-- inspiring-- meritorious-- clever-- thought provoking-- innovative? Would your competitors wish it was theirs? If so, your nervous feeling is a good sign. And if the program has no breakthrough qualities, why consider it at all?
Breakthrough programs are the way to go in marketing, so relax, and take a risk!