To be perfectly honest, I don’t know much about the HBO “Voyeur” thing that won a lot of Lions last week. Seems that it involved a lot of production in all kinds of media. But apparently, an agency that worked with BBDO to produce the idea thinks it deserves more credit. From Ad Age:
In an interview, Michael Lebowitz, co-founder and CEO of Big Spaceship, one of the shops instrumental in executing “Voyeur,” criticized both BBDO and the awards system for not giving due credit to his firm for its role in a campaign that crossed from outdoor to digital to film. The campaign picked UP a number of awards at festivals this year, and in Cannes it earned two Grand Prix trophies in the outdoor and promotion categories, five Golds, a Silver and a Bronze in media, cyber, design promotion and film, with the bulk of the credit attributed to BBDO, New York.
In an e-mailed statement, [BBDO CCO David] Mr. Lubars said his agency, as “the source of the idea,” deserves the credit it received.
“Ideas are timeless,” the statement read. “Ideas are what inspire people. Ideas are the root of all execution. On ‘Voyeur,’ BBDO thought of the idea, shot the idea, then brought in Big Spaceship to do what they do. They did a great job (and we’ve made every effort to acknowledge them). What’s the issue? Maybe Cannes should consider the idea of a Palme d’Or for digital production.”
Many shops, particularly interactive ones, partner up with big agencies to execute ideas. So is there a proper way for everyone to get credit? Because it’s all about recognition, it seems. And as new media ideas get more complicated, more agencies will touch them.
Well, you get credited like a production company gets credited. Any production, digital or otherwise, is just that. The idea is king, and those who direct the idea. Those who help make it and craft it deserve credit, but in that order.
Well why not a Cannes for photography? Same thing. Print Cannes winners don’t give a lion to the photographer.
The worst thing my old agency ever did was start calling the digital designers ‘art directors’ because now they rode that title to traditional shops when the truth this, they’re just digital designers. They suck at any big ideas and people didn’t even brief them.
Digital is like anything else, you just need to learn the basic skills to execute. It’s the ideas that are worth everything.