about everything! Strategic planning, research, writing, design and graphic arts development, presentation, client expectations, production, archiving, timekeeping and billing...the works. Development of a Sales Aid: Gerdaton 1. Research—Finding the Communications Gold Among the Dross Strategic planning groups in most agencies conduct market research to elicit the same kind of information that was needed prior to the advent of computers, but the process is much less expensive and much more robust in terms of what can be learned in a considerably shorter period. As a result of this preliminary work, a document called the creative brief is usually prepared to put all members of the team, literally as well as figuratively, onto the same page. First, we'll want to know how our physician customers actually diagnose and treat the conditions for which G e rd a to n will be used. To do this, we'll select a few representative cities and recruit doctors there to participate in our research. We'll also prepare some rough communications (stimuli) to elicit their reactions to specific messages, visual ideas, overall concepts, etc. This can be done on a one-to-one basis or in small focus groups. Developing a thick skin and steeling yourself for the criticism of your baby—ie, the copy you've written or visual ideas you've dreamed up for this process—has become an essential skill. Instead of traveling to faraway places and watching the interviews from behind two-way mirrors, today our team members are able to view the action remotely from their computers. The time and money saved and the ability to include all members of the team behind the "electronic mirrors" has dramatically
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