You are allowed to say NO

This week seems to have been a great week for diabolically bad training videos in the media. Take a look at this one found by our creative director in Dallas, for a company called Pier One Imports. It was so bad it made the Conan O’Brian show on TBS. Primetime baby. 

This is what happens when you give an inexperienced person some power / authority / budget.  It’s also what happens when production companies and agencies “just say yes”.  Interesting to us because we used the same actor in a series of staff training films for Verizon a couple of years ago. So it's not all his fault...

At best – this is an unfortunate incident – like your dad deciding he can “get down” at the school disco. Embarrassing, but nobody died.

At Blackberry, however, they cannot afford any bad PR, which is why we were astonished to see this.  When there are a lot of people just waiting to jump on the bandwagon - don't hand them a ladder...

OK – two new rules:

1.              Don’t let executives come up with the creative, and

2.              Don’t just agree – if you’re an agency – please get some self respect and tell them about the huge mistake they’re about to make.

We have a duty of care to save some customers from themselves. Please use it.

If you endorsed this kind of idea – of worse still – came up with it, then I am sorry.

You are past saving.

Why do you think this happened?