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Bad CDs do this all the time because it’s quicker than explaining what needs to be done (i.e., give creative direction). In the long run it’s a disservice to all concerned. The more junior writer gets discouraged and doesn’t learn, the CD takes on too much work and all the executions sound the same because the CD “polished” all of them, and the client has only 1 writer on their account, despite paying for more. It’s a terrible, lazy habit. Learn how to teach, CD! It’s your job. Give creative direction, guidance and advice. Don’t do their job for them. Your job is to encourage effective creativity from all your people, not to make them all sound like you.
You are 100% right, except no one’s able to tell anybody to wait a couple of days for what they want because someone has to be taught and inspired. I feel like we’ve copped to it being about not having the time to do it right.
Coach
First, annoyed.
Then smug when the client asks to change it to how I had it originally.
Yes this is usually what happens to me
Rage if they do it to appease account "concerns" or if their writing sucks, self-doubt and admiration if they make it better.
If it’s good, take credit. If it’s shit, blame it on them 😏
I do this all the time
I do this to creatives a good amount of the time. (Not all the copy, but I polish it or fix it.) I can tell you why—its because it would take more time to explain to them what I need it to be, then wait for them to do it, then read it again and probably change it again....than to just write it quickly myself.
I hope they look at it and learn from it. But I dont always have time to go through it with them. A creative I trust to do it right (my definition of right, touche) the first time is worth their weight in gold. So dont take it personally, unless there are some people in the dept that the CD doesnt rewrite. Then take it a little personally I guess.
If they’re making it better than it’s a good thing. If they’re making it worse or just control freaks, I look for a new job.
Frustration.
I try to clock how often it’s happening. If it becomes a pattern, talk about improving feedback flows. You want to improve and they should want to be stronger managers. No one learns anything from a straight rewrite.
It used to piss me off, but now I prefer it to going four or five rounds of me trying to read their mind and figure out what they want, when what they really want is to write it themself.
Still don’t think it’s a good look.
Depends on how much respect you have for the CD. If I know they’re good, I eyeball the shit out of their edits and soak it up so I learn for the next brief. If I know they’re bad, spinning, or nit-picking I take it with a grain of salt and wait for the account team or client to change it back to the original. 9/10 times that happens. By the way, “good” doesn’t mean they’ve won the most awards. You can tell when someone’s a good CD and deserves their praise versus a bad CD who landed on a few great accounts. Plus, the ones who are actually good are confident and fast so they always have time to teach some tricks.
Wow some quality leadership in this comment thread just doing all the "fixing" and none of the leading, huh? 😬 No wonder everyone fancies themselves a copywriter these days.
If it’s good I’m impressed. Hopefully I can learn something.
If it’s bad, I feel relieved because if he/she can make it to CD with worse copy than me, then it means I’ll become a CD sooner than I think.
I take a look at what they did so I can learn from it and then I go home, pet my dog, kiss my boyfriend, and enjoy not having had them make me stay all night when they knew what they wanted.
BBDO1 you hiring?
I always try to give them a chance to rewrite their own copy. I’ll do it if I think we can’t get there, though. But I do my best to talk them through what I did and why. I think being a CD means being a teacher, too. I always got angry when my CDs rewrote my copy without at least talking to me.
Fine with it if they make it better. Especially if they do it with you/involve you in the re-write so you can grow from it.
Giving direction is a lot harder than just fixing it ourself. We have to spend time with you and figure it out together and then we get behind on our day and that makes a late getting home and then it becomes the third night in a row that you got home too late for bedtime.
But isnt that just a symptom of a different problem? CDs should have time to give free back and guide projects. It’s literally the job. Not the CW’s fault. Probably not the CDs either.