The Art of Giving

Happy Friday,

How was your week?

(I skipped a week to take my mom to France to cheer her sister's 80th, and will work from Paris while they hang out for the week— oh, the sacrifices I make!)

Now that I'm no longer in your spam (phew)  and you've decided to stay with me (merci), I've been getting wonderful feedback from many of you about what's working and what could be better. Keep those coming — I'm all ears!

Speaking of feedback, it's a gift when done right, especially when reviewing brand campaign creatives. But like any gift, there's an art to giving it: 

• Be objective | What did you ask for, and does it deliver on those asks?

• Be empathetic | Remember there's a team of creatives who poured their hearts into these ideas.

• Write it down | Document the evolution between revision rounds (no more than 3 pleeeaaasse)

Easier said than done, right? And let me burst this bubble right now: the "if I like it, they'll like it" mindset? That's a trap. Sure, you know your brand inside out, but ultimately, your brand is whatever your customers think it is. So stick to your brief and brand identity model like glue.

Here's a real story: When we opened Liverpool House, it was meant to be Italian (what?). At the time, it made a lot of sense, with Joe Beef serving some of the best French food in the world (I wasn't kidding). Our customers thought otherwise and helped us craft a more brasserie-like menu to keep next door our flagship. Had we not done it, would it still be opened? Would it have been named the best new restaurant by Enroute when it was all the rage?

Beyond the obvious "focus on the work, not the person" rule, you need a few things to structure feedback:

• Consolidate your feedback | Check in with all your key team members before hitting send

• Respect the brief | Use it as your north star, keep going back to it to structure your response

• Be specific | And help everyone avoid multiple rounds of changes.

But here's the real game-changer: get your creative brief approved by key team members before anything else. It keeps everyone objective and saves precious time and budget (those non-working dollars add up fast!).

If you need inspiration, I've linked a feedback template for your next review round. Consider it my gift to you!

Until then

See you next week

P.S. Would love to hear how you handle creative feedback in your world — drop me a note!