The Speed Thing

Ever noticed how creative work at big agencies just... takes forever? You brief something in, and it disappears into a process. Endless team meetings. Approval chains. Junior versions, senior reviews, more junior versions. Weeks go by. By the time it comes back, half the thinking behind why you needed it has already changed. The market's moved on. The trend's peaked. That cultural moment you wanted to tap into? Gone. It's not because the people are slow. It's because the machine is slow. Too many people touching it, too many sign-offs, too much process between the idea and actually doing it. Meanwhile, your competitors (especially the ones with startup energy) are moving weekly. Testing stuff, learning what works, ditching what doesn't. They're fast because they can be. B2C marketing rewards that speed. The brands that can shift with what's happening actually win. So it's mad that you're working with an agency that still moves through a three-month approval process. Real agility doesn't feel chaotic or rushed. It just means working with people who can make decisions and get things done without all the ceremony. You're paying for that capability. Might as well actually get it.