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Inner Model Menace: Selections By Committee

Internal brand threat: Committee decisions

The legendary advertising pioneer David Ogilvy tells in his autobiography "Confessions of an Advertising Professional" how he was once invited to a company meeting to apply for a major customer. When he entered the chairman's boardroom, the chairman said, “Mr. Ogilvy, we're interviewing several agencies. You have exactly fifteen minutes to present your case. Then I will ring the bell and the next agency waiting outside will follow you. "

Ogilvy quickly asked, "How many people will be involved in the decision?"

"The twelve members of the committee here today," replied the chairman.

“Ring the bell! Â € said Ogilvy and went out.

David Ogilvy understood the dangers of a committee decision. He knew that this approach to decision-making often failed.

In behavioral science, there is a well-documented tendency for small committees to tend to "extreme" decisions, that is, a group of people acting as a committee often makes a decision that none of the people acting alone would do so provided that , they hit the same information. But even with these insights, decisions are made every day in this way, which affects the growth path of brands.

We don't need committees today. We need executives on the agency and customer side who actually lead. Who are not afraid to commit to one direction and move forward.

"Search your parks in all your cities. You will not find statutes of committees. "

David said that too.

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