How to Shape Human Behavior

Print producer for TBWA, Martine Meyer has +20 years experience planning, budgeting, proofreading, and ensuring print ads to ensure  conform to graphic chart guidelines and that everything is done correctly according to the client’s specifications.

How does your job fit into the marketing process? I coordinate between the different services: creative, commercial, the client, and the studio (the people who create the actual advertisement and make the layout with the right text and image) through the different steps of the production process.

I establish the price, planning, and delivery of the final product and tools (flyers, brochures, posters, press advertisments, etc.). I also proofread to ensure everything is done correctly according to the client’s needs/wishes, making sure the Graphic Chart Guidelinesare respected (logo and text size, position, color, photos, spacing around logo, etc.)

Step 1: Determine display format
Step 2: Apply Graphic Chart Guidelines
Step 3: Obtain client verification

What do you mean by display format? Like online banner sizes, if a client wants to advertise offline, for example on the sides of public transportation buses, I have to contact the bus company to get the format size specifications.

What do you mean Graphic Chart Guidelines? When a logo is created, guidelines for the logo usage are usually also created by the agency that created the logo. These guidelines can be as many as 40-50 pages outlining everything from:

• The minimum and maximum allowable size of the logo
• Logo placement on a product
• Logo placement on posters
• Color palates of secondary colors that can be used with the logo
• The minumum size of secure area (blank space) around the logo
• The typeface limitations and requirements for print and office typeface advertising medium
• The chromatic palette compatibility with the color of the logo on stationary, badges, faxes, memos, brochures, correspondence cards, envelopes, etc. and business cards as well as the company’s address, telephone number, service department, etc.

These guidelines are created to control the brand image and strategy, and are usually done for big brands, not for smaller brands.

What’s an advertising campaign you’ve worked on?

What’s a misconception clients commonly have? The agency creating the concept (logo and the tagline together) generally maintains the creative rights to the logo, and the client cannot just simply do what they want with the concept of the creation. Some clients, however, may not understand this and think that when they buy a concept/creative idea, that they can then take this creation and make/use it however they want without regard for the Graphic Chart Guidelines.

For example, an ad agency creates a logo and tagline for a client. But ad agencies generally want to maintain the creative rights, so the ad agency includes limitations on modifications that can be made to the created logo and tagline such as font type and format. But the clients modifies the finished logo, using different colors, or even a different font.

Despite the creative rights, an ad agency can have trouble enforcing their creation rights because this can cause tension between the agency and the client.

What’s another problem encountered in advertising? A client may agree to pay a set price for a project, but then the may later add additional requirements such as new tools or more brochures, and not understand why they have to pay more.

What’s an important lesson you’ve learned? It’s not important to immediately begin working on the client’s project because things inevitably change, even after the contract is signed. So take your time because client requests will change frequently – price, quality, quantity, color, global objective, description of the tool, etc.

Sit back and once you feel the client is finished changing their mind, then it’s time to go to work. Don’t work for nothing. You have to know how to determine what’s urgent and what can wait.

What’s a website you often go to for ideas/inspiration? I visit the client’s website or call the company (metro, bus, billboards, etc.) Technical Service Department to find out advertising format guidelines and prices.

Advice for someone who wants to do your job : This is a job that requires organization and you must enjoy reading and proofreading because you’ll be doing a lot of it. Often in foreign languages. If a client bought logo from another advertising agency, the client must still have the files and guidelines for you to use in the campaign.

What’s one of your favorite advertisments? Here are two:

I have a small advertising budget, any advice? It depends on the product. First thing is to have a logo. Guidelines aren’t really necessary if you’re a small company. On a small budget, create flyers and banners and brochures and enroll in an exposition where a lot people traffic.