As long as agencies continue to use words like "kick-ass concept", "great ideas", "insights", "brands" and "human nature" without directly linking them to words like "revenue", "profit" and "market share", they will continue to further distance themselves from the executive suite. A "kick-ass concept" is only as good as the competitive advantage it delivers. Creative awards have nothing to do with competitive advantage.
This from Sally Hogshead (H/T Adpulp)
Sally Hogshead wants creatives
to remember their true (i.e., traditional) value: as people who come up
with great ideas based on insights into brands and human nature. It’s
easy to forget the importance of a really kick ass "concept"…
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Better link would be to where Sally posted this originally-
http://www.radicalcareering.com/hogblog/?p=81
These days- with so many agencies still in the stone-age when it comes to connecting with customers via the web- it may be fair to say that having an agency actually hurts your competitive advantage.