Sometimes the best relationships are those that give you what you actually need not what you asked for.
Of course a relationship has to be trusted before you can ignore the words your client has spoken, and instead go with the gut instinct that tells you exactly what they need. Reading between the lines is a skill not to be dismissed lightly, as is understanding and respecting your client.
A great example of this is our relationship with Dynamic Creative, our graphic designers of choice. We carefully instruct the team as to exactly what we want, specifying colours, detailing layout, considering the ‘look and feel’ along with an overall objective and target audience. The last two details are really all they need; the talented chaps sip their coffee, nod politely and then produce something totally unexpected, concepts very different from our own but much better, so much better and exactly what we need. It is truly a blessing when you can quickly instruct your partners with a brief brief and they instinctively know what to produce, what you needed and certainly not what you asked for.
When the same level of understanding and respect materialises in our relationships with our clients, it makes every day in PR a pleasure.
