We at Wetpaint are not in the habit of letting our egos get the better of us to the point that we’re needlessly bragging about the results we can achieve for our clients, but we’re an advertising agency after all and the difference between shameless bragging and honest self-promotion is largely one of industry expectation.
There’s also the matter of professional pride; of seeing the results of our hard work and dedication to our clients’ account and wanting to share our glories with the world.
There is nothing quite as satisfying as winning, and when our clients win, that’s a win for us too, and we’re not going to apologise for basking in the warm glow of a well-earned shared victory.
That said, there are times when a victory (like dark chocolate) is bittersweet.
Such was the case recently when we were informed by a client of ours – a small firm of specialised professionals – that we had done too good a job of promotion and that they would have to suspend their employment of our services; at least, for the time being.
A small and tight-knit team, this client (who we’re hesitant to name, for fear of repelling future business for the sake of its current abundance) works in a labour-intensive industry in which every client’s needs require outsized focus – thus limiting the number of clients that they can bring on board at any given time.
Of course, Wetpaint doesn’t do things in half measures, and we don’t assign a maximum value to the business we aim to bring in on behalf of our partners (every client is a partner, after all). We simply do what we do, and utilise every channel at our disposal to bring as many eyes as we can to the brand we’re working for.
The intersection of these two realities is what led to our current paradoxical predicament.
On the one hand, it is impossible not to feel a fat slice of pride at exceeding the results that were expected of us to achieve. On the other hand, it’s hard not to feel a bit sheepish when you’ve flooded a client to the brim with so much business that they have to ask you to shut off the valve at the chocolate factory or they’re going to drown.
At the end of the day, though, “too good” is really “just good enough” and the aim should always be to do better than your previous best.
Our clients will learn the butterfly stroke on chocolate currents, and we’ll always be waiting when the tide goes out and their sweet teeth are hungry for more.
For an advertising agency, the greatest possible self-promotion is the successful promotion of our clients. This is why we focus on proven tactics, employed as a part of bespoke solutions that get guaranteed results.
Chocolate splatters, and while our clients are learning to swim in rivers of it, we can’t help but find some of it splashing up on us.
