Cindy

Droog

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March 31, 2008

Turn March Madness into Corporate Combat

I love when March Madness turns into April Ado.

Long eliminated from my own NCAA pool this year, I still believe nothing beats watching stars in the making putting it all on the line, or seeing lower-seeded teams give it their all, coming within � and even overcoming � those viewed by the experts as the toughest talent. 

Call me old-fashioned, but I still believe competition is healthy. That every kid doesn�t need to make the team. That the occasional loss makes you stronger.

I don�t play competitive sports these days, but I do compete professionally. I guess we all do. For annual awards. For new business. For the best employees.

I know I�m not afraid of contests. They�re motivating. Fun. In fact, I think the corporate world could use a few more of them � all in the good spirit of achieving the very best results.

I�m not alone in thinking this. Last year, an internal creative team I work with was asked to compete with an outside advertising agency to design and write a two-page spread. I was charged up. I don�t like to lose. And while others were complaining, asking �Why do we have to do this?�, I was too busy strategizing, sketching and sparking ideas to care.

In this case, I know we were the underdogs. We were small-town Davidson College playing against Kansas, only Kansas was a New York City-based ad agency with top creative dawgs who get paid $250 an hour. Including us in the competition was more of an afterthought, but it was done, and we won. And it�s not like we shot a three-pointer at the buzzer, either. According to our internal clients, and I have the e-mail to prove it, we won by the basketball equivalent of 20 points.

This year, of course, we�re using a different outside agency. One that designed a brand new national advertising campaign that kicked off this past weekend. In fact, the first ad ran the very same day that Davidson beat the Big Ten�s Wisconsin.

Only this time, Davidson � meaning the creative team I work on � wasn�t even invited to the Big Dance. Overlooked like Syracuse in 2007.

Rather than whining that we could�ve done a better job than they did on the campaign (and I do believe that), or asking leadership for some sort of apology (it wouldn�t be heartfelt even if they did give it), I figure I�ll propose an NCAA-style elimination tournament for next year�s campaign.

The only caveat is that our internal staff has to be one of the 64, 32 or 16 teams invited. We get as much access to company leadership � the coaches if you will � as the outside agencies. We get as much practice time, meaning time to create before we present. We get a playbook, too, comprised of all the research the outside agencies have.

And finally we get impartial judges, referees that will tell us how we stack up in the match up. I�ll even buy them black-and-white striped ties and blouses to wear with their uniform suits.

Give us all that, and you just might see Davidson College � the underdogs that live right under your nose, and work there every day � rise right to the top. Again.

I know I�d put my money on it.

� 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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