广告公司最终剪辑版 | Agency’s final cut
Kama Zhang曾就职于奥美广告，负责广告创意工作，2012年他创立了颉摩广告（Karma）。公司的宗旨不仅仅是为了创作有深度又鼓舞人心的广告作品，同时也是为了保证创意流程能执行得更加规范。近期，颉摩广告与山寨Airbnb品牌“小猪短租”之间的广告风波就验证了这一点。
Kama Zhang, a former Ogilvy creative, started Karma creative agency in December 2012. The goal was not only to create insightful and inspiring work but also to ensure that the creative process was done ‘right’. His motives were surely tested in a recent client dispute with Xiaozhu, an Airbnb China copycat.
小猪看到颉摩广告为健身软件Keep打造的广告后，找到了颉摩，2016年末，双方展开合作，颉摩开始为客户打造从纸媒到基础社交媒体营销战略再到广告的一整套营销活动。
Xiaozhu approached Karma after viewing the agency’s work for the mobile fitness app Keep. The two companies started working together in late 2016 to create a full campaign for the client that would include subway posters, basic social media strategy, and a TVC.
在颉摩看来，最初的战略制定和策划阶段，双方的合作很愉快，当然其中也有一些常规性的客户和创意团队就如何精确定位品牌形象的问题偶尔有些小争吵，但这在所难免。颉摩觉得他们逐渐建立了客户信任度，这种信任感对于创意概念的落实必不可少，可以保证各方都能实现最终目标，合作应建立在公正与尊重基础之上。
From Karma’s perspective during the strategizing and planning process the relationship was positive. Karma believed it was building its trust with the client through this process, a trust necessary for creative ideas to flourish and all sides to reach the final goal, while being treated fairly and respectfully.
在制作公司Shooting Gallery和导演Matthis Zedtner的后期制作公司Velvet的支持下，颉摩在广告开拍之前，就准备好了广告片预览供客户小猪查看。视觉预览的目的是把风险降到最低，在广告开拍之前就让客户对成片效果有一定的概念。颉摩广告在上海开启了为期三天的拍摄，并且小猪参与现场拍摄，对拍摄方面并没有提出任何异议。
With the help of production company Shooting Gallery and Director Matthias Zentner’s post production house, Velvet, Karma put together a previs for the client to review before the first day of shooting for the TVC began. The purpose of a previs is to minimize creative risks for the client and to clarify what the end product will look like before the actual efforts of shooting begin. During the three days studio shoot in Shanghai, the client came to the shoot and did not raise any major objections either.
广告片预览 | Previs
但当颉摩广告把一审版本交付给小猪几天之后，小猪却要求停止后期制作，提出三点原因。首先，他们提出广告太过于强调经济型酒店，而忽略了小猪品牌。但这样的品牌战略最初是征得了客户同意的，目的就是为了表现经济型酒店的弊端，从而突显小猪的服务优势。其次，小猪认为广告有些“激进”，担心招致消费者反感。但是既然小猪对不满意这个片子的话，为什么在摄制前会议上给予认可，并且开拍前收到的3D视觉预览也给予了批准？第三，小猪担心观众看了之后也会不知所云。但是，颉摩广告也找了不同观众群体观看广告，他们却都表示能明白TVC讲的是什么。
When A cut was sent to the client, several days later the post-production was stopped with these three comments. One, the film focuses too much on budget hotels rather than the Xiaozhu brand. This, however, was the brand strategy proposed and agreed upon by the client, to show the disadvantages of budget hotels in order to amplify the benefits of Xiaozhu’s services. Two, the film is a bit too radical. If the client was not happy with the tone and message, why did the client approve everything in the PPM and the previs sent before shooting began? Three, a blind test of the cut was shown to Xiaozhu’s staff and many were not clear on the message of the ad, therefore Xiaozhu is worried its customers might also be confused. The agency also performed blind tests with various groups of viewers who were able to grasp the meaning of the ad.
颉摩收到这样的反馈当然十分震惊，这也是他们第一次听到客户表达对其作品和战略的负面反馈和担忧之情。颉摩的第一反应就是搞懂到底是哪里让客户不满意，是否可以对哪些地方进行修改，打消客户的疑虑。但是，颉摩电话联系客户并进行简短详细邮件沟通之后，他们看到了客户的坚定态度，绝不接受这样的剪辑版本，并表示不需要颉摩继续为他们打造品牌战略，这一剪辑版本交付之后，小猪不会再支付任何费用。
Karma was of course shocked by this response. This was the first time the client had expressed concern or negative feedback to the agency’s work and strategy. The agency’s first reaction was to understand why the cut was rejected and if anything could be done to solve the client’s concerns. After Karma called the client and a brief detailed email correspondence ensued, the client reaffirmed its position that the cut would be rejected and Karma should stop working on any further brand strategy for the client as the agency would not be paid for anything after the A cut was delivered.
就此，颉摩面临着艰难抉择，要么接受客户的否决，放弃整个项目，跟制作公司的合同也要解约；要么就坚持到底，但是同时也要承担经济风险，继续遵守他们与制作公司和后期公司签订的合约。沟通下来, 大家都觉得还是要一做到底。所以，创意团队热情专注，最终完成了这个项目，也克服了经济风险。
Karma had a tough decision to make. Either accept the client’s termination, forget the whole project and break its contract with production, or commit to finishing the campaign and take on the financial risk this entails, including upholding its contract with production and post production? In the end it became obvious that everyone wanted go forward and finish the TVC campaign. Dedication and passion for the creative work the team set out to achieve over road the financial risks involved in making the final decision.
颉摩广告团队 | Karma Team
就在我们这篇文章发表之时，小猪已经付给颉摩整个项目（包括创意策略、地铁海报和TVC）50%的预算费用，现在平面海报在全国8个城市（包括北京、上海、广州、深圳、成都等）主要地铁站已经出街。此外，颉摩也继续向客户追要剩余款项，但是尽管颉摩表示他们将会诉诸法律程序，小猪仍旧不予理睬。
At the release of this article, the client has paid the agency around 50% of the budget allocated for the whole campaign, which included creative strategies, posters, and the TVC. All posters have already been released in major subway stations in eight cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu among others. Karma has continued to contact the client to receive full payment for the work it completed for the brand, so far the client has declined to respond to the agency despite the agency threatening to take the client to court.
颉摩广告微信公众号发表文章讲述了此次风波，点击量超过88000次，国内广告业对此事人尽皆知。其实，像这种客户、广告公司、制作公司几者之间的分层制度早就该有人拿来说说了。颉摩这一次直面客户，让大众评理的做法也可谓是大胆之举。此外，尽管自己并没有从客户得到全款，但颉摩还是按时付款给制作公司和后期公司。面对这样轻率的客户，颉摩保持了坚定的立场，这也是中国广告公司和制作公司的一场胜仗，他们为客户项目付出的血汗值得被认可。
Karma’s WeChat article originally breaking the story had over 88,000 hits and went viral among the advertising community in China. Indeed, drawing attention to the often hierarchical relationship between clients, agencies, and production in China is well overdue. Karma makes a bold statement by standing up to its client in this very public way. Moreover, Karma fulfilled its contractual obligation, paying production and post production, despite not getting paid in full from the client. Karma’s firm stance against its thoughtless client is a win for agencies and production companies in China, who deserve more clout for the sweat and blood they put into each clients’ campaign.
颉摩广告，正像“颉摩”二字的含义一样，就是要建立公正的广告创意秩序，搭建良好的信任关系。颉摩决心完成小猪广告，因为他们相信，他们的做法能改善日后客户和制作公司以及国际广告公司之间的关系。事实确实如此，此次风波后，颉摩广告的确吸引了更多客户。这一事件有何长远影响尚不可知，但如果颉摩广告最终能得到正义，这也将是整个中国广告业的一场胜仗。
Karma, as the name suggests, would like to build better trust into these relationships and bring more justice to the creative process in China. The ultimate decision to finish the TVC, Karma believes will improve its relationship with future clients, production, and the international advertising community. Indeed, Karma has received more client interest after the story broke. The long term effects are yet to be seen, but if good karma wins out this could be a positive step for China’s advertising industry as a whole.
Credits 创作团队
Executive Creative Director 创意总监: Kama Zhang
Head of Art 艺术指导: Shuai Wang
Art Director 艺术总监: Frank Ran
Designer 设计师: YY Li, Atin Qu, Tom Li
Copy writer 文案: Suya Shu, Tina Tian
Account Director 客户总监: Amanda Zheng
Account Manager 客户经理: Rino Zhang
Director 导演:Matthias Zentner
Senior Account Executive 高级客户执行 : Snow Zhang
Production Company 制作公司: Shooting Gallery
Music Production 音乐制作: Chris Zhou (Fantasy Music)
Stills (subway posters) 剧照(地铁): Refine China Production Company
Photographer 摄影师: Zhou Yulong
BAM Music Library Brings Edgy, Indie Sounds to Chinese Creatives
