Getting creative: Is spec-work worth the trouble?
In 2011, Zak Mroueh made a decision that could best be described as risky for his then three-year-old creative agency. After losing out on a potential client based on logistical issues, despite the fact that their creative speculation work received the highest pitch score among any agency vying for the business, he decided that his agency, Zulu Alpha Kilo, would no longer participate in pitches that require creative spec work. In an industry where requesting creative work be completed in advance of an agency's hire is par for the course, choosing...