Agencies often pitch exciting, ambitious "North Star" campaigns that get one department excited. However, these ideas frequently fail because the client's internal teams (e.g., digital, PR, comms) are siloed and not aligned. The agency sells a vision that other departments ultimately block, leading to an inability to deliver.

Saying 'no' to product ideas is often contentious. At GitHub, the process is simplified by first 'seeking the truth'—rigorously assessing if an initiative aligns with the team's definition of success. If it doesn't, the 'no' becomes an objective, logical conclusion rather than a subjective or political decision.

Elaborate pitch theatrics carry significant risk and must align with the client's brand. An agency was rejected for using plastic balloons by a sustainability-focused client. Theatrics must demonstrate deep research into a client's values, not just generic creativity.

During product discovery, Amazon teams ask, "What would be our worst possible news headline?" This pre-mortem practice forces the team to identify and confront potential weak points, blind spots, and negative outcomes upfront. It's a powerful tool for looking around corners and ensuring all bases are covered before committing to build.

If everyone in the company instantly understands and agrees with your launch message, it might be too safe. A great launch reframes the market, which should provoke some initial internal skepticism. This indicates the message is bold enough to break through external noise.

Creativity thrives not from pressure, but from a culture of psychological safety where experimentation is encouraged. Great thinkers often need to "sit on" a brief for weeks to let ideas incubate. Forcing immediate output stifles breakthrough campaign thinking.

Coterie maintains its premium brand status by systematically rejecting initiatives that don't meet an extremely high bar. If a new product isn't 'demonstratively better' or in direct service to the customer, the company kills the project, protecting its brand and focus.

Amazon's CCO explains that at an agency, creativity is the core product. In-house, it's just one business function among many. This requires a humbling shift from "selling" ideas to deeply understanding the business constraints and priorities that drive decisions, moving from being listened to, to being the listener.

Coming from product, Wiz's CMO sees marketing as liberatingly low-risk. A bad product feature creates permanent technical debt and maintenance costs. In contrast, a failed marketing campaign can be stopped instantly with no lasting negative impact, which encourages creative and unconventional experiments.