a quote to remember

"Ideas are commodity. Execution of them is not." Michael Dell

I'm a Mac not a PC. I still love this quote. 

According to Wikipedia, a commodity is defined as "a good which there is demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market. It is a product that is the same no matter who produces it". 

Going by this definition Michael Dell's quote claims all ideas are valued relatively the same. Some may be subjectively of better quality but the only way to quantify them is in realizing them. 

If you believe this is true (now perk up production people) we are a lot more valuable than we are given credit for. Agencies are idea factories but how well those ideas are executed will be the ultimate judge of their creative worth. It begs the age old question, is a poorly executed great idea better than an above average one executed to perfection? 

If you're not sure of the answer (now perk up agency people), ask yourself if you've ever uttered the words, "If we only hired FILL THE DIRECTOR NAME IN THE BLANK this spot would've been an award winner." Great idea. Poor execution. Or uttered the words, "Wow, this came out a lot better than I ever imagined." Not a great idea. Well executed. 

I'll readily admit I may be simplifying the creative process although lets look at this way. Advertising like all fields of creativity and innovation are a co-reliant ecosystem. An agency feels their idea was great but the director messed it up. A director feels they're super talented but has never received a good idea. A rep made a heroic sale but the EP couldn't close the job. The EP has surrounded the director with all the tools and the production plan to succeed but they blow the opportunity. Ideas and execution. They need one another. 

You don't want to end up like Bill Blazejowski, a great idea man without any creative partners to breathe life into his imaginative thinking.