Point of view: Harder, better, faster, cheaper

This article examines how agencies seem to be in a race to the bottom, to provide services at ever lower price points - without, they promise, compromising on any of the other aspects of quality or speed.

The CEO of BBDO, John Osborn, recently described his vision for the future of the agency as 'better, faster and cheaper', because this is what clients are asking for. This upgrades the agency's creative philosophy that CCO David Lubars had been using for a few years, which was 'good, fast and cheap'.

These statements are a reference to the classic project management trilemma, where you are given the options of 'fast, good, or cheap' and you pick two. The reason you have to pick two is because they act as limiting constraints on each other. The three properties are interrelated...

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