The Wal-Mart - Julie Roehm smack-down makes for juicy reading these days. There is one aspect of this story that is rather relevant to our lives.

…almost immediately following the awarding of the account to [tag]Draft FCB[/tag], the agency ran a full-page [tag]advertisement[/tag], which was placed prior to the review’s decision, in Creativity magazine touting the [tag]Cannes Lions Awards[/tag] that depicted two lions mating, with the caption: "It’s good to be on top."

This did not create a roar of approval at corporate headquarters. The copulating couple caused quite a buzz inside the company as executives questioned Roehm’s judgment, says a source.

Now, I don’t have any real problem with that ad. I think it’s equal parts funny and poor taste. But I do have to wonder at the judgement call by Draft FCB in deciding to run that ad while going after such a huge piece of business. I mean, I don’t think anyone is shocked that [tag]Wal-Mart[/tag] executives were less than thrilled. It’s possible that this simple ad could be a hurdle that the agency will have to overcome in their relationship with this new client. An unnecessary hurdle.

Do we as [tag]recruiters[/tag] and [tag]hiring managers[/tag] sometimes make the same mistake when presenting a candidate or agency? Are we cognizant of the need to read the audience, so to speak? If nothing else, this story has given me pause and a reminder that seemingly little things can have big effects.

[tags]Talent Zoo[/tags]