When it comes to the way they give instructions, I’ve learnt that bosses come in different shapes and sizes.

Some are organised and concise, others issue a constant stream of new and conflicting instructions, and change priorities at the drop of a hat.

Sound familiar?

I call this “…and another thing” syndrome.

Most of our projects start with questions around usage such as “in which markets will the campaign run, on which platforms… and when?”

The answers always lie in the media schedule, and knowing the required usage at the start of negotiation is vital.

If media schedules are constantly changing, then it is hard to effectively broker a music licence deal – The problem arises when individual markets won’t commit to running a campaign created by a global marketing unit until they see the finished creative.

And in that situation, the only solution is to issue a complex deal memo to rights owners with numerous ‘what if?’ scenarios in place, in order to cover all eventualities.

It’s then a case of keeping everything crossed that the usage requirements don’t change again!

Starting the licensing process without clarity of usage can lead to a world of pain, in which all leverage is lost by the brand.

Any element of drip-feeding usage information in an “and another thing…” style will likely cause confusion and lead to poor deal making.

For brands to avoid this, it’s wise to push local markets to clarify their usage needs as early as possible, so that your media agency can finalise a media schedule … BUT THEN YOU MUST STICK TO IT!