When competitors "steal" ad ideas

[WolfeMacleod]

OK, I don't really know if he "stole" it, but it's a little too coincidental.

I thought of the ad idea waaay back around 2004. It was unique.

After our accident in December, we we left with an advertising budget and I started talking to a few guys I've dealt with who design ads. To one of them, I mentioned the ad idea I had and he sent me a very rough 3D rendered idea. I mentioned it was similar to the vision I had, but not quite, and we discused it for a couple more emails.
After the NAMM show, I got pretty busy again and hadn't had a lot of time. Communications dropped off between the designer and I.
As a side-note, the designer wound up buying a custom guitar I had built, after I had traded it to a local music store... the builder of the guitar is who put me in touch with that ad guy. Small world!


So anyways...

Today, I see the Facebook page of a competitor and guy I consider a friend, with an identically-themed picture that they did....hopefully, not for any sort of ad. But regardless, I feel I can no longer use that particular theme.

I think it's odd though, because the theme of the picture is far departed from the actual product itself, and while they really have nothing to do with each other, it makes sense when you look at it.

I wonder if the designer brought the idea to the competitor? The coincidence seems just too... coincidental to be coincidence...



/irritated

[stomachmonkey]

Rule #1.

Regardless of relationship draw up a work for hire agreement in which the artist grants (signs away) all rights world wide and in perpetuity for any work he/she is paid to create.

You don't say if you paid any monies so the following is an assumption.

I think what happened here is the artist spent time working on your concept, you went dark, they had an opportunity to monetize the time they put into it and took advantage of it.

[stomachmonkey]

Oh, and don't assume the competitor stole the idea.

The design could have been presented by the artist without any explanation as to it's origin.

[Hugh R]

Pics?

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Oh, and don't assume the competitor stole the idea.

The design could have been presented by the artist without any explanation as to it's origin.

Right, I don't think he "stole" the idea - he's a pretty stand up guy and I don't think he'd do that...knowingly, at least. But there is always the chance that the artist could have passed the idea on to them.
We both sort of "went dark" around the NAMM show, really. I got so busy I had forgotten all about the ad stuff, and he stopped emailing me.

Hugh, I might post our rough draft pics and the comprtitor pics that was posted... I'll have to think about that.
Funny thing is, the competitor pic is nearly identical to what I had actually envisioned the final ad to be, only substituting a few small details.

[Zeke]

A little off the subject, but are the ads doing anything for you?

I remember a thread awhile back about spending money on advertising. Being from an advertising family I know a little. Just a little. I became a carpenter after a few other adventures none of which was being employed by an ad agency.

Still, it's tricky and treacherous business.

More of a black hole for many.

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by Zeke

A little off the subject, but are the ads doing anything for you? .

We haven't started the run of ads yet, because we're still working on the details...layout, etc.

Anyways, here's the pictures....

The 3D image is the rough draft which has no textures, just very basic, which he said would be photorealistic after textures were applied. I was looking for something laid out a little differently, and we started to discuss it when it died off...

The bottom picture is the one I found on the Comp's FB page. Almost exactly what I have "seen" since about 2004., replacing the arrowheads with some sort of bony jaw or shell-like fossil...