TIME IS OUR FRIEND, AS LONG AS WE KNOW HOW MUCH WE HAVE.

Of all the four-letter words in our industry, one causes more confusion than most: ASAP.

It seems harmless. Helpful, even. But left undefined, it quietly causes chaos.

A client asks for something “as soon as possible.”
The account manager nods.
The creative team gets a vague timeline.
The studio scrambles.
And the work lands quickly — but maybe not quite right.

“ASAP is everyone’s enemy when no one agrees what it actually means.”

In reality, the client was hoping for five days.
The account manager was aiming for three.
The creatives guessed two.
And the studio delivered in one — with no time to think, finesse or question the brief.
The result? A rush job that doesn’t land.

And here’s the kicker:
Instead of celebrating the speed, the client questions the quality.
Instead of clarity, we get rebriefs.
And instead of building trust, we start to chip away at it.

There’s a simple fix: define the timeline.

Tell us what “soon” means. If it’s five days, great. Three? Fine. Just give us a number. Then we can plan, prioritise, and do the job properly.

Because when time is clear, it becomes an asset.
It lets good ideas breathe.
It makes collaboration easier.
And it means you’ll get what you actually need — not just what we could cobble together overnight.

So let’s all retire “ASAP.”
And replace it with something far more powerful: an actual deadline.

SHA is a strategic advertising agency, creating brand strategy, advertising, design for print and content for web and social. If you want to know more, get in touch with nigelh@sha-agency.com or visit our contacts page.

“The opinions in this article are that of the author alone and in no way, reflect the opinions or viewpoint of the agency. Unless of course we happen to agree with those opinions completely, in which case they might, but otherwise they don’t”