You find this problem not only in the SEM business, but across the board in marketing. It's easier to sell the dream of the Hail Mary innovation, than the grunt work of three yards and a cloud of
dust.
And it seems like nobody remembers how to block and tackle any more, if some of the recent direct-response efforts I've seen are any indication...
I always answer the
"innovative" question with not only "Why?" but also "What?" and "How?" as in "what quantifiable objectives will this achieve and how will you measure them."
If you get a blank stare, kill
the project and keep on blocking and tackling.