At best, the relationship between most brands and their communication agencies is "strained". While exceptional agencies and executives exist (someofwhichwritingfor this blog), the industry as a whole tends to disappoint its customers. This needs to change. After all, while thousands of agency executives are gearing up for another dance on the Titanic in Cannes, clients are seeing billions go to waste. Especially in our current climate, this is unacceptable.
But rather than join the choir of complaints, we decided to do something about it. We want to initiate a global conversation on the renaissance of marketing as a whole (coming soon :-) and in specific on the ways brands and agencies interact.
We have bundled our thoughts in two reports we'd like to share with you (thanks to Management Centre Europe for the kind sponsorship!). They analyse the disconnect that currently exists between brands and the agencies that service them.
In Reconsidering the Advertising Industry we take the agency perspective, and compare the internal workings of agencies to what their clients need. We then offer tactical suggestions and structural recommendations that allow agency executives to better equip their organisation for a challenging future.
In Bridging the Brand-Agency Divide we look at the same data from a brand perspective. We review what brands are looking for and what they feel agencies are not delivering. For each disconnect we offer suggestions and tips brand leaders can apply to get their agencies to better deliver what they need.
Both reports, as well as a bonus slideshow are available as a free and instant download on our free publications page. They're yours to read, use and abuse (cc 2.0 :-). The only thing we would request is that if you find them of value, you engage in the conversation.
This can simply be done by forwarding them to others. Or if you're more digitally active, blogging, twittering or commenting on them. If you have a client-agency relationship which defies all we have written, share it. If you have ways to make our recommendations better, build on them. If you believe we've got it all wrong, write a counter-thesis.
We want to start the debate, so at some point we can all come to conclusions. This is our first - of many - steps. What is yours?
There's nothing like being misquoted to get the blogger in me out of hibernation. Especially if the misquote happens on-stage in Cannes and is done by someone as esteemed as Nick Moore (watch video below). While I'm still a bit unsure whether I should be flattered for being in the same breath as Rupert Murdoch or stunned for being called a "bullshitter", I thought I'd write a post to set the record straight. (UPDATE: Nick contacted me with the message he was perhaps a bit rash in his judgment. Kudos to a man who practices what he preaches, when it comes to conversations!)
As a start, I'd like to make one thing absolutely clear. In contrast to the "Lost in Translation" message which apparently reached Nick, I don't think we don't need or should get rid of creatives. In fact, I LOVE creatives. Some of my best friends are creatives. My son of 8 is highly creative. Almost everyone I know describes me as a creative. In fact, I believe that creativity is one of the things that make our world worth living.
There is, of course, a "but". When it comes to advertising, not all creatives are alike. I regularly come across minds I tremendously respect. But they are matched in numbers by those who confuse advertising with art, effectiveness with winning awards, relevance with million dollar budgets. Because let's face it, the reason why we laugh at movies like Inspiration Anyone?, Truth in Ad Sales or Truth in Advertising is because we recognise their core of reality.
And while it is easy for the enlighted creative classes to blame the advertiser that cannot brief, I believe there is no such thing as a stupid client. There are only agencies that are insufficiently convincing.
So, as I was on the topic, I've summarised some of the criteria which I regularly use to either help agencies strengthen their competitive position, or help brands to evaluate whether they are making the right choices when it comes to spending their money. You don't need to agree, yet in case anyone would like to quote me on Cannes 2009, at least you've got the correct context ;-)
Because remember ... I do love you
I LOVE CREATIVES ....
... which start with the business objective behind the briefing David Ogilvy was wise: "you sell, or else". Marketing is about making money. Period. While sceptics claim that marketing's ROI is difficult to calculate, this excuse is used too often to skip the money-conversation all together. That is why I love creatives that start by talking money and never leave the subject. That challenge the brief until it is hyper-focused on the choice drivers that matter That measure results by the financial objectives achieved, and only then look at the Lions or even Effie's in their cupboard.
... that understand that customers are human We all know that all women aged 28-34 are not the same, but billions in media are still planned as if they are. We all know that different customers have different motives at different moments, but most campaigns still adhere to the mantra one product = one insight. I love creatives who do NOT blast one message to a million different people that experience life in a million different ways. I love creatives who tailor their messages as much as possible to the individual and his state of mind. If only because that way, they have something interesting to say.
... who make my conversations and my life more interesting By now, most agencies traffic in my word-of-mouth, yet only few creatives really get involved in making my brand experiences worth talking about. I love the creatives who look beyond the tricks of the buzz-trade. Who tell their client they will NOT do an ad-campaign as there's more value in upgrading the call centre or the after-sales support. Who recommend internal communication programmes to ensure that the client's people "get" the strategy they are asked to implement, so they can in turn delight their customers. I love creatives who care more about me, than about being witty.
... who embrace the mediaplan, and then kick it Over the past 20 years it has continued to elude me how an entire industry gets away with separating media from creative, and pretend this actually works. I love creatives who refuse to work on mediaplans that don't make sense, and in stead sit with planners and strategists to figure out what mix has most relevance for the inviduals that are being targeted. Who point out that GRP debates are usually a waste of time. Who pro-actively reduce their budgets' cause spending more is pointless anyway. Who put the customer's interest first.
...who respect themselves and their clients All agencies "love their clients", yet many still smile and go along, even when the client clearly got on the wrong bus. After all, he is paying the bills. To me, that's not love, that's prostitution. Loving your client doesn't mean mindlessly doing what he says, but focusing on what he means. What he needs. I love creatives who have enough respect for their clients (and themselves) to always tell the truth and argue their case on facts. And when the chips are down, are unafraid to say "we'll do as you ask, because you pay the bills, yet for the record we don't believe this is going to work".
... who understand that all of the above is "their department" Yes, I know the world doesn't work the way I just described. Account management, production, media, creative, design, etc. are all part of the puzzle. In fact, there are so many departments that most agencies even employ people to remind the rest that there is an actual customer out there (a little wave to all the planners :-). I love creatives that fight this world of silos and ensure nothing leaves their desk that isn't relevant to the client and its customers, that isn't insightful and communicated with passion. Because real creatives use the limitations of the brief, the client and the agency to craft ideas that deliver the financial result and simply blow you away.
So when Nick said that I thought everyone in Cannes should be out of a job, I think he was being a bit too harsh. But when reading the above, maybe some would be in line for some soul searching ...
Apparently the guys at Marketing3 in the Netherlands liked my I am the media slide-show enough to ask me back for more. This means that this year, I had the honour of sharing the stage with Charles Leadbeater and Andrew Keen.
To take a different tact from last year's journey into the land of Web 2.0, I went all out on the topic of marketing accountability and combined a few earlier presentations with new material into an updated version of the Marketer's Bushido.
I've published it on Slideshare, so feel free to mash-up, abuse, re-use and distribute to your heart's content. Credits are appreciated :-)
A few weeks ago I spoke in the Netherlands at a Marktplein 2.0: A Little Less Action, A Little More Conversation, a conference, which essentially wanted to encourage (direct) marketers to engage in conversations with the consumer, rather than just shout at him. Confronted with the hyperbolic language of the conference brochure indicating the "'newness" fo the conversation phenomenon, I couldn't resist the jab of inverting the title of the conference for my keynote. In stead of talking about conversations with customers, I think it's time marketers got out of their office and actually had them.
Based on some of the work we've been doing in the area of marketing accountability, I got invited to do a few hour inspiration session at Masterplan 2007 in Bucharest. As I was tiring of the "Marketing has an image problem" drill, I decided to take a different direction.
"If marketing is such a dishonerable profession", I thought, "then let's establish a code of honour" (Click here for presentation).
The next thing I knew 120 rapid-fire slides found their way into my PowerPoint presentation which built on an earlier idea I had: a Bushido for marketers. For background, the Bushido was the - Chinese inspired - code of honour by which Japanese Samurai lived (and died), yet which also can be found across Asia.
I realise that the 7 values I came up with are probably anyhing but complete, and I already want to change some things. Still, I have uploaded a summarised short version of my work in progress which perhaps may offer you some food for thought.
There will also be a fully annotated version of the complete Marketer's Bushido, but I'm told I should charge some money for that :-) ... coming soon.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 4:00AM