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1. They win new business in the slowest economy. They are thriving (and not just surviving) in times when other agencies are begging for business. They are the ones that are attracting new clients who don't seem to have a budget, but will find the funds to just work with the agency. Why? Because they are good at what they do ALL THE TIME.
2. They have a strong competitive set. They name agencies that are "realistically" in their league. They talk about their competitors and their work with a sense of admiration. Their competitors stand for integrity, break-through ideas and creative solutions. They always pay attention to the agencies ahead of them, and those behind them. It is important to them to stay within that specific competitive set. They love the challenge of surpassing (and the threat of getting passed by) so much that they stay on the cutting-edge even when they don't need to.
3. Their teams represent their values without words. They encourage clients to walk in unannounced any day of the week. They are proud of their natural environment with or without clients in the agency. Observe their teams managing business on a day-to-day basis. Do you see a display of camaraderie before egos? Solutions before whining? Team recognition before individual? Agencies that show true camaraderie, without it being forced, will openly invite clients to see their business as-it-is.
4. Their executive team demonstrates the world. They proudly have all people represented in executive roles; women, men, people-of-color (and not just married to a person of color but are themselves), regionally distributed, and are age diversified. Imagine the brilliant ideas and solutions that are generated from such a vast group! And they do not display this diversity as something 'special' - they believe in it so much they can't imagine functioning any other way. It represents the caliber of clientele they want to attract, as well as the talent they want to retain. This agency has global visions regardless of where they are located in the world.
Being the ad agency that every Client wants, is it really that hard?
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09:18 am | 0 recommendations | 1 comment
Those of us in the daily grind of advertising work in brands all day; brand personality, brand voice, brand building, brand positioning, brand equity, yadi yadi yah. But in all the day-to-day monotony, how often do we remember the brand story? Those stories. The inspiring narratives behind the brand that can create an immediate connection with existing or new audiences. Extremely powerful tales that inspire and motivate people to act. Most brands have lost sight of that one word: connection. They are scattered all over the place and have lost focus with their original story/reason for being.
I would like to focus on small anecdotes of brand stories that I connect to.
Our dictionary defines Apple as both a fruit (biblical in origin, given to Adam by Eve if you read the good book) AND also the most iconic, innovative, and creative brand birthed from the master Steve Jobs (can you tell that I'm a follower?) who in 1983, asked John Sculley of Pepsi-Cola to be his CEO by saying, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water to children, or do you want a chance to change the world?" His intent was to always change the world. His brand story exemplifies powerful perseverance that connects with us because he is a true visionary, in a world where those individuals are scarce. (If any advertising exec or CEO said that line today in a job interview, and they could stand behind this, don't just sign - give your DNA)
Or Pierre Omidyar, founder of EBay, who opened this online auction store (on his personal website) to satisfy his girlfriend who couldn't find online collectors who shared her passion and interests. Starting out as a forum for people to sell and bid, it soon became a meeting place for people of common interests to share their items and soon, a venture capitalist paid $4.5 million for a 22% stake in the company. His brand story is one that showcases a creative solution to what was a 'slight' challenge. His idea gave us a reason to re-purpose our goods for someone else to love. We connected with EBay because it connected "us" to more of "us" -- people who shared our same passions and interests, with fervor. (OMG if Pierre's girlfriend didn't marry him after this, I don't even want to know who she ended up with. Maybe Bono from U2 would be acceptable.)
Howard Shultz joined Starbucks in the 1980's and took a trip to Italy that changed his way of thinking about coffee, and inevitably America's too. His brand story is one of uncommon changes for selling a common commodity. He positioned a Seattle coffeehouse into a global brand. And we connect with him because of his drive and determination in thinking the 'new' in an everyday product. Sheer brilliance. (Note: Howard Shultz is a prime example of not losing sight of the l story behind the Starbucks brand. He closed his stores early one day to just re-focus. I'll stay an advocate just because of that!)
Even if you were well aware of each of these stories at the very least, you re-connected with the brand at an unexpected moment. That is the power. The power to connect and re-invent, re-create, and re-position with your audience. When in doubt, go back to the brand story and connect with the "reason for being) to then connect with your audience. You won't go wrong in most cases.
SEEK-the brand story to connect with your audience!
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