Little Wisdom

What makes a great agency? Curiosity

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:01:41 +0000

The great thing about being a kid is that everything is new, it’s so freaking fresh. The two favourite phrases that I’ve learned from kids are “What’s that?” and “Why?”. Without asks this thousands of times then they wouldn’t learn the big stuff.

I bring those questions into work everyday. I use them even if I think I know the answer and in the past few weeks I’ve used them more than ever. To get to the bottom of a client’s problem you need to ask the stupid questions, you need to set yourself up as an idiot so that you can allow yourself to ask the stupid, obvious questions.

Then, when you get the answer, you need to ask, “Why?”. You need to get deeper.

Curiosity, that’s what it is about. Getting really, insanely curious on what the client may seem is so obvious is what I love about trying to learn more. It’s trying to glean that little known fact that may inspire that one simple idea that starts to create a campaign. I love it.

Curiosity is one of the most important elements that can define an agency. Curious about everything, about the how and the why. It makes you learn, that makes you great.

What makes a great agency? Clients

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:50:06 +0000

While doing some research for a tourism pitch I came across this quote:

We still have an essentially conflicted attitude to visitors – needing their money but finding their actual presence a nuisance. Virtual visitors would be ideal for many.

This kind of thinking, this kind of looking at your life blood as a necessary evil, can raise it’s ugly head in all walks of life. When I was a lighting designer it was in vogue to hate actors as they spoiled the sets. No, really. That happened.

However without clients an agency has nothing. That’s obvious.

An agency can survive with bad clients. A great agency can’t grow without great clients. Clients that push and stretch and challenge you. Clients that appreciate their agency not sitting back nodding at every brief that comes in, that look forward to the agency challenging them. The best clients give the agency enough rope to hang themselves.

I totally beleive the old saying that the public get the politicians they deserve and that goes double for us. I think that the measure of a great agency is by judging yourself on the quality of your clients. How are you doing?

What makes a great agency? People

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:04:05 +0000

In my wonderful, hilarious life I’ve worked full time in five places. The Village Theatre, the Tron Theatre, Biscuit, GRP, Equator and now here at Good. Ok. Six

Each one of these places have made me a better person both personally and professionally. The one thing that all these things had in common though was the people who worked in them.

The most interesting thing about all these places was the mixture of people. Theatres are structured like hotels, you have the front of house, back stage, bar staff, a whole range of people to bounce off and learn from. The variety of people and the life that they bring into yours is what enriched each one of the places I’ve worked at.

For me this is what has made agency life so fulfilling. I’ve worked in four agencies and I’ve never met someone that has really ripped my knitting. Of course you get the odd moment of difference between people, that’s to be expected. But to have a great agency you need that mixture of people that can compliment each other’s shortfalls and push each other’s abilities.

I love the moment when an idea pops up then gets passed around us all and with each person that gets it then it starts to become a stronger, more clever, more simple and more compelling idea. I love that. That only comes from the people who work with you. And that’s one of the things that makes a great agency. Ideal.

Great

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:43:42 +0000

Four years ago I wrote a few posts about what makes a great agency. Looking back I don’t think that too much has changed in what creates a great agency but I do think my thoughts have matured a wee bit on them. We’ve been going through our own brand positioning process at Good, one that has been harder than we probably originally thought. What we’ve come up with is bang on but it is sometimes hard to articulate something that you just “do”.

But I do think it is important to refresh yourself in what makes the place you work great. That, to me, is the main reasons that clients come to you and, more importantly, stay.

So. The first thing I’ll be talking about what makes a great agency is probably the most obvious. So obvious in fact that I missed it the first time round. People.

People use Internets a lot when not at desks shock.

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:00:05 +0000

People use Internets a lot when not at desks shock.:

Give people the means to consume more data and then be surprised that they actually consume shit loads more data. I really don’t know how I feel about this being some kind of “Occupy the Downlink” vibe. My initial reaction of dry puking in my mouth. May stay like that. I’ll let you know.

Pinterest for guys...

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:03:05 +0000

Pinterest for guys...:

Pinterest? Wha? It’s only the next, coolest new social medja place this month. Bet you’re delighted! Anyway, it’s supposedly full of the ladies and if you’re a guy, like me, you may feel feart. You probably won’t though. Anyway, here’s a cheeky guide to sort you out. You’re welcome.

Carriers hate you.

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:00:05 +0000

Carriers hate you.:

This pisses me off. Where is the loyalty created if I have to upgrade my phone because I’m being denied features rather than I want new hardware. It’s short sighted and it’s wrong. It makes me mad. I love Windows Phone 7 but it would hulk me right out if I had to wait for a software upgrade because of the carrier’s choice. Raging.

The Screamover

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:04:05 +0000

The Screamover:

Love Gary Oldman. Love.

Spy planes are cool.

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:00:06 +0000

Spy planes are cool.:

I want one.

Creative Scheduling

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:03:05 +0000

Creative Scheduling:

Probably one of the most important elements that’s ignored/misunderstood in agencies. IMHO of course.

Insert Line About Poking Here

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:04:05 +0000

Insert Line About Poking Here:

30% of all divorces cite Facebook as a problem? Really? I just think people can’t come up with imaginative excuses. “Use of penis was no longer exclusive” maybe?

The Power of M&M's

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:06:06 +0000

The Power of M&M's:

And at least once, Van Halen followed through, peremptorily cancelling a show in Colorado when Roth found some brown M&M’s in his dressing room. This turned out to be, however, not another example of the insane demands of power-mad celebrities but an ingenious ruse.

Often viewed as utterly diva behaviour but this “demand” highlights a lovely bit of rational thinking.

Screen Technology is Cool

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:04:06 +0000

Screen Technology is Cool:

In the ultimate future of display technology, there is no display. We will communicate with images that are in our minds already.

Love this shit.

Resolution 001

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:05:05 +0000

The deeper you get into the wonderful world of digital the more you get to use clever things that are are free. FREE! This is clearly great but it kind of dawned on me that I was really starting to rely on these glorious bits of free. Free as in Spotify, Dropbox, DropDAV, Evernote and what have you.

So as part as my all round, good way to live, I decided to buy these products. Some have big benefits such as Spotify, others not so much. Of my new acquired 50 gigabundles of Dropbox-iness I’m using a paltry 2.5%. But that’s not the point.

I want to make sure that the services I value on a day to day basis hang around on a more permanent basis. I’m not saying that my contribution will make them stay any longer than if I didn’t pay them but it is a way of saying thank you for creating a service that makes my life a whole lot easier. I think that’s fair. That’s another resolution that I’m planning to carry on through 2012.

Reading's Changing?

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:00:05 +0000

Reading's Changing?:

Or is it us? I love my Kindle and wouldn’t go anywhere without it. I loved this little article and, apart from watching less TV, it certainly chimes with the way that my reading habits have changed since the Kindle popped in through the post.

- A few years ago I might finish a book and not have another one in the pipeline. I would start watching a TV series, which would occupy my spare time for a while. The Wire was the last one, I downloaded all seasons and watched them in a couple of months. Now my Kindle is filled with unread books, so when I finish one I naturally start another one. As a result I haven’t watched TV in a couple of years. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with watching TV, it just turns out that I find reading more relaxing.

Lauren brought in her new Kindle Fire (fancy pants) and it does look very, very nice. I know that the reviews have been lacking butI do quite fancy getting one. No surprises there then…

Disgust me one more time

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:10:06 +0000

Disgust me one more time:

But was the paper so outraged by the scenes that it declined to illustrate its story with a big blow-up picture on page 9? Think again.

Idiots.

Try before you like

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:10:06 +0000

Try before you like:

Let’s slow down and think about it for a moment.

When is the last time you were engaged with a product you hadn’t yet used?

When have you ever spawned a conversation about a brand you had no experience with?

When have you joined a community devoted to goods you’ve never tried?

The answer is, probably never.

Couldn’t agree more. I get wound up by those looking to reach new customers through social media. Unless you’re looking to create a cause (Dove being the most obvious example that springs to mind) then it’s going to be really tough to get people to like your brand “Just Because”.

Do You Drink and Buy?

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:23:58 +0000

Do You Drink and Buy?:

Amanda Schuster, a wine-and-spirits writer and consultant in Brooklyn, says she never shops in actual stores after drinking, but she finds it hard to resist the Web. “It feels productive in a way — like I didn’t just come home drunk and pass out, I went home and did something,” she said.

I may have done this.