Part 3 - The Best and All the Rest: What Makes Great Agencies Great

Tim Williams ignition consulting group www.ignitiongroup.com

The Best and All the Rest

What Makes Great Agencies Great

What Makes Great Agencies Great

Part 3 (of 3)PurposePrinciplesPositioningProductPeoplePromotionProcessPlacePerformance

People

Percent of Americans who feel miscast in their job?

85%

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They cast people in roles that make the

most of their strengths.

KnowledgeSkills

Talents

Where there are peaks, there are valleys.

People with outstanding strengths have outstanding weaknesses.

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They have mastered the art of deciding

what not to do.

“An increasingly common condition called “attention deficit trait” is turning steady executives into frenzied underachievers.”Source: Edward M. Hallowell, “Why Smart People Underperform,” Harvard Business Review, January 2005

Office workers interrupted:

56times per day

80% of interruptions are trivial

Source: John White, Priority Management

Constantly checking e-mail and voice mail temporarily lowers your IQ more than smoking marijuana

does.

Source: Alan L. Nelson, CRA Inc. in “Fast Company,” October 2005

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They are organized for where our business is going, not where it’s

been.

Brand Experienc

eStrategy &

Insight

Creative & Experience

Design

Marketing & Engagemen

t

Technology &

Applications

Analytics & Measurement

A NEW AGENCY CONCEPT

Consumer

Content Development

Content Management

Content Distribution

Promotion

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They show how they’re different.

1. Full service2. Integrated3. Wide range of experience4. Strategic5. Team approach6. Creative thinking7. Senior people8. Marketing partnership9. Awards10.Results

Top 10 things agencies say about themselves

SMITH ADVERTISING is a full-service, integrated marketing communications firm serving a wide range of clients from health care to high technology. From advertising to public relations, we offer comprehensive solutions to every client's need.

Do you stand out?

Most common topics in agency self-promotion literature

Most common topics clients say they are least interested in

Staff size Billings Years in business Number of offices Departments and

disciplines Agency growth history

Staff size Billings Years in business Number of offices Departments and

disciplines Agency growth history

Burn the credentials

Not a capabilities presentation, but a point of view

presentation.

“The greatest danger facing a

brand is not rejection,

but indifference.

”

Adam Morgan

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They market their brand so

they don’t have to sell it.

“The aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous.”

Peter Drucker

Search engine optimization (SEO) programSearch engine marketing (SEM) program based on keywordsLanding pages (based on owned URLs)Listings in both paid and complimentary online directoriesMembership in relevant online professional networksParticipation in professional online forumsPostings and comments on relevant blogsLetters to the editor (both offline and online)Paid and reciprocal linksWikipedia entryFacebook pageYouTube channel

Agency 2.0 Marketing

Process

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They get paid for the value they create

instead of the hours they work.

What are you really selling?

What are your clients

really buying?

“All of our compensation agreements are experiments in

value.”

Carl Johnson, Partner

“We have as many compensation approaches

as we do clients.”

Jeff Hicks, CEOCrispin Porter + Bogusky

“Wherever possible, we try to align our own economic

interests with those of the client.”

Barry Dudley, CFO

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They measure success to demonstrate

accountability to their clients.

CHIEF MEASUREMENTOFFICER

1. Identifying and tracking the brand’s key success drivers; the leading indicators that predict success.

2. Working with external intelligence providers to extract relevant data and insights to guide one-to-one marketing campaigns.

3. Evaluating web analytics data and making recommendations to constantly improve the effectiveness of online marketing.

Essential Role of Analytics

Place

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They pay attention to the touch points of

their own brand.

Performance

WHAT SEPARATES THE BEST FROM THE REST

They walk their talk.

Agency Initiatives

Why do agency initiatives fail?

How do you do it?(Do you want to do it?)

How long will it take?(How much do you want to do it?)

How much will it cost?(What’s it worth to you?)

How do you get these other people to do it?(Do you want to do it?)

How have others done it?(Are you up to the challenge of doing something that’s never been done before?)

“There is always time to do things that really matter. If we don’t have time to do something, it’s a sign that it doesn’t matter. “If we love going fast, then we need to ask what we are postponing. If we claim that going fast isn’t our choice, but is a dictate of our world, then we have yet to claim our freedom.”

Peter Block

Tim Williams ignition consulting group www.ignitiongroup.com

The Best and All the Rest

What Makes Great Agencies Great

What Makes Great Agencies Great

This concludes Part 3 (of 3) of this free slideshow version of “The Best and All the Rest” from Ignition Consulting Group.

More information about seminars for marketing communications professionals on the Ignition website at www.ignitiongroup.com

www.ignitiongroup.com

Please direct inquiries to [email protected]