For BIG Returns, Think Small
Just a few years ago, an advertising agency needed scores of people and some very specialised equipment to sell soap flakes to the masses. Forgetting about account handlers, who liaise with clients, and copywriters and art directors, who come up with the big ideas, there was a whole lot of rigmarole involved in even the simplest processes.
Creating a press advertisement required a dedicated typesetting machine, a photomechanical transfer machine and an artworker toiling away with a scalpel, metal ruler and glue. If the picture wasn’t quite right, someone would have to retouch it using an airbrush, physically spraying it with paint until the wrinkles disappeared.
All of this involved a high degree of investment and a hefty wage bill. Then you needed premises to house everyone and everything. These were generally as flashy and impressive as possible. No wonder advertising and marketing was thought of as expensive.
And Then Things Changed…
One day, an asteroid hit the earth. Actually, the personal computer was invented but the effect was just the same. The dinosaurs lost their position of superiority, allowing smaller, faster and far more efficient creatures to evolve.
Overnight, all the things that required teams of handmaidens, arcane apparatus and commercial palaces could be handled by an individual working from a spare bedroom.
Since then, I’ve been haunted by the vision of the virtual advertising agency. In my opinion, the branding and marketing company of the future is a mixture of everything and nothing.
The everything part is being able to offer clients all the services they require. Rather than getting your direct marketing done by one company and having your events organised by another, for example, you should be able to have all your needs answered in one place. Not only is it more convenient and cost-effective but it ensures consistency in your message and brand identity.
Nothing refers to investment, overheads and structure. The agency should be set-up and run for truly negligible amounts. In terms of its organisation, there really shouldn’t be any. No staff, no premises and, therefore, no expenses.
So Much From So Little
Today’s advertising landscape has become flatter, as the ability to set up your own company has become easier. Lean is essential and mean - in a financial sense - is key. Your advertising agency should reflect the way modern business has developed: flexible and highly affordable.
Here’s one question to ask yourself: why are ad agencies premises all singing, all dancing, expensive ‘I’m going to impress you’ kind of affairs? Yes, image is everything when building brands but the investment in plush offices is only fed back to you, the client. Your agency should be putting the spotlight on you not themselves.
Expertise and talent are the areas that count. Having a freelance network that spans the globe and covers all advertising and marketing disciplines is possible in the tech age we live in. With many advertising professionals preferring to work on a project basis, this gives a fabulous pool of resources on which to draw.
It’s not unrealistic for an agency to work with award winning creative directors - the people ultimately responsible for shaping your brand in the minds of consumers - based all around the globe. Ask me, I know. And they can bring a wide range of perspectives and skills to bear on any project.
The diverse abilities that working with others can bring means that an agency is able to produce anything from a leaflet to a TV campaign with equal efficiency and effectiveness. If you are a small business or a multinational conglomerate, you will benefit from cut-through communications that address your needs in any medium.
The Unique Selling Proposition
It is the job of an advertising agency to make its clients stand out from the crowd. So, what should make the agency you work with different? True cost-effectiveness is the core requirement. They should have a business structure that makes your budget stretch further.
They should have a wealth of talented people on call to answer any brief. In this way, they can ensure that your advertising not only reaches consumers but also persuades them that your product, service or organisation is something they can’t live without.
Just like cost effective high quality advertising is something you can’t live without...
Ben McGrath is creative director of Rice Communications, an advertising and branding consultancy. He has worked in marketing for over 25 years, 17 of them spent in Asia. Past postings include JWT, Chuo Senko and Grey everywhere from Vietnam to China.
