Creative Agency Secrets

Steve Moore has launched a new breakfast event, called One Morning, the launch was yesterday at the glamorous One Alfred Place business club.

Steve asked me to help out by chairing the three fabulous presentations - each one answering the question "What Happens Next?" for TV, book publishing and newspaper publishing.  I love doing this stuff… and being in the front row for three articulate and very persuasive presenters was a blast. 

I will summarise their arguments below - but for the New Biz Development readers of this blog, here are some short sharp actions

1 - Have you got any clients in publishing or broadcasting… send them here to read about what key organisations think will be happening in the future

2 - Do you ever put out campaigns on TV, newspaper or book publishing?  Send your account teams and planners here to think about what you will do in the future when those campaign methods no longer work. 

3 - come to the next event.  They are due monthly.  The sign up for this one is here … presume it will be updated.

Jeremy Ettinghausen is Head of
Digital Publishing at Penguin

The publishing world is polarising, books online and videos are leading the charge for technology versus traditional methods.  The scientific/technical/academic press is further along than consumer fiction. 

E-books started in 2001 and they still haven't really taken off 7 years later… but it may happen this year that they join the mainstream.

Books in print are not redundant yet.  But paid for digital content is increasing - the question is how much people will pay.  What is clear is that if your content is entertaining, valuable and drives a good user experience, there is an audience who will pay for it. 

However, reading habits are changing and how we view web pages affects our reading habits.  This is a non-linear process.

Looking forward, what is a publisher? Are they book makers and marketers and book distributors?  No more they are disseminators of entertainment and ideas.

A quote from Chris Heuer of the Conversation Group (at SXSW) "the Best stories will win". 

The vision is for the "integrated" book delivering image, sound, vision in multiple media.  I read, I get into my car and continue the story in audio….

Kevin Anderson is the Blogs Editor
at The Guardian

We are taking the tools that are disrupting our business model and applying them to our business.

New media does not support the traditional business model for newspapers because the young do not read newspapers.  We are not replacing old readers.

A news company needs a new vision and positioning and new audiences - not just for newspapers.

Industries need to identify their core market and focus on new markets in order to survive,  Open source tools enable editorial experimentation.  This is really important because at present it takes us 6 - 12 months for new product development.  We need to lower the cost and time of innovation. 

The business model is eroding advertising and uses outdated distribution and delivery methods.  WE need to innovate frequently and fast and 'fail forward' when the innovation cost is £0. 

Delivering into a community with connection is possible future for newspapers.

Matt Locke is a Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 

Befreo the mobile phone device we had more divisions between our public and private spaces.  Compare a phone box (private) with a mobile phone conversation (private or public?).

ATMs are the ultimate - a private transaction within a public space.  We develop body language to communicate our intention to be private while outside at an ATM.

The personal and social have replaced the private and public.  These are more fluid and the gestures and etiquette is different.  We need to understand this in broadcasting.,

What young teens find hard to understand about the world in 1990 is not the paucity of channel choice, it is the fact that in order to speak out publicly in 1990 you needed permission.  This is not needed today.  Talking in public is easy now.  

Key issues:

Data - being misused or mis-released.

Playfulness - find how technology can help your life and find play within it

Vernacular - what is the new language of who our relationships are with?

The goal for technologies that allow us to make the shift to personal and social.  And do it simply.l 

I have been given sight of the Forrester report "The Connected Agency " Feb 8th 2008.  And it spells gloom and death for the current traditional agency business model.

Definition of a CA is

An agency with a deep understanding of consumer communities, helping brands create and nurture connections, deliver targeted, on-demand messages, and network for talent and insights. 

Key points and the impact on your biz dev methods are:-

• Data - if you aren't deeply into collecting it (audiences as well as prospective clients) start now.  Great databases, good data insight professionals and the means to interrogate with tools like DataCentre.
• Communities - get into the groups online who are talking about your brands, products, clients, marketplaces.  Lurk and read.  Then participate.  Prepare to lead the conversation.  Conversational (closed loop) marketing is the future.  Dialogue, listening, endless conversations not 'campaigns' will be your metrics.
• Analytics - The authors particularly berate the lack of 'left-brain' mathematical and statistical skills in the industry.  These are key to analytics, segmentation and customer insight.  Buy in and develop these skills for your team.
• Stop-Start Campaigns die and continuous customer conversations rule driven by account managers at the heart of the conversational community.  Be prepared to go to your prospective brand clients and demonstrate your connections into their target audiences, what matters to the audience will drive creative not what the agency thinks up.
• So start by knowing the target markets you work in, browse the blogs, forums, message boards and listen carefully.  [If you don't work in a niche, get one.  Fast]
• Use this online audience for research, find your early connectors, mavens, critics, UGC creatives and make friends with them.  Test campaign ideas on them.
• Have your own "private" marketing funnel that can generate early WOM adoption or buzz.  Not got one?  Give me a call.
• Start planning initiatives (not campaigns) to that audience group from a range of brands - who all want the same audience.  Force collaboration among brands but driven by customer needs.
• Beware auctions.  They will grow and the lowest price point will probably win.  If you are not yet offering a low cost solution to your clients, find a way to deliver it.  (ideas: use young staff as training, outsource to lower cost locations [USA? China, India, Australia, NZ] and find ways to use technology to streamline process and use fewer people)

[and they used the word 'nonfungible' that according to my Dictionary doesn't exist!  Now that's leading edge progress.]

 Media planning works on prices driven by the nonfungible metrics of audience, circulation, and page iews, complicating the decision about where marketers should allocate media budgets.

Thanks to the eagle eyed Mark McGuinness , I've been invited to chair a panel for Sport England and Channel 4 at their "All Together Now - sports, community and the web" event on 1 May.

Now this really gets me excited.  Many of you know that I write a rowing blog , I still compete and am involved on the committee of a big rowing race.  This is a perfect place for my passion and my business work in social media, digital and business development to intersect.

Here's what the event is about. 

Over the course of the past three years the emergence of blogging, social networking services and platforms which showcase and share user generated content have transformed the possibilities of how we connect, converse and collaborate with one another.
’In the 20th Century, we were defined by what we owned, in the 21st Century we will be defined by what we share and give away’ Charles Leadbeater, author of "We Think"

The potential for organisations and brands to harness these technologies and tools to engage with users, customers and their communities in radically new ways is becoming clear.

How can all those organisations working to promote active participation in sports and the brands that wish to sponsor their activates and campaigns work together to make the most of the unrivalled viral power and network effects of the web in the run up to 2012?

All Together Now will bring together leading social media developers and thinkers, sports governing bodies, communities’ sports organisations and some of our leading brands into a unique event to explore these opportunities.
 

Now, can you guys put your thinking caps on and tell me what questions you think I should be asking the panel members?

Here are some of my ideas….. 

What would be a 'perfect' social media outcome for London 2012?

How would you ideally like to engage online with the folk who run your sport?

Where do you go to talk about your sporting interests?  (online and offline).

[declaration: this is a client - and they have a great product that many of you may find useful for biz dev on your own potential clients].

We are running a seminar to show how to use customer data in order to stop 'campaigns' and start long-running 'conversations'. 
This drives improved ROI for brands (retention, lower costs, higher response rates – makes you look good for your clients).
And for agencies, can be a new income stream (selling data services, analysis, results-based fees).  Three UK agencies already work with us – with some success – and we can give references.
 
The event is in London, UK on Tuesday 29 April.  It is free to attend.
The Secrets of Closed Loop Marketing Event Details and registration page

Last time I checked there were 4 places remaining.

And, if you happen to mention my name when you register, I'll get loads of kudos!

thanks 

Have just updated the earlier databases work to include some which came out of the comments (thanks Tomas and Chris).

Here is new summary document. Databases summary April 08

I was invited by the lovely folk at Designer Breakfasts to do a workshop on how to do business development for your agency or for yourself.

The group was fantastic and worked really hard on the problems and tools I set them tow ork on.  Here are the photos.

The handout is here. Designer Breakfasts handout

It is for both brand managers and Marketing Agencies to show how to use customer data in order to stop 'campaigns' and start long-running 'conversations'.  

This drives improved ROI for brands (retention, lower costs, higher response rates).And for agencies, can be a new income stream (selling data services, analysis, results-based fees).

Event is in London, UK on Tuesday 29 April. The Secrets of Closed Loop Marketing Event Details:  

It is free to attend.

The product is called Data Centre. It is a desktop application for the marketing department / marketing agency.  It uses data feeds from multiple sources (sales, prospects, e-commerce etc) drawn overnight. 

It is innovative in that it enables:

• Single Customer View
• Customer Data Profiles
• Highly targeted marketing campaigns in a closed loop environment

The major smart thing about it  is that your data CAN be siloed, CAN be in multiple formats and places and Data Centre CAN STILL be used.

Data Centre allows you to

• run multi-channel campaigns
• by-pass the IT department….(!)
• closed-loop tracking and analysis for SMS, email & telesales
• web and email marketing integration

Can you blog / circulate it?  Anyone who wants copies of the case studies (Kettle Crisps, Hoverspeed) write a comment and I’ll send them over on email.

Afterthought… if you have a client who you want to challenge and educate about integrated campaigns, bring them along! 

I have been invited by Designer Breakfasts to lead a "brunch workshop" on 17th April

They are running a series of events to help design businesses improve their skills in getting new clients.

the first event was Sir George Cox talking about the future for design businesses; then Frances Hinton on  how to ask the right questions of potential clients.

I will be moving towards practical strategies for finding and winning new customers and clients. As the blurb says…

 This month’s event takes that approach to a practical level – developing a new business methodology that will make winning SME clients part of everyday studio life for you and your team.
Creative business development expert, Rebecca Caroe will get you thinking analytically about yourself, the type of clients you work well with and how to differentiate your business in a crowded market.
You’ll design your ideal customer profile, learn how to create and convert new opportunities using deep listening techniques and ‘golden questions’ and get insights on:

• Auditing your new business strategy
• Developing disciplined steps to make new business work for you
• Preparing a marketing plan
• Committing to forward actions that involve your whole team
• Asking meaningful post pitch analysis questions

Book by email events@designerbreakfasts.net

Cost £95 including VAT.

A former client, Onzo , has successfully raised venture money and orders worth £9m. more here

sadly nothing on their own website….

Onzo is a data systems development
business, with specific intellectual property relating to the
development of display devices thatsupport smart metering systems.

Scottish
and Southern has also placed initial orders worth over GBP 7 million
with Onzo for the company's energy display products and specialist data
services and secured exclusive rights to Onzo's products and services
covering the UK and Ireland.

Cambridge Judge Business School's Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning does an annual residential course called "Igniting Enterprise"   It's a all-you-need to get started course where the attendees are expected to come with an idea for a new business that they can use as the model for all the lectures.  I think the focus is on business innovations.

Brochure download  

Last year I played a very small part in delivering the content - doing marketing advice to course members.

This year's course runs in Cambridge from 29th June to 5th July 2008.  It costs £1000 if you come as an individual and £3000 if a company is paying you to attend.