Creative Agency Secrets

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.

If you are interested or curious about what the Current Big Thing called Social Media is, who does it and what they are working on / talking about.  There are a wide range of great groups mainly based inLondon (sorry outatowners) that happen most weeks / months.

If you ahve a reason to come to town.  Try and drop into one or other of these.

Listen, Learn, Talk….

Chinwag event  NMK’s Beers & Innovation, Minibar, London Geek Dinners, MoMo London, Social Media Club, Creative Geeks, She Says, Swedish Beers, Open Coffee, Tuttle Club / Social Media Cafe, Girl Geek Dinners, Wiki Wednesdays, Next Wednesdays 

 And of course the BIMA events

Thanks to Dierdre of Chinwag for the summary list. 

On the flight I read a copy of Fast Company magazine that was in the goodie / shwag bag we got given at SXSW.

A profile of Anomaly , a US agency that is trying to activly 'kill' the old advertising model.  They are known for being branding / design / innovation think-tank and VC all rolled into one.  Their claim is that their model attacks the fundamental flaws of the agency machine.

Most agencies still earn their paychecks from time sheets and media spend, which means they#'re motivated to be inefficient and to produce ideas that are wedded to expensive media.  Anomaly takes a differetn approach, negotiating upfront either a predetermined fee or, better yet, royalties or an equity stake in a product.  So when a client comes in with an advertising problem, Anomaly addresses it more broadly as a business issue, analyzing everything from design to product development.

 They also invent new products and build brands from scratch that they have thought up or collaborated with from launch.  

Another nice idea is to keep staff numbers below 100 - so they spun out a new agency called "Another Anomoly" with a separate P&L and offices!

Their 'best' venture yet is Virgin America's luggage designed for the air crew. and shortly to be commercially available.  Sales profits will be shared three ways between Virgin and the snowboard company, Burton, who crafted the suitcase with skateboard wheels and a a removable cosmetics pouch. [I couldn't find any designs online to show you.]

And so, I visited their site.  Sadly like most agencies' it is built in flash so you can't link to individual pages.

I liked :

• the 'why we exist' page - using quotes from reports, newspapers and industry names speaking about the problems & issues of marketing and agencies
• no timesheets - who wouldn't want to work there for this bit of no-admin?
• the list of IP they have created…. but no images
• the questions / answers page which sets out why they are different and how they work differently but I couldn't cut and paste from flash so you'll have to go and look for yourself.

I didn't like :

• no links to the industry rags' quotes about them
• the news page is just articles they've written or been quoted in.  Not news.
• no creative on show [maybe that's good? certainly different]
• the new company, Another Anomoly , is a linked URL with the same content….. now why is that?

And, they are opening in London - subject to finding the right talent…..

I did a coaching session for Geraldine Grey - who is changing career direction and retraining as a real estate agent.

She has kindly allowed me to write up the key biz dev tools that I recommended to her

1. Create a strong "Brand You".  For her, this is to be 'the English Realtor' [yes she'd in USA!]
2.  Have a short list of golden questions that can help you to firstly find out whether a prospect is serious and secondly to close down sales
3. Have a strong process for keeping track of prospects, leads and follow-ups
4. Get all your customers to write a reference after each job and build a Net Promoter Score scorecard

Good luck, Gerry - hope it all goes well for you.

Read this presentation on the Art of Self-Branding.

| View | Upload your own

Links to some sessions that I wanted to attend but couldn't / didn't.

10 Ways to Piss off a Blogger  Follow the other links from the piece for different attendees' take on it

The Art of Self-Branding and another one here    Wesabe is an interesting site because it's ostensibly a personal finance management tool but it has great VRM possibilities.  And slides here

Stories Games and Your Brand which Rachel Clarke was speaking at (she invited me to come over here) 

A general theory of creative relativity….. not a universal theory!

Coudal Partners

Part One – when we evaluate a work of art it is difficult to get to the heart of the creative process because there are many moving pieces….. e.g. film includes many people’s contributions. 

Booking Bands – a word game to combine the title of a book with the name of a band and try to make it fun.  “the Who moved my cheese” “Dexy’s midnight typerunners” “the old man and the seedcake” “ET Rex” . Try this for yourself - it is really entertaining…

This is the 'quantum mechanics' of creativity because it represents the most elemental particle of creativity.  I know HOW you are thinking about it… you are either holding a book title and reeling through band titles trying to find one to match – or the reverse.  You are not randomly picking one of each because the chances of any one fitting in an entertaining way are too slim.  There is a variable and a constant and the association makes it work.  The known and the unknown and association is the action (creative event).

Part Two – the ignition (big bang).  Sometimes you may find it hard to price your services – when you have the inspiration and it just happens versus one where you really have to slog out an answer.  how do you value the first versus the second event?

The initial moment of enthusiasm about a new idea – this is the juice that amplifies the unknown/known.  The creative process comes from inside and the moment of ‘divine’ intervention comes with great curiosity and enthusiasm.  The moment of ‘falling in love’.  This amplifies the association make in part one of the theory.  Blow up the association and amplify it.

Part Three – now we need to communicate the ‘thing’ and it’s powerful but unformed.   Light to the power of 3 gives a blast under it. 

Light to power of 1 = the art of metaphor… easy to explain.  

Light to the power of 2 = executive summary a powerful shorthand. 

Light to the power of 3 – judgment and aesthetic decisions (taste?).

The association between the known and the unknown amplified by the enthusiasm we feel for a new idea divided by light to the power of 3 to give it energy.  

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Just got recommended this Samson recorder for good quality audio thanks Pete Ashton

[I only caught the end of this talk because I got lost trying to find a way up to the 4th level from the 3rd (don't ask it really did happen!) and Dierdre Walsh was sitting by the door and sent me her notes. Cheers, Dierdre]

Overview: Marketers can no longer interrupt users with advertisements and other materials thanks to technology advancements like TIVO. Now, we need to engage users.

Here are some helpful guidelines:
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How to do big things in the shortest time possible.

Mike Cassidy – serial entrepreneur [and very rich man].

Kelly Lewis – geekbrief TV host

Evan Williams – Founder of blogger, twitter

Tim Ferriss - author The four hour work week. the book hit the tipping point at SXSW last
year…. 

Key learnings: Do usability testing; pre-plan your key days with VC / hires; ask advice of the more experienced and do what they suggest; Tim's advice on how to reach influencers is SPOT ON for biz dev; as is the question at the bottom about finding a mentor, how to run a daily to do list

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