Creative Agency Secrets

I have been reading about the Australia Tourism pitch that's going on right now.  It's a knotty one because there is one dominant, hugely successful campaign that lurks in the background (Paul Hogan's shrimp-on-the-barbie) which is now 25 years old but well-remembered.

The Economist quotes Geoff Buckley, MD of Tourism Australia "The Hogan ad was brilliant but it was never taken globally.   Nowadays we need a unique and motivating message that resonates in 23 different markets." Tough.

The contrast with the 100% Pure New Zealand ads that are mostly photographic (one was so beautiful I cut it out) is stark.  Which country would you rather visit.

But that's not the point of this post.  Later in the article Christopher Brown of TTF Australia an industry lobby group, wants to form a brand council bringing together representatives from not just travel but wine, food, film, and fashion industries too.  "We need some heavy-lifting from other sectors to add depth and richness to the Australian story.  No country can afford to sell itself with a 30-=second tourism ad." 

Too true.  And for biz dev folk, the challenge is this:  

Which other skills / companies / individuals can you bring onto your "brand council" in order to give a fuller view of your offering?

As an example, I host events for my clients and prospective clients with other professionals who have a message that creative biz dev folk might be interested in.  See here and here   The key is for both parties to invite their own contacts and (there will be overlap) you end up with a wider audience who can both network with each other and also get exposed to both organisations' skills.

PS am planning another event of this kind for mid-June.  Watch this space…. 

Partial transcript of Peter Day’s World of Business broadcast 7 Feb 20.30.

Successful teams have three things in common:

1.  prepared to co-operate, colaborate

2.  they all had diverse points of view

3.  they have a mission or something that excites them

The best teams are from different countries, genders and mindsets - bring as many viewpoints together as possible to give different perspectives.  This is good for innovation.  Experts can’t innovate - clashes of ideas enable innovation.  The most innovative teams have a core and volunteers come in because they are excited about the project (e.g. Google you can have 20% of your time doing what you want).  Co-operation is key and this can be learnt/taught.  First co-operate and then socialise them.  Do you see yourself as a team player who are preapred to put their peers and colleagues before themselves.  Bonuses at Goldman Sachs are based on team / organisation rather than the individuals….  Lynda Gratton,Professor of management practise, London Business School

A mix of virtual teams enables seniority structures to break down and creates a flatter, less hierarchical organisation.   This enables personal bonds to form and enables connections to happen despite hierarchy.

Mark de Rond (Dutch by birth, international by upbringing!!) has a new book out called “The Last Amateurs” written about the 2007 Boat Race squad from Cambridge University.  You can’t measure the effect one individual has on a team…. the boat race crew exists for one purpose only, to beat Oxford. There is a particular tension whereby if you do not perform on one day / week you can be called into the coaches office at any time and told that your time is over.  Mark de Rond,  Reader in strategy & organisation, Judge Business School, Cambridge & Author “The Last Amateurs”.

In an 8 you can’t have a ’star’ and some ‘water carriers’ compared to a football team which can use this … an eight is as fast as the slowest member.  Rowers learn how to get on together and how better people can work with less good people and focus on a common goal.  Thye compete as individuals to become part of a team - possible conflicts.  To make the boat go fast you have to be co-ordinated and so the tension is to both combine with and compete against those you are with on the team.

At the heart is personal ambition and dreams, teamwork - personality and skills.

A group of alpha males seeking selection - their qualities make them good but also make them difficult.  They think quickly and this makes them bad at listening.   Bad at working out how they influence others.  Coaching is about diffusing, anticipate and pre-empt conflict.  There were four nationalities in the squad: USA, Canada, German and British.  By joining the CUBC each man is asked to leave behind the WAY they have rowed to create success in the past and combine to form a new crew with a new technique.  Strong willed individuals were asked to form a crew…. a lot of debate on the best way to do it and what had been successful in the past.  Duncan Holland,  Chief coach, Cambridge University Boat Club

Competence can be trumped by ‘likeability’ in business as well as rowing.  This can make a better team overall by sacrificing a little competence for more social cohesion.  The mutual support can make the defining difference between success and failure.  A boat race crew has a hierarchy where some seats are seen as more prestigious and so people perform better where they perceive they are best placed… contrast that with the coach overcoming the ego and forcing a seat change that makes a worse performance come about.

Individual performance is a function of the social environment of which you are a part, rather than any individual talent.

Any professional services firm - most of the brains have got the technical skills needed but not the ’soft’ skills….. your DNA is wired to be the best.  This is hard for very successful people who may not naturally want to get along with each other.   KPMG uses mentoring, coaching and training and development…. customers notice if the team isn’t getting on.   They try to match client and agency teams… knowing the personality and drive of the client to their own team is important and is part of the selection process when putting the team together.  The starts are not necessarily the best people to have on a team… stars come with egos and this can cause problems.  The stars can have a big impact on the success and emotional intelligence of the team overall.  Stephen Hollis,  Head of markets, KPMG Europe