Edward Boches, Mullen’s Chief Innovation Officer, posted some useful questions for the advertising industry on his blog recently. Top of the list is what makes your agency different. That’s the holy grail for every business right? How to have that differentiator or laser focus that makes you stand out from the crowd. For Strange & Dawson our positioning is about occupying the ‘Acquisition’ space, mixing great creative with a deep understanding of data to help clients acquire new customers. We found that whilst many agencies were expert at either end of the spectrum - as creative geniuses or data-rich direct marketing experts - there was a gap in the middle. That’s where we stepped in; blending compelling creative with targeting across various channels. Of course it has to be more than just a positioning statement, we have to be able to deliver. And with clients like Google - where analytics are absolutely critical - we’ve got to be proficient at dealing with data to make sure we deliver and hit targets.
But there’s a by-product that’s become another differentiator for us; and one that we hadn’t anticipated. It’s one we discovered by listening to our customers - and what they’ve said is they love the fact that we’re different from the rest. How are we different? We’re not so big that clients get lost in the pile; we’re not in London; they have our attention throughout the relationship not just when they pick up the ‘phone; we’re not trying to be achingly hip or trying to over-impress; we’re just good at getting stuff done (and that’s what our clients said, not us!).
I believe that now is the time for agencies to go back to basics and refocus on the work, reprioritise and see what’s important through the eyes of our clients. An agency’s culture must surely still be about the things clients want to hear: “we’re an agency that delivers results and gets things done”, “we’re a safe pair of hands”, “we’re passionate about what we do”, “we’re nice people”. Okay, those things may not get you industry awards but ‘can do’ is what still wins and retains accounts and perhaps part of what this reinvention should be about.
So at Strange & Dawson, we may not have the cool office space or the uber-funky logo; we may not be hip. But we’re good at what we do. So if you’re looking to set up a new agency or set yourself apart from the competition, why not go for the unhip ground?
The Dandy Warhols sung “I'd rather be cool than be smart”; at Strange & Dawson we think the opposite is true.
