Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of brands demonstrating their social stance. And today, these brands are choosing to buy their media from a diverse range of creators and ethical sources.
However, businesses are under pressure to show they are a brand of integrity and fear their advertisements might feature next to other content that could be detrimental to their reputation.
Brand integrity is of the utmost importance. 54% of consumers said they would think negatively of a brand that runs ads alongside content designed by others whose morals don’t align with theirs.
You can see why brand safety is such a hot topic in marketing, and this is especially apparent in the programmatic world.
If you’re unsure of what brand safety includes, it essentially encompasses all the measures advertisers implement to protect their brand from the potential backlash they could face by running ads next to harmful content.
Over-blocking content can actually be doing more harm than good. A vast majority of businesses still adopt a cut-throat approach when it comes to protecting their brand’s reputation.
However, this overprotective approach has led to a great proportion of content being excluded, even when it’s safe and suitable for your brand. We’ve seen this happen in many negative keyword lists and blocklists.
Industry-standard blocklists contain a vast array of terms related to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. So, it’s clear to see that…
“Industry standard advertising practices [are] unfairly penalizing content creators within various groups, including the LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and API communities, as well as content relating to important aspects of the human experience, including social issues, mental health and wellness, and identity.”
[Taken from Channel Factory, Conscious Project, 2021]
In 2019, CHEQ’s ‘How Keyword Blacklists are Killing Reach and Monetization’ report looked at what type of content has been excluded from an industry-standard blacklist of 2000 keywords.
The report found that 57% of articles that were safe, were incorrectly flagged and blocked from serving ads. This was taking place because brands had been using overprotective negative keyword lists and blocklists.
These lists are incredibly harmful to creators and publishers, as they are unable to monetise their own content.
Other statistics the CHEQ study uncovered included:
Most companies do not update blocklists regularly, which is why a great deal of suitable content is deemed harmful.
Times are changing and have been changing quite drastically over the past few years. Our lists of negative keywords may have been necessary in 2017, but today they could be absolutely pointless.
Unfortunately, these outdated blocklists are harming marginalised communities across the globe, which is unfair, to say the least.
And this is a problem that needs urgent attention from our industry.
This overwhelming fear has led brands into the trap of unethical exclusion. What we mean by this is that brands and agencies are blocking all content related to marginalised groups and communities.
Therefore, content related to gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, social issues, identity (to name a few) should be monetised.
Positioning yourself in the market as a diverse and inclusive business has never been more important. Today, 60% of consumers prefer to associate themselves with companies that actively show they are committed to creating an online experience that is inclusive for all.
Of course, it’s important to focus our attention on brand safety. But as an industry, we need to think of new ways to implement brand safety without excluding creators based on their sexual orientation, race, or ethnicity.
This new approach needs to be one that can monetise positive content, which will, in turn, benefit the wider society.
Your blocklists and negative keywords need to be tailored to your brand and checked frequently. Don’t just keep adding new words, remove the unnecessary ones.
It’s always worth checking over your brand safety processes. You can then remodel a new brand strategy that encourages inclusivity.
You should always search for and connect with brands and creators that share your values. Once you have added them to your whitelist, they can assist in the monetisation of positive and inclusive content.
Working with a third-party brand safety and brand suitability partner can help with your brand safety measures. These third-party partners usually opt for human input, which ensures content is categorised with diversity in mind.
As an industry, we need to get embrace the needed changes to brand safety measures to ensure we are not excluding words, phrases, or languages that could exclude minority groups.
All voices should be represented in your content, not just a select few. By monetising your content, you can create new and improved content, which highlights diverse and marginalised communities.
It’s time you move forward with your approaches to brand safety because when you do, you will be actively creating an online world that promotes positivity and inclusivity.
JonesMillbank, Bristol-based video production company, have been appointed by VisitBritain/VisitEngland to their marketing production services framework.
The multi-supplier framework is made of 190 creatives across 8 lots spanning disciplines such as research, photography, editing, casting, styling, illustration and copywriting.
JonesMillbank are one of 15 suppliers appointed as video production professionals, requiring a proven experience of managing small to large scale video briefs that require a detailed level of planning, casting, producing and production.
The framework will be an enabler of VisitBritain/VisitEngland’s strategy to “make tourism one of the most successful and productive sectors for the UK economy.”
“Like many video production companies we’re passionate about travel and tourism, not just because it’s a privilege to travel with our work, but because of the real impact and influence our films can have on destinations and their audiences” said Russell Jones, Co-Founder at JonesMillbank.
“We already travel across the UK with our work – we’ve literally filmed in all four corners – and so to be appointed by VisitBritain/VisitEngland as one of a select few video production companies is a fantastic opportunity to show off what the UK has to offer to a global audience, particularly as a rebound following COVID-19.”
Running for an initial period of 1-4 years, the framework will be accessed by VisitBritain/VisitEngland staff and partners, and follows JonesMillbank’s work with VisitBristol and other independent travel brands.
***
JonesMillbank are a passionate full-service video production company
They work exclusively in-house with a talented team of multi-disciplined creatives, all the while telling authentic stories long before it was cool for a range of clients such as University of Bristol, Battersea, The Royal Mint and IDLES.
jonesmillbank.com
01173706372
[email protected]
ADLIB certified as a B Corp in September 2019. As we approach our 2nd anniversary, it has become abundantly clear that certifying is the start of the journey. A starting point from which to measure, guide and improve.
As a B Corp Ambassador, and the person that introduces B Corp to each of ADLIB’s new starters, I’m continually reminded of the complexity and breadth by which a business and its stakeholder group are measured. There isn’t a light switch you flick on and become a B Corp, it’s a living and breathing thing which fundamentally comes down to considering each and every stakeholder that comes into contact with your business and the planet we live on. If that care is authentic, the rest will fall into place through good practice, impact measurement and using business as a force for good.
We’re immensely proud of being one of the first recruitment businesses to achieve B Corp certification. From conversations with several CEOs / MDs of well-respected digital and technology recruitment firms over the past 12 months, we should be seeing more certifications imminently, a very positive move for the industry.
Becoming a B Corp has also positively progressed our client proposition, we’re fortunate to work with an ever-growing portfolio of purpose driven organisations, with which we share underlying beliefs in personal and life values. We’re also proud to have turned away clients from the defence and gambling sectors.
It’s our belief that B Corp should become a normal part of every company’s everyday business. We know that an inclusive workplace brings engagement, and creating an environment of involvement, respect, and collaboration ultimately drives more business value. This has proven itself beyond words for ADLIB as we stand here today readying for recertification in 2022.
This article was originally published on the ADLIB Blog.
The workplace is rapidly changing, but workplace practices, norms, infrastructure and management is struggling to catch up. Digital transformation is estimated to be worth over $400 bn in 2021 and is projected to continue to grow by 25% year-on-year.
This rapid change has left businesses in disarray. Is their digital infrastructure prepared? Which employees are struggling to work digitally? Whose remit does this transformation fall under – the CHRO’s, the CIO’s, or the CEO’s?
Enter Actual Experience.
Luckily for all of us, the Actual Experience (AE) team saw this digital mega trend approaching a decade ago. Having built their business on 10 years’ worth of academic research, they’ve engineered a comprehensive patented algorithm which, minute-by-minute, captures and analyses the real-world, human perception of digital applications and services.
In other words, they help businesses ensure that the digital tools, systems and platforms they’ve invested millions in are actually making work easier for employees, and providing a better experience for their customers.
Currently, many businesses use tools such as employee and customer surveys to find out the answers to those questions. But there’s a problem: employee and customer surveys are subjective and are often inaccurate or inconclusive. But when used in conjunction with Actual Experience’s algorithm, it is possible to glean objective, actionable insights from survey data.
ActualExperience’s Human Experience score provides businesses with an objective analysis showing which specific employees are struggling, and with which specific aspects of their digital infrastructure, so they can focus their time and resources on these issues – and keep up with the ever-shifting digital curve.
So, following on from a successful Account-Based Marketing (ABM) campaign and digital brochure, AE were keen to put their money where their mouth is, and upgrade their own digital offering to reflect their progressive business.
The AE team approached us to upgrade their website from Hubspot to Webflow: a no-code flexible website solution that doesn’t require complicated set-ups.
Our first step was for Actual Experience to take us through a thorough wish list. Here, we put together a full feature list, created high-fidelity wireframes and new digital design styles using their updated brand guidelines.
This process meant that when we transitioned the website over to Webflow, both parties had a very clear picture of what it would look like and how it would function. So we could push for tight deadlines in line with AE’s objectives without having to go back and forth to check small details at every stage.
One of the highlights of the website is the design-led navigation that adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes including phone, tablet and various desktop sizes. This was quick and easy to build with Webflow’s online visual editor. This platform is the perfect application for creating visually stunning, easy to use designs that don’t require massive amounts of coding, which AE in this instance, didn’t.
The navigation is not only designed to draw the user in, but allows different audiences to access different content that suits them. For instance, a HR professional will seek different information to IT professionals.
In the end, we created a future-proofed, design-led website under a demanding timescale, migrating 200+ content types seamlessly from Hubspot to Webflow. Check out the full AE case study here, along with the all-important, client feedback.
To find out more about Webflow, and our other digital design services, get in touch with us today at [email protected].
Having recently binge-watched the Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’, Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Season 3) | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube I can’t help but compare some of the similarities between the industry, and game, that is F1 and the seemingly very different world of SEO.
The competition in F1 is tough, there are no prizes for coming over the finish line last, there are only points if you place in the top 10 and only 3 places on the podium. It’s a zero-sum game with obvious ‘winners’ and ‘losers’.
In our SEO world, I liken your website and Search Marketing to one of those F1 teams.
There are only 10 spaces on page 1 of a Google search and you need to be there if you want to be in the rankings race.
So what should you focus on to make sure you rank no. 1 on Google ahead of your competition?
Here are a four, (and very loose 😉) Formula 1 analogies to help explain how to make sure your competition is not pipping you to the finish line:
In Formula 1, the car and it’s engine are key to winning. A superior car like Mercedes is consistently performing ahead of the competition. So, we need to make sure your engine is tip top, and able to compete with the competitor’s engine.
In this instance, your content creation, superior thought leadership, content outreach and backlinks are the ‘engine’ for your business SEO efforts, driving the marketing activity and creating winning engaging content. However, this does take a lot of time and effort and so it is vital to make sure you have a clear plan to optimise what your team spends their time on.
Formula 1 teams spend as much time and money on their aerodynamics as they do their engine. Do you spend as much time on technical SEO as you do content creation? If not, you should. These marginal gains from coding optimisation and competitor analysis to analysing page speed, schema and your analytics can be the difference between ranking at the top of Google or not. However good your content/engine is, if the technical SEO is not constantly improving, you’ll have a crash at the most unexpected moment
The reality is that if Mercedes were racing against a Mini they wouldn’t need to spend as much time and money on their car. It’s the same with SEO and whilst I’m not trying to say don’t do SEO, please make sure you stop and actually research and understand what your competitors are doing online. Your race ahead, may not be as hard as you expect.
F1 teams spend huge efforts trying to understand all the finer points of what the competition is up to. So make sure you spend time to understand why your competitor is ahead of you in a search. What’s giving them the edge? Do you really need a brand new car or will a small smart tweak do the job? Make sure you spend time not just creating the offsite content that you need to, but look at the finer technical details of your site, and tweak and change if needed to get some quick wins.
For me, Lewis Hamilton is an outstanding driver, but arguably, because of the team behind it and the Mercedes car, they would still win a lot of races with one of the ‘less experienced’ drivers from other teams. Equally, a great driver can’t win a race in a slower car.
So as far as Search Marketing is concerned, if your strategy and digital marketing team have a poor sense of technical SEO knowledge and understanding, you may never succeed. Make sure you have the Lewis Hamilton of search marketing managers or seek support and guidance from those that can help. We are increasingly supporting our clients with Search Marketing Mentoring so their team can win. Could your business benefit from SEO Mentoring? (varn.co.uk)
Whatever you do, like a F1 team, you must make sure it is cost effective, constantly evolving and the time/investment spent can actually drive a good return on investment.
It’s very common to rip up the current marketing strategy and start again, but as we have seen with many clients and their websites, maybe you need to keep what you’re already doing and focus on the changes which will make it simply perform better.
If we can help you take your SEO engine apart have a good look under the bonnet of you and your competition’s search marketing, then do get in touch with the team at Varn.
Life has changed immeasurably in the past fifteen months. Social distancing, self-isolation, and WFH are now part of our everyday vocabulary. Physical barriers were put up between us and our friends and family members. The same is true between brands and consumers.
However, as restrictions are loosened, these physical barriers will eventually come down. In a Post-Pandemic world, what legacy will COVID-19 leave for brands, and what newly adopted trends and ways of communicating should stay with us?
Physical Connection – a balancing act
Research suggests that over the course of the pandemic we have leapt 10 years into the future in terms of e-commerce penetration. This has accelerated a decrease in personal interaction with retailers and experiences. Physical connections have been slowly diminishing for decades, as tech-led startups compete with high street brands. From banking to beds, consumers have benefited from the increased choice and embraced the added online convenience. The suggestion being that the death of the high street is inevitable.
However, the jury is still out on the right balance between virtual and physical connections. Just as the pandemic enters its second year in the UK, Amazon launched its first physical UK store (cashless and packed with technology). Tesla – arguably the most future-forward car brand in the world – also places value in physical shopping centre outlets in the heart of towns and cities. Brands venturing offline have one thing in common – they see the move offline as establishing a new touchpoint for the brand as part of an overall ecosystem and to create memorable brand experiences.
‘Phygital’ is a term gaining traction meaning that consumers may be able to have it both ways — online and offline can live together to create more holistic brand experiences. UK-based furniture company Made.com continues to open physical shops that have the look, feel, and product assortment of their online persona.
Some sensory experiences just can’t be duplicated online, such as smelling the coffee, being able to browse to feel a fabric and see quality, or even engaging with a salesperson. Retailers should be thinking of ways to highlight the sensory and personal aspects of offline shopping even after lockdowns are eased.
Brands should remember that once consumers are offered convenience, there’s no going back. If last week they were able to shop online and pick up their order, then they might be unsatisfied if they have to resort to the old method of simply browsing the aisles.
Togetherness – tapping into consumers’ needs
Togetherness and inclusivity have become themes for consumer engagement during the Pandemic. Brands that successfully communicated, “We’re With You,” were able to tap into consumers’ need for comfort in a time of stress. Brands that reinforced this message with positive actions were the most successful.
Aldi developed an ad campaign designed to curb “panic buying.” Their reassuring tone of voice emphasising high quality, low prices and a focus on supporting their own workers as well as local charities has earned them a 10% increase in sales.
Deliveroo made positive gains when they provided 500,000 free meals to NHS workers and those most vulnerable who were unable to leave their homes. They also partnered with VISA to offer financial packages and advice to new restaurants looking to convert to delivery-only.
According to YouGov Plc, 79% of people say that they are more likely to buy from companies that have responded well to the crisis. Brands’ handling of the pandemic will affect how consumers see them and ultimately where they spend their money.
Realness – being refreshingly honest
During the pandemic we all had to adapt to new ways of communicating with each other via digital screens. Seeing our friends and colleagues’ kitchens or spare rooms; being interrupted by kids and cats all helped establish a new level of intimacy to our daily interactions. This also manifested itself in brand communications.
If you didn’t have your Ad ‘in the can’ you had to look for new ways to communicate your message in an ad-hoc way. The result was often lo-fi, socially-distanced campaigns that embraced the realness of the situation – both a practical response but also a human one to which we could all relate. Good examples are: “Nan’s Long Distance Roast Lamb,” from Tesco’s’ Food Love Stories campaign (via BBH) or, “We’ll get through this,” from Maltesers’ Isolation Life (from BBDO).
This blurred the lines even further between brand-generated content and influencer content, opening up opportunities for communication concepts that used hashtags and visual mnemonics to strengthen brand recognition and attribution. Zoom-style ads may get tired. But the fact remains, that the pandemic taught us that brands can embrace a more intimate and real style to tell refreshingly honest and compelling stories.
Convenience – a point of entry for survival
Through lockdown many of our freedoms and conveniences have been curbed. It’s not as easy to simply pop to the shop and grab ingredients for dinner. With this in mind many retailers were forced to reappraise how to provide more convenience and alternative ways to shop.
An Adobe and YouGov study found that 74% of retailers have changed their products and services in 2020 as a result of the pandemic – and that many of the changes would be permanent. 26% of retailers had introduced new digital and e-commerce services in response to demand.
Retailers have extended delivery slots, added click and collect services, or made temporary shifts to full online retailing. Brands that have adapted to support changing consumer needs and habits during this time of uncertainty have strengthened both their relationships and their reputations.
As we begin to relax strict lockdowns (hopefully for good), brands will need to consider how to re-establish physical connections with consumers. How do we embrace the convenience we have grown accustomed to and carry forward a more authentic and inclusive tone to messaging that helped carry us through this last year? Each of these things present strong future opportunities for those nimble and visionary enough to embrace new models.
By Shannon Osment, Director of Accounts and Pete Hawkins, Creative Director Chase Design Group UK
Chase Design Group ( www.chasedesigngroup.com) is a creative agency with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and the UK handling brand strategy, identity development, package design and retail environments for clients including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Campbell Soup Company and Pfizer.
We’re delighted to have been featured by Best Startup UK as one of their top Bristol-based app companies.
It’s been a busy year for the Gravitywell team, working on a raft of exciting projects with startups in the UK and abroad, as well as the successful launch of Mezze, our very own SaaS platform for the food manufacturing industry.
Gravitywell was selected due to exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
Innovation
– Innovative ideas
– Innovative route to market
– Innovative product
Growth
– Exceptional growth
– Exceptional growth strategy
Management
Societal impact
Annually, Best Startup UK recognises companies that are pushing the limits of innovation to solve critical problems and challenges. Best Startup UK is managed by Fupping LTD, a London-based media company, whose aim is to accelerate the growth of the UK’s foremost innovators by promoting them to a global audience.
The Kiltered Guide to Effective D&I is a practical series of five bite-sized virtual sessions to set you on the right track with your diversity & inclusion efforts. We’ll help you make sense of what Diversity & Inclusion means for your business, why it matters, and how to turn the conversation into action. We’ll share insights, tools and techniques to help you overcome any D&I fears and obstacles, before starting to develop a plan. Our goal is to help you create a more inclusive workplace that will lead to increased diversity, improved team motivation and better business performance.
Anyone looking to embed D&I into their business in a way that’s about more than talking and quotas. You might already be doing something D&I related, you might not. You might have taken the first step but are not sure what to focus on next. Or you might be finding it difficult to get buy-in or investment for your efforts. We’re here to help you take that next step, whatever it might be, and turn conversations into meaningful action for your business.
This series of 5 workshops will run fortnightly on a Wednesday morning starting on Wednesday 22nd September.
** NB the first session had already taken place but if you’d like to book on the remaining 4 sessions, we will send you a recording of the first session along with slides so that you can catch up.
Part 1 – 22nd September, 9-10.30am
Setting the Scene – The business case for Diversity & Inclusion
Part 2 – 6th October, 9.30-10.30am
Making Space for Inclusion – Where do I start?
Part 3 – 20th October, 9.30-10.30am
Embedding Inclusion into your Culture through your Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy
Part 4 – 3rd November, 9.30-10.30am
The Perception Gap – Using data and analytics to increase your chances of success
Part 5 – 17th November, 9.30-10.30am
Writing your plan and putting it into action
Barrister Morag Ofili started Kiltered in 2020, a forward-thinking diversity and inclusion consultancy with a mission to take the fear out of building more inclusive workspaces. Using data analytics and organisational psychology, Kiltered helps businesses develop cohesive and achievable strategies for change and empowers businesses to put plans into action in a meaningful way. Where needed, Morag can tap into her network of lawyers, HR specialists and trainers to offer additional support. Kiltered is a resource for companies and leaders who are ready to do things differently. Morag is also a director at Broadminded, a community for curious and ambitious women, running events to inspire, educate & support women across all industries.
With a career spanning 20+ years in the creative and tech industry, Mette Davis has co-founded start-ups, and held leadership positions for global networks, boutique creative agencies and a digital transformation consultancy. Her former clients include British Airways, Mars and McLaren Automotive to name a few. Mette set up her own business in 2016, partnering with businesses and individuals to help them navigate through change and unleash their full potential. She works closely with companies to develop robust business strategies that stand the test of time, helping them activate their plans across multiple areas with a suite of practical tools and techniques, including workshop design and facilitation. Mette has also previously delivered several hugely popular training workshops for Bristol Creative Industries.
Diversity & Inclusion is a topic that’s rarely out of the news. But it’s also a topic that makes us feel uncomfortable, unsure of how to approach it and where to start. And once we have started, what we should be focusing on and prioritising in our strategic plans.
This first virtual session will help to set you on the right track with your diversity & inclusion efforts, make sense of what it means for businesses and the creative industries specifically, why it matters, and where to start. We’ll share a balanced perspective on some of the latest research and benefits of writing a business case, and explore different approaches to D&I, including metrics you can use to drive your efforts, all with the goal of creating a more inclusive workplace that will lead to increased diversity, improved team motivation and better business performance.
Whilst many understand the importance of inclusive workspaces and have heard the stats that diversity and inclusion is good for business, a large number of businesses have no idea how to get from where they are now to where they ought to be.
There are many reasons not to change – you lack the expertise, it takes up too much time, you don’t have the money or perhaps you simply do not want to compromise the positive elements of the existing culture? This session will tackle all of these common concerns and equip you with the tools to embark on your inclusion journey with a positive mindset.
Over the course of the session, we will explore why change is hard and what we can do to embrace it to create a better workplace environment for everyone.
The 3rd session in the Kiltered Guide to Effective D&I focuses on embedding inclusion into your culture through your vision, mission, values and ultimately your strategy.
We’ll talk about inclusive leadership, what it means and why it’s important for companies who want to achieve genuine inclusion, starting with the definition of your vision, mission and values. And once created, how it weaves into every element of your strategy and creates value for your business.
We’ll talk about different approaches companies take, with real life examples who have achieved varying levels of success through their efforts, including a deeper dive into the London 2012 Olympics and what we can learn from their approach to D&I.
We’ll also provide some practical guidance to help you on your way.
So you have examined your culture and examined your values but do you actually know how your employees feel about working in your organisation?
Are you surprised that anyone would ever want to leave?
The perception gap is the distance between how you want to come across and how you are ultimately perceived.
In this session, we will look at how data helps businesses close the gap and develop solutions that are responsive to the needs of their people.
As part of the Kiltered Guide to Effective D&I series, this final virtual session focuses on putting your plan into action. We’ll provide some practical steps you can take depending on where you are on your journey, as well as a couple of useful tools that will help you on your way to developing an inclusive culture that creates value for the business and motivates your team.
We’ll also help you understand what to expect, things to look out for, and how to approach some of the trickier situations that might arise. We’ll also share examples to bring it all to life.
The Kiltered Guide to D&I is sold as a block of 5 workshops as the learning builds throughout the series. Places are £225+VAT for BCI members and £295+VAT for non-members.
Book your place(s) here.
Liana Dinghile, Partner at Tonic Creative Business Partners, discusses flexibility – is it a good or a bad thing for the future of work?
Most agencies are already embracing a more flexible approach to work and an overwhelming majority of employees would like to see this continue. But as so-called Freedom Day approaches and businesses get to grips with what the future might really look like, it’s worth considering where being less flexible can increase your chances of success.
Counter-intuitive maybe. But some things will need to be inflexible and non-negotiable for a more flexible future to succeed. Let’s explore.
The conundrum
On one hand, remote working has changed the game that needed changing. It’s levelled the playing field by creating access and inclusion for diverse talent and given people the opportunity to better balance their lives. Productivity has increased and priorities have been sharpened. But on the other hand, many argue that creativity, culture and learning have been compromised as a result. The double-edged sword now forcing a hybrid work revolution.
Every business is finding its way through this revolution. Some are leading with new ideas and bold policies they hope will work – from four-day weeks to mandated days and localised work hubs. Others are following and failing to master the transition – criticised for uninspiring or restrictive policies or not properly explaining or setting clear boundaries for people to get creative with.
In all cases, however you move forward, it mustn’t come at the expense of employee trust or compromise the strength of your culture. These two factors are still an agency’s best advantage when looking to win the big briefs and the battle for talent.
The non-negotiables
With boundaries, people are more likely to experiment and make good judgements. When supported, people are more likely to support others and act beyond their own interests. All basic principles, but never more fundamental and at the centre of a new cultural contract that’s separating the best from the average in business and society.
#1 A solid values system. Having a strong belief system at the heart of every action you take, evident in every leadership decision and willingly embraced by every member of your team. Non-negotiable.
#2 A minimum standard of work. Setting parameters for what great looks like for the work. Wherever and however work gets done, having a standard that is universally understood, championed and honoured. Non-negotiable.
#3 Empowered teams and managers. Setting clear objectives at a team and project level to set the boundaries for autonomous action in the interests of the clients they are closer to. Support leaders to manage the complexity and be the simplifiers and role models their teams need. Non-negotiable.
#4 A well-harnessed culture. Creating a culture of wellbeing and psychological safety for people to openly share their needs, concerns and successes as they find their way through a different time. Non-negotiable.
Structured flexibility
With the non-negotiables in place, you’ll have the confidence to find the flexibility level that’s right for you. Here’s three new ERA principles to help get the balance right:
Continue the EXPERIMENT
– Draw on learnings from the last 18 months of experimentation. Ruthlessly reappraise the core work of the agency and what it takes to do it really well. Where has remote working accelerated or challenged your capacity to deliver to this standard?
– It will take time to fine-tune and adapt a future work policy. So be upfront with your teams that this is an experiment and be clear about where you need their help to stress test.
– Whilst its unhelpful to follow blindly because ‘Apple or Twitter tried it’, there’s a lot of experience out there to learn from that may give the benchmarks you need to explain the benefits of your strategy.
Be RUTHLESSLY focused
– Seriously ask and challenge what an existing office or potential workspace is for. Architects are experimenting with different models from ‘plazas’ to ‘neighbourhoods’. Co-working spaces are seeing a revival and hotels are reinventing themselves as work hubs with benefits. Lots of possibilities, but what will your ‘workspace’ be for – learning, collaboration, contemplation? Be ruthless about whether it measures up.
– Genuinely ask your teams how ready and confident they are to change. Be clear about what their needs really are rather than be forced to change things to retain them later down the line. Create space for people to share concerns about work, welfare or location. What you learn will be the underlying data needed to design a truly equitable workplace culture.
ACT and ADAPT
– Create the blueprint for your fully remote or hybrid future and draw from your research to demonstrate how it’s designed to the specific dynamics and workflows of your agency and teams. Put into practice as an experiment and be upfront and clear on how, and how often, you’ll measure success.
– Be ‘all-in’ from the start. Draw on your belief system and rally everyone around the experiment. Recruit their support and feedback to know what’s working and will be right long term. And don’t forget to role-model the changes you want to see in your teams.
Winning agencies will attract and retain a diverse mix of talent based on the strength of culture and thoughtful design of their workplace strategy. They will exceed expectations for productivity and creativity by harnessing the strengths of their teams. And they’ll do so not because of where they come together but how they make it count. Here we see the rise of the interdependent agency – mastering the non-negotiable bonds in order to realise the true power of flexibility.
First appeared in Creative Brief BITE on 15 July 2021.
We’re delighted to announce that we’ve appointed Wunderman Thompson’s Andrew Terry as the new Head of Strategy. Andrew will work across all of our big-name brands including McDonald’s, Disney and Carnival UK.
Andrew joins us with a rich history of work in the marketing and advertising industries. Most recently Data Strategy Director at Wunderman Thompson, he spent three years working across Shell Drivers’ Club globally, and two subsequent years on its multi-million-pound BT account.
At Wunderman Thompson, Andrew trained up the global team and worked across a wide range of different international markets, optimising the model to be as efficient as possible. Always starting with the question ‘How do we understand customers better?’, Andrew was responsible for using data to inform personalisation and measurement; loyalty and membership benefits being at the forefront of his role.
With in-depth knowledge of data acquisition and optimisation, social and digital data strategies and CRM data optimisation, Andrew career has spanned the B2B and B2C sectors, with a firm focus on driving excellent ROI.
Previous roles also included Data and Marketing Specialist at Newsquest, the UK’s second-largest publisher of local media, in which Andrew worked with internal and external data to support the centralised recruitment ad sales process and deliver business intelligence garnered from transactional information from both regional and economic trends.
As our Head of Strategy, Andrew will work across all our accounts with a focus on putting data at the heart of decisions made for customers, using data creatively to change customer behaviour and deliver unrivalled ROI; reaching the right people, the right way at the right time. Keen to involve each part of the agency in achieving this, Andrew will ensure results are used to feedback into strategy for maximum effect.
CEO, James, comments: “With the rapid growth trajectory of Armadillo, we value outstanding strategy at the heart of all of our campaigns. From the moment we met Andrew we were blown away by his passion and enthusiasm for results-driven strategy. His vast experience and knowledge were exactly what we were looking for and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
Andrew adds: “The people at Armadillo are very, very good at what they do. Their long-lasting relationships with big-name clients are a fantastic indication of just how strong they and their operations really are. It’s an incredibly exciting time to be joining the agency.
“Like most of the UK over the last 18 months I’ve established a relationship with more new brands than ever before & this presents a huge opportunity for brands entering the CRM space. CRM is a big, big world but Armadillo is at the forefront. They have the unique ability to pull people together and form teams around the client with remarkable pace and effectiveness. Armadillo is a fantastic blend of passion and enthusiasm; skill and talent and I can’t wait to dive in.”
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