Our industry has just experienced its worst quarter ever. With almost 64% of panel members registering a decrease in marketing spend and two-thirds forecasting a pessimistic financial outlook, July’s IPA Bellwether Report has given us the hard data to prove what we have previously surmised.
Agencies need to respond fast or risk being side-lined. Three areas where I think we can make an immediate impact are: measurability, speaking the CFO’s language and the contribution we can make to our clients’ bottom line.
Clients are faced with a bewildering range and volume of different agencies and Covid-19 has given brands a good excuse to prune – as Ramon Laguarta, PepsiCo’s CEO, also says: “Sometimes a crisis helps [a company] to be more selective and to be more impactful, to generate internal momentum against simplification and focus against fewer and bigger. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
There’s also a growing threat to agencies of clients bringing elements in-house – both as a potential cost-saving exercise and as a response to ‘always on’ marketing communications. As Laguarta acknowledges: “[through in-housing] we can actually get the same or more value for less money, which is obviously a terrific outcome for the company.”
However, brands disrupted by Covid-19 need transformative ideas more than ever. Agencies are in a unique position. DDB founder Bill Bernbach sums it up well, gendered pronouns aside; “We think we will never know as much about a product as a client. After all, he sleeps and breathes his product…By the same token, we firmly believe that he can’t know as much about advertising. Because we live and breathe that all day long.”
Historically, our industry has not been brilliant at drawing a line between what we do and things the brand’s CFO would recognise and value. We now need to get better at developing this dialogue. In tough times this is harder, but even more important.
As agency people, we need to ask ourselves if we really understand the goals and objectives of the finance people amongst our clients. Have we got under the skin of their targets? These will be different to those of the CMO.
We need to establish what our common ground is and communicate our value in their language. Marketing done well can make a significant difference to a business’ bottom line. You only need to look to companies like Coca Cola to see how the intangible value of its brand value underpins the net worth of the company.
How much of the marketing jargon that we use in our industry day-to-day resonates with the CFO, and, in turn, how much financial shorthand do we understand? If having direct access to them is proving difficult, let’s look to our own resources. Are we making good use of our own finance people, for instance? They have all been schooled in same language – use proxies where it’s helpful to do so.
Equipping everyone with a basic grounding in the business side of the industry we’re involved in is important – a course like the IPA’s Commercial Certificate can really help with the fundamentals.
Demonstrating measurement and effectiveness is nothing new. However, given that client budgets won’t be getting back to pre-Covid levels any time soon, marketing departments and their agencies will be under more pressure than usual to deliver tangible results. That means even greater scrutiny for every pound spent.
We are up for that challenge at Armadillo. Our focus has always been on cost-effectiveness – it’s baked into our DNA . We are lean and results-driven and have consistently delivered good value for clients which has led to long-term relationships with clients such as McDonald’s and Disney. Despite working with a major client in the severely-impacted eating out sector, we’ve seen them double down on CRM activity. For example, while other channels have been cut hard, our budgets have grown. That’s mainly thanks to proving strong ROIs on a continuous basis pre-crisis.
We believe the goal should be to have an end-to-end relationship with customer – tracking all the way through from first point of interaction through to purchase, to help influence the decision-buying journey.
Now is the time for agencies to create clearly defined market positions in line with commercials. We need to fulfil our role of trusted advisors, drawing on and demonstrating specialist expertise, experience and performance. We need to stay focused and be even more open to collaboration.
Whilst this is not a time to be naive, we must also try to balance our pragmatism with optimism. The world is not coming to an end just yet. Take our worst hit client in the travel sector. We prioritised pivoting to meet a dramatically different set of challenges – by thinking like stakeholders in their recovery rather than hard-done by suppliers, we’ve seen projects start to flow again far sooner than we might have expected.
Agencies must keep scanning the horizon for opportunities and be prepared to move the business in new directions to stay in the game. We’ve long positioned ourselves as nimble and responsive – those that can now display those attributes will prove invaluable.
This has not been an easy time, but we need to avoid giving in to nostalgic defeatism. A crisis like this could kill agencies off, but equally, if we could get more on the front foot, learn from past successes and fuse those learnings with the good things we’re doing now, this could also be the start of our renaissance.
This article was written by Chris Thurling for the IPA on 17 August 2020.
In the early days of lockdown Bristol Media set up “Pay it Forward”, a collection of offers of free help from our community for those in the region’s creative industries reeling from the economic impact of Covid-19.
With lockdown easing and the focus moving from survival to revival, “Pay it Forward” is now winding down. However, before it closes Bristol Media would like to say a huge thank you to all those businesses that volunteered to help others; those that gave their time and expertise to listen and advise. We had volunteers providing mentoring and business support, HR and legal support, business development and marketing advice to financial tools, all free.
What do you do when most activities stop? The answers are not simple and have involved conversations and many actions to reduce overheads and claim government support, for those eligible. We contacted some of the people involved in the initiative to find out how it went from their side of things:
Simon Barbato, CEO at Mr B & Friends had a huge response from his LinkedIn post, “I was expecting maybe two or three people would respond to my offer of help around positioning and marketing, but I was overwhelmed when I received 19 requests for appointments. I decided to meet with them all, and the conversations ranged from a friendly peer to peer chat to some real advice sought on positioning businesses to survive the crisis. One thing I was particularly pleased with was making introductions from one person to the next and business opportunities maturing from that. I also really got something from each discussion and felt it was a fantastic use of my time”.
Jack Thompson, who specialises in helping agencies with business development, volunteered for Pay it Forward. “In the early stages it was all about coping with the immediate effects of lockdown in relation to business development. There was a broad range of impacts from ‘I’ve lost everything’, through to, ‘we’re doing OK’. I advised talking to current and recent clients, reviewing pipelines and reforecasting for the year, and then looking at what people could do to start some new conversations too.”
“All businesses will have gone through the initial shocks, and they will know where they stand with regard to all the moving parts of their business, so most are now planning for ‘what next?’. Of course easier for some, more than others, depending on how hard they have been hit, but there is definitely a sense that we’re over the worst, so it’s time to think about growth again.
Sandeep Roy, director of Innovate2grow.com, a strategic digital advisory firm reported that “For most companies, lockdown caused a switch to a shorter-term focus; preserve cash and ‘keep the lights on’. Strategic visions went on hold. There was an accelerated focus on digital innovations and a move to virtual models in order to reach, acquire and serve customers online.
As the lock-down relaxes, employers are concerned about liability if employees fall ill after returning to work, and are exploring having teams in low physical contact scenarios. Covid-19 has definitely triggered a rethinking on the future of business and the workplace.”
“I have worked with clients on repositioning their services,” said Susie McFarland, business strategist and mentor, “a lot of businesses have had to move quickly with refocused service offerings, revised financial plans and restructured operating models. I’ve been so impressed by their resolve and determination, not losing sight of why they started in the first place, but keeping true to their core and working from there. No mean feat in challenging times.”
Amy Wilkinson, Disruptive Thinking, another Pay it Forward company said, ”The conversations started as a discussion on how to pivot your sales and marketing strategy in the context of coronavirus, and we ended up discussing topics such as how to build your sales pipeline, how to implement a business development strategy, and how to get started and winning your first clients. We ended up having really honest, open discussions about how we’re all doing at the moment. Everyone was very upfront about what challenges they are experiencing during COVID – it was refreshing.”
James Lucas, Creative Plantation commented on Pay it Forward, “I was blown away with the openness and willingness to chat. I contacted a few on the list around mentoring and coaching for input on my new business proposition. The feedback and inspiration I got back from the discussions was great and gave me hope that after lockdown, the enthusiasm and interest to continue to connect with peers will continue. Thanks to Bristol Media and everyone I spoke to!”
Thank you once again for all the free support via Pay it Forward; in tough times it’s good to know the community support is here. Bristol Media is continuing with our mission to keep the creative community connected. We are offering a series of new events to help businesses move forward. These are in the new online format, book direct via our Events page. We are also supporting networking and business development with online Virtual Lunches, if you wish to join in please contact a[email protected]. We do hope you will join us in the coming months.
Are you a whip-smart, data-driven, digital creative? Do you know your way around Google Ads, love diving into the data, and can’t wait to assess conversion rates? Do you know your metadata from your HTML, your Business Manager from your Ad Manager, your PPC from your boosted post? Are you comfortable managing clients, acting as the face of the company and managing a team?
We are a guerrilla communications business focused on delivering reach for our clients and on our projects, working across tech, lifestyle, and environmental sectors.
We deliver PR, social media, SEO, branding and creative comms to a wealth of clients from start-ups, scale-ups, established businesses and beyond. Each member of our team has skills across these areas but brings a unique specialism to each project. We’re a tight-knit team of passionate, outgoing creatives who love to collaborate just as much as we like to take ownership of each project.
Driving up DA scores rapidly, launching brands digitally to critical acclaim, running ad campaigns which deliver above and beyond – and have trackable conversion… this is our norm, and we want you to lead on this as we continue to grow.
We’d like you to drive our digital activities both on specific projects, retainers, and for the OggaDoon brand itself, product/report launches, deep dives, analysis with recommendations, creative campaigns, and strategic insight. There is also the exciting element of working with online influencers and the digital world to create reach for our clients and their business, alongside inputting on press, social media, and other strategic brand activities.
Ideally, you have 5+ years experience of delivering impactful digital campaigns, with evidence and results to prove it. You are also adept at handling multiple projects at any one time, and like being part of a small team where your work and impact counts. You’ll be confident and comfortable leading teams and projects, getting the best out of people, identifying areas of opportunity internally and externally, and have experience working with a senior team to drive business growth.
For OggaDoon’s business development, you’ll be expected to deliver on personal KPIs for client retention and new business acquisition, transforming OggaDoon’s inbound. Building our reputation for digital marketing will be key, from delivering great work to speaking at events, delivering workshops and demonstrating the impact we’re bringing.
You’ll have responsibility from day 1: not just delivering projects on time, within budget, and achieving client goals, but also managing client relationships and invoicing.
Training is a key part of our OggaDoon culture. Some will be on the job training (OJT), some will be training we’ll pay for, and you’ll be expected to further your own career through your passions by attending meetups, doing online training, and more.
You can advance with this role: there is no glass ceiling and no restrictions. You’ll be a critical member of the team and it’s up to you to create an impactful force, both internally and for our clients, by bringing your expertise.
Our ideal Digital Marketing Manager will have:
We offer more than just an opportunity to stand out in a role that allows you to take control, in a team that lives and breathes marketing, tech and creativity.
We have a ton of benefits:
To apply, please send us a short slideshow that will bring you to life. This must include:
Our closing date is 30th June 2020.
Please send your application to [email protected]
Note: This is not a new graduate role nor would it suit anyone with less than 2-3 years experience. You do not currently need to be in a management/senior role to apply.
The West of England Combined Authority Mayor Tim Bowles has been asked by Government to set up a Regional Recovery Taskforce to identify the challenges and opportunities affecting Economic Regional recovery and renewal from Covid19. The aim of the Task Force is to identify the adverse economic impacts of the pandemic and drive renewal of the region’s recovery that is clear and inclusive.
Under this Task Force are a number of Sector Specific Groups. We’re delighted that Bristol Creative Industries Chair, Chris Thurling, will be joining the Creative Industries and Digital Technologies Group to represent the views of the region’s creative sector.
This provides an opportunity for the views of our members, past and present, to be heard regionally and nationally. It’s also for those views to influence the plans for the SW’s creative sector to recover from COVID19. It’s vital that we gather as many views as possible ahead of the kick-off meeting on Friday 5th June so Chris can share a representative viewpoint.
Please complete this short survey by 5pm on Thursday 4th June at the very latest.
Together we’re greater than the sum of our parts.
McCann Worldgroup, part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) Acquires Synergy Creative
Strengthens Employee Communications & Engagement Capability
McCann Worldgroup has acquired Synergy Creative, one of Europe’s leading employee engagement agencies, in a move which broadens its employee engagement and organisational culture capabilities.
Renowned for industry-leading employee communications and engagement, Synergy was founded in 2006 by Gemma McGrattan, Giles Hicks and Nicky Clark and was recently named ‘The UK’s Best Agency’ by the Institute of Internal Communications and ‘Marketing Agency of the Year’ by The Drum. Synergy’s 40-strong team will continue to operate out of Bristol and London under the name ‘McCann Synergy’.
Commenting on the news, Mark Lund, UK, CEO McCann Worldgroup said, “As we continue to go deeper and further in supporting clients to deliver best-in-class brand and customer experiences, we recognise the crucial role organisational culture and the employee experience plays in enabling it. Synergy was the clear partner for us to boost our offering to clients. Not only are they market leaders in the employee engagement sector, they’re a strategic and creative group with a deep passion for what they do, and we’re looking forward to growing together even further.”
Gemma McGrattan, Founding Director of Synergy Creative, added: “Straight away we knew McCann was a great fit for us. We’re aligned in both being ideas-first, creative, strategic and entrepreneurial businesses, sharing similar values. As experts in an industry that continues to grow globally at a rapid pace, the opportunity to partner with McCann and share their global footprint, is the perfect springboard to take us to the next level.”
Photo caption: L-R Giles Hicks (Synergy), Nicky Clark (Synergy), Andy Jones (McCann), Gemma McGrattan (Synergy), Dean Lovett (McCann)
Bristol-based public relations and communications agency Purplefish has just announced its summer internship programme for students in the Bristol area.
Purplefish started as a freelance business in 2010 and, after a fast-initial growth phase, was incorporated in 2012. The now 11-strong agency offers full-service communications services including public relations and social media, video and content, events and experiential and strategic issues consultancy.
The creative agency is running two internship schemes with the University of Bristol, which will commence in June and July this year. It will also be opening applications to students from the University of the West of England when the scheme is available. These internships allow students to expand on their skills and contribute to day-to-day activities in the business.
Students will be part of a team that is responsible for the execution and implementation of social media and messages for client campaigns, helping develop monthly plans and research for public relations stories for the media as well as supporting on the planning local events. In the past this has included St Pauls Carnival and this year Purplefish is working with the Bristol Light Festival.
Jonathan Adams, account executive at Purplefish, joined the team as an intern last July and after showcasing his desire to work in the creative industries, he was offered a permanent position.
When asked about his internship, Jonathan said: “I found Purplefish’s internship programme a great entry point into the world of public relations.
“The team is insightful, supportive and throughout my time at Purplefish I have learnt so much. While completing my internship last July I helped the team organise events, create strategic plans and had the opportunity to interact with media outlets to maximise exposure for Purplefish’s clients”
Joanna Randall, managing director at Purplefish, said: “Nurturing talent of the future is something we’re committed to. We have been running our summer internship programme for five years now, I encourage any student or recent graduate who is interested in public relations to apply.
“At Purplefish we believe that gaining first-hand experience and understanding of the industry is invaluable for people pursuing a career in this sector.”
The internships span three one-month periods and are available to current students or recent graduates from University of Bristol and the University of the West of England (when applications open).
To apply for the University of Bristol internships please log into the university’s engage portal, or click one of the links below:
University of Bristol – Internship One (June): https://engage.bristol.ac.uk/Admin/Login/?ReturnUrl=%2fadmin%2fJob.aspx%3fid%3d508022
University of Bristol – Internship Two (July): https://engage.bristol.ac.uk/Admin/Login/?ReturnUrl=%2fadmin%2fJob.aspx%3fid%3d508109
University of the West of England – Internship Three (August): TBC
Margaret was among the 30 speakers who spoke at Bristol Media’s 2016 Vision conference, and we’re thrilled to welcome her back for another insightful event. Whether you’re an aspiring leader, an ambitious manager, or have directed teams for decades, join us and Margaret Heffernan for the Vision Keynote: Why is Leadership so Difficult?
Leadership in today’s age is becoming increasingly difficult due a range of causes from the rate of change, generational differences and a shift in social mores to name but a few. The reality is more subtle. The environment in which we operate is now full of ineradicable uncertainties, which in turn, has caused the traditional 3-legged stool of management – forecast, plan, execute – to lose its first leg. Forecasters are now wary of anything more than 400 days out, so kiss goodbye to your 5-year plan and embrace modern leadership.
So, in an age replete with ambiguity and uncertainty, is leadership even possible? If so, what does it look like?
These questions will be explored during Heffernan’s keynote, where she will share her invaluable knowledge on modern leadership in a session not to be missed.
Join Bristol Media and Margaret Heffernan on Tuesday 22nd October (12.30 – 14.15) at Foot Anstey, 2 Glass Wharf, Bristol BS2 0FR.
Tickets are £40 for Bristol Media members, £60 for non-members and include a networking lunch. A limited number of £10 tickets are available for Bristol Media freelance members.
Dr. Margaret Heffernan produced programmes for the BBC for 13 years. She moved to the US where she spearheaded multimedia productions for Intuit, The Learning Company and Standard&Poors. She was Chief Executive of InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation and then iCast Corporation, was named one of the “Top 25” by Streaming Media magazine and one of the “Top 100 Media Executives” by The Hollywood Reporter.
The author of five books, Margaret’s third book, Wilful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at our Peril was named one of the most important business books of the decade by the Financial Times. Her TED talks have been seen by over nine million people and in 2015 TED published Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes. She is Lead Faculty for the Forward Institute’s Responsible Leadership Programme and, through Merryck & Co., mentors CEOs and senior executives of major global organisations. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath and continues to write for the Financial Times and the Huffington Post.
Matt Joy has joined the Mr B & Friends team as a Brand Producer. The role spans client services, client consulting and seamless project management across complex brand strategy projects.
Matt was previously Head of Marketing at Bristol Sport, and had worked alongside the agency as a key client contact on the Bristol Bears and Bristol City Football Club rebrand projects. With a decade of experience in commercial marketing, Matt was keen to make the transition to agency-side and having been won over by the Mr B & Friends way of working couldn’t wait to make the leap.
Matt says, “I’ve always been passionate about testing myself and developing my knowledge in the agency side of marketing and had been really impressed by the Mr B & Friends team and their approach to brand projects as a client. When I was presented with the opportunity to join the team, it was the perfect time to take on this new and exciting challenge”
Outside of work Matt’s life is about to change dramatically with the imminent arrival of his first baby. Baby preparation aside, Matt enjoys playing (or trying to play) golf and exploring the wonderful city of Bristol, enjoying the many restaurants and bars on offer, whilst also keeping a close eye on all things Bristol Bears.
Simon Barbato, CEO of Mr B & Friends, says, “We’re delighted to welcome Matt to the team. Having already known him for a while we’re confident that he’s a great fit for the company. He brings with him significant marketing experience in one of our key verticals and will be able to offer a unique client perspective to our projects.”
According to Business West’s Business Skills and Training Survey 2017, 64.9% of businesses in the West of England have never hired an apprentice, with lack of time cited as the main reason.
Yet with 96% of companies who take on an apprentice reporting benefits to their business (National Apprenticeship Service), organisations who do not consider this option when hiring or developing staff could be missing out.
Read on to find out more about some of the key benefits to employers of hiring an apprentice:
Increased Productivity
An astonishing 72% of businesses report improved productivity as a result of employing an apprentice, according to the National Apprenticeship Service. Having an extra pair of hands on the team means more tasks can get completed and you may even have time to explore projects or carry out research that you would not have previously been able to do. Although there can be time spent assisting an apprentice, the increased overall productivity can outweigh this.
Increased Revenue
On the back of this, increased productivity usually means an upturn in revenue and profit. The National Apprenticeship Service claims that the average person completing an apprenticeship increases productivity by £214 per week, so what’s not to like about that?
Lower Staff Turnover
Apprentices are often loyal to the company in which they gained their training and qualifications, with The National Apprenticeship Service reporting that 71% stay with the same employers once they finish their apprenticeship. They recognise that you have invested time and money into training them up in a particular skill, and at the same time will feel integrated into your organisation so will repay that with loyalty, resulting in a lower staff turnover and in turn, less money spent on recruitment.
Fix Skills Gaps
Taking on an apprentice within your company means that you can teach them the specific skills you need as a business. Working with a training provider, you can also use apprenticeships to upskill your existing staff where you feel it is needed most, so whilst technology advances and different skills are needed, you can protect your company from skills gaps that could have a negative impact in the long run.
Revitalise Your Business
Apprentices often come into an organisation with a fresh perspective, as well as bags of enthusiasm and energy. This can have a positive effect on your existing staff too, who may enjoy having someone with new ideas join the team. A positive workforce are more likely to perform better as well, so really it’s a win-win for you.
Build Your Brand
Apprenticeships are big news and are becoming a more popular recruitment method across all industries. Any organisation that has an apprenticeship scheme is likely to be seen as a business that is forward thinking and likes to invest in their staff, and that is attractive to anyone, whether they’re looking for a new role, or great company to work.
Apprenticeships can benefit any size of business, whether you’re a large corporate, SME or start up. Need more advice and information on where to start? Why not get in touch with the Skills Team at Business West who can let you know the best next steps to take. You can email them or call 0330 124 4446.