No More Dog and Pony Shows
I started my career as a graphic designer. Actually, my title was PR Assistant. But I was in charge of graphic design among other tasks, and my degree is in design. I've come to learn that the trajectory of my career is not unusual: Start doing design and eventually move to Creative Director where you're more guiding than doing. The part I didn't see coming was the part where I'm running a branding agency.Because I didn't see it coming, I don't feel like I was properly prepared. The good news is, unlike when I was a freelancer in the late 90's, there's a community of like-minded people who are helping me learn this new role as an agency principal. I read books, listen to podcasts, read blogs...anything I can do to learn how to run an agency and provide for the team that now relies on me. Check out Blair Enns and David C. Baker if you want great examples.There's a ton of great advice out there. Of all the advice I've found, however, the most powerful for me, and the one that is the hardest to follow is "No more dog and pony shows."Anyone who has watched Madmen knows how the dog and pony show works. The brilliant creative gets up in front of the client and explains, using heartwarming and life-changing stories, why this is the campaign everyone wants. Then a massive contract is signed and everyone goes out for a whiskey to celebrate the sale. It turns out those days are over. And if you're the client then you should be thrilled.As it turns out, that whole sales experience was entirely for the benefit of the agency, not the client. The only way to truly glean the information necessary to start off an engagement on the right foot is to replace the dog and pony with conversation and collaboration. Otherwise, the agency is guessing at what the client needs based on their limited knowledge of the account. Think about it. There's no way that's going to work.We had a recent interview that was the most similar to Madmen that I've experienced in my 20-year career. The client delayed our small window of time to present while we sweated it out. A stone-faced table of a dozen interviewers gave us no indication whether we were doing well or not. We even ran into a competing agency on the way out the door as they waited for their turn. It was completely setup for an agency that was great at convincing the client to hire them. Truth is we suck at that. You're welcome. Because the last thing a client needs is for someone to sell to them. They need someone to discuss the challenge, understand the future state of success, and work with them to develop the strategy.So if you reach out to TIV Branding, you will likely have a great conversation with us where we share our expertise and you share your needs. If the two align, we will work together to develop a strategy to get you to that future state we both desire.
Brandt Hoekenga is the Co-CEO and Creative Director for TIV Branding–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––TIV Branding is a boutique branding firm in Sonoma County, California. We specialize in building brands by using traditional, social and digital channels in unison. If you would like to discuss a project or find out more about how we do what we do, please email us at info@TIVbranding.com.