I did a Google search today and had to click on the lovely art of the day.
I don’t think I’ll consider doing anything other than replacing my keyboard, washing doorknobs and sanitizing my dishes.
Thank God I don’t have a dog. Or wear socks.
Happy Friday. And wash your hands.
I just read Ad Contrarian’s blog about the move to data over value in an agency. About how the big holding companies are sucking the life out of agencies and the amazing creatives who put in the hours to do great things that sell ordinary things in simple but extraordinary ways.
It got me thinking.
What do I do? I preach being efficient. But definitely not at the cost of great creative.
That got me thinking of something else.
Where do inefficiencies lie?
Bottom line, an agency that creates value for its client must make just a little profit so they can keep the doors open … and … afford a few of the perks that nurture an inspirational work environment.
Yes, I know inspiration comes from the work, and even more so from inspirational creative leaders. The environment comes from both of those. It’s often called culture. And no, culture isn’t a foosball table or Beer Fridays.
It’s that place you love to go every day. It’s the people you love to work with.
My efficiencies lie in ensuring everyone has what they need – when they need it.
Access to information like – where is the copy? When are we presenting to a client?
Shepherding so creative energy isn’t wasted on figuring out what’s next. Basic schedules. Basic budgets. Managed for you. The Creative.
Efficiency is flexible (and never confuse that with Agile). Knowing what’s next is invaluable. Ensuring an agency runs smoothly. That’s efficiency.
Great creative can be done well in an organized environment.
Cheap money is keeping the big holding companies afloat. They can afford 180 days to get paid.
Another bubble.
I break my projects into steps – such as comp, layout, layout revision, and final. And those steps include client approvals in between. I never just count on overall project hours to carry me through the life of a project. Why? Well, you can burn through too many hours at the beginning of a project (been there) and you’re left with either asking for more money (been there too), making cuts to the project or taking a hit on the profit (ugh! been there too!).
Profit is good. We stay in business when we make more than we spend. A good project manager is aware of everything going on and how it affects the bottom line. They don’t get a lot of love, but they always have an eye on the trifecta of projects: scope, schedule, budget.
We all love going back to the client to tell them it’s going to be late; that they’re asking for more than we agreed to (you did provide a brief didn’t you?); or we need more money to make awesome happen – right?
Therefore, red flags arise quickly when tracking projects broken down incrementally. Any slippage is easy to see, and moreover, you know what caused it. That allows you to learn. Wow.
Getting a handle on how much time (therefore how many dollars) each step in a project should take gives a project manager a better handle on burn rate and provides each employee with expectations.
Oh yes, we set expectations with clients too.
By the way, say thank you to your project manager. They have your back.
Sometimes work and motherhood just don’t mix. Here’s the exception and it has nothing to do with Melissa Mayer.
Peregrine falcons nesting at Campbell Ewald Detroit. Click the image to see the family.
The rare opportunity to watch life beyond our daily agency drama is just plain cool.
The lucky folks at Campbell Ewald’s Detroit office have a family story of their own. And it includes Dad.
Yesterday I added a picture of a sad cake to enhance my post about Agency Culture.
I pulled the image from a site called Cake Wrecks.
So I went back to take a long, leisurely look at the site. Yes, I had too much time on my hands.
It’s funny. The pictures are real.
So the blogger commented on the story about the knife found in a kids birthday cake that came from Walmart. The dad did the Right Thing by deciding to sue the company.
Cake Wreck posted several examples of such (scissors, spoons, you-name-it) left in cakes, from people who decided that, hey, it’s just a cake. Remove the object and serve.
Meh, stuff happens. Or maybe there's an influx of ex-cons who have gone on to be pastry chefs. Hmmmm....
Now blow out the candles and I get to dibs on the scissors!
One, last parting shot.
Perhaps this should be standard fare at any agency with a cult(ure).
Big topic. What is it? How do you create it?
I’ve said many times that dogs at work, flexible hours, open space and Beer Fridays do not constitute Agency Culture.
And, by the way, they’re not entitlements either.
I’ve worked in places that had real, true Agency Culture. The kind of place where everything clicks, we look forward to going to work, we enjoy our colleagues, and great creative is nurtured.
I’ve also worked in places that tried to create Agency Culture through zany meetings, meaningless accolades (usually for the same suck-ups – oops usual suspects), birthdays complete with festive cake, and yes, Beer Fridays.
We all have a job to do. And it should be in a place where you actually like the people you work with – and respect them.
I think a great Agency Culture comes from a place of mutual respect. From the top – down.
The rest just happens.
I have worked in agencies and in-house marketing departments at a time when things weren’t going well. Unimaginable, I know.
Nobody knew where anything was. Projects late or over budget, or more commonly – both. The blame game. Endless complaining to partners, VPs, each other.
So we looked for ways to fix the problem. That’s where I came in. Figure it out. Find a solution. Implement it. Take the blame – thankyouverymuch.
Then
In the early days, we didn’t have the Cloud, but we did have an intranet. So we usually built a system for opening jobs, preparing budgets and schedules, and shared access – usually using FileMaker Pro, FoxPro, or some database program that someone customized. A proprietary system. Oy.
Later came the designed-for-agencies software like Advantage, Creative Manager Pro and others.
Then came Cloud offerings. Then came apps. The evolution of Agency Management Tools in a nutshell.
Now
Advantage and CMP (now Workamajig) now offer Cloud Versions of their software. Nice because you don’t need to invest in hardware or software upgrades (well, Windows 95® won’t do) and you can access it from anywhere your privileges allow.
Then there’s BaseCamp, which many think is an agency management solution. Nope. It’s a collaborative tool. And yes, you can buy all kinds of apps that will link. And if you want to manage your agency in bits and pieces, Be My Guest. Good luck with that.
Cloud is great.
But a couple weeks ago, my internet service provider, CenturyLink, had a 22-state outage. That meant, had I needed to access my agency data, I was S.O.L. The very nice person I spoke to at CenturyLink Customer Service said they were ‘working on the problem’ and ‘didn’t have an ETA on repair’. When I say she was nice, I mean it. Super friendly and super busy. Props for Good Customer Service.
By the way I live in Nevada. My daughter, in Medford, Oregon works in a supermarket. Their entire POS system was down during the outage. Imagine not being able to use your debit card for milk, eggs and Cherios®.
Most of us seldom lose internet service. But when we do, everything comes to a grinding halt. And it wreaks havoc. Everyone pops up – Hey, can you get on the internet? Try a different browser. Click, Click, Click.
I know this is how we do business now, but do give thoughtful consideration when investing in, and relying upon Cloud solutions to run your agency. Well, heck, this goes for any business.
Your source, whether it’s enterprise or an app, may rarely be down, but everything else in-between is vulnerable.
We are living and dying by the data we can gather and share immediately. When going to the Cloud, consider your provider, speed, and security.
No, this isn't an episode of Doomsday Preppers.
Now, where’s my typewriter and carbon paper.