Jul 2009
tomorrow's people, today.
07/24/09 11:50
On a recent family vacation to San Francisco, I was witness to our future as people living in the United States. Our reality is no longer "interracial marriage", but simply, "marriage". The only race children acknowledge is the Human race. We're closer than ever to a life without boundaries. Yesterday's dividing differences are today's cultural must-haves. The people are united by differences in language and traditions, and together we grow.
Cartel embraces this change and is ready to talk to the people of tomorrow, today.
We are the People's Agency.
-SS
Cartel embraces this change and is ready to talk to the people of tomorrow, today.
We are the People's Agency.
-SS
when everybody else is zigging, you should zag.
07/13/09 06:20
Taking a note from a well-known book, “Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This”, I find this advice rather timely. Twitter and Facebook have become synonymous with social movement. Marketers are rushing to get a piece of the free pie.
But, in the haste to have an online presence, brands are forgetting some key basics:
So, while everyone is running around “zigging”, you should “zag”. Now, “don’t be different just to be different. You must have a reason to ‘zag’”.
Stop and ask yourself: Is my target consumer really online? Is this the best way to reach them?
Whether your answer is yes or no, humanizing the brand is essential. And, that’s what Cartel, The People’s Agency, is good at.
A true online “relationship” needs to go beyond a one-time twitter coupon, or increased fan clicks. Connecting with People means humanizing a brand, connecting at every level and becoming a part of their lives, online and off. Online interaction should not be the essence of the relationship. Don’t forget People live outside the web, and offline connections must be memorable to have people seek you out.
Whether online or off, the focus must be on building lasting relationships with a human touch because once a brand becomes an online nuisance, the “block” button isn’t too far away.
-RR
But, in the haste to have an online presence, brands are forgetting some key basics:
- Some forget about their voice and personality.
- Some become automated response systems on database collection mode.
- Some forget Web 2.0 basics.
- Others simply forget about the right People.
So, while everyone is running around “zigging”, you should “zag”. Now, “don’t be different just to be different. You must have a reason to ‘zag’”.
Stop and ask yourself: Is my target consumer really online? Is this the best way to reach them?
Whether your answer is yes or no, humanizing the brand is essential. And, that’s what Cartel, The People’s Agency, is good at.
A true online “relationship” needs to go beyond a one-time twitter coupon, or increased fan clicks. Connecting with People means humanizing a brand, connecting at every level and becoming a part of their lives, online and off. Online interaction should not be the essence of the relationship. Don’t forget People live outside the web, and offline connections must be memorable to have people seek you out.
Whether online or off, the focus must be on building lasting relationships with a human touch because once a brand becomes an online nuisance, the “block” button isn’t too far away.
-RR
quality or convenience?
07/10/09 12:57
Remember the days when a small boutique creative shop with innovative strategy was all the rage? Then came the trend of the “full”-service agency, the “one-stop shop”… where ad agencies were expected to do it all. These days the advertising space is constantly evolving. Social media, DVR’s, and the over-all adversity to “being sold to” are shifting the way brands can effectively interact with their consumers. Will there ever be a place for a small creative shop again?
The trend of the full-service agency seems logical. For clients, the benefit is having a single point of contact and a synergistic campaign at all touchpoints. For agencies, the benefit is getting the whole pie instead of just one piece.
But at the end of the day, neither the client nor the agency is really maximizing the potential. Clients are charged higher rates because agencies need to cover huge overheads to keep a large multi-disciplined staff on hand. And, full-service agencies are never really able to focus on one thing they are really good at and work towards being the absolute best.
As a small agency, trying to adopt capabilities that aren’t intrinsically there is counter-productive. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says “[It] is not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be the best at.”
So, how can an agency that has always been great at strategy and creative compete in a world where a new advertising discipline pops up every few months?
At Cartel, we are trying something new.
We’re gonna keep doing our thing. We are the gatekeepers of the brand strategy and creative identity…after all, that’s what we’re best at and that’s what’s most important. But, we will also give our clients the ability to get best-in-class work in any discipline by forming strategic alliances with other agencies that specialize in the tactical execution of various disciplines. We’re still the one point of contact that the client goes to for all their needs, without the need to be a “jack of all trades and a master of none”.
This benefits the client because they avoid paying large agency rates and have brand synergy at all touchpoints.
This benefits us because we can focus on what we’re good at, have access to best-in-class resources without having to employ an in-house staff of thousands, and deploy only those services that make the most sense for the brand.
Cartel’s agency model means clients don’t have to sacrifice quality for convenience. Makes sense to us.
:AL
The trend of the full-service agency seems logical. For clients, the benefit is having a single point of contact and a synergistic campaign at all touchpoints. For agencies, the benefit is getting the whole pie instead of just one piece.
But at the end of the day, neither the client nor the agency is really maximizing the potential. Clients are charged higher rates because agencies need to cover huge overheads to keep a large multi-disciplined staff on hand. And, full-service agencies are never really able to focus on one thing they are really good at and work towards being the absolute best.
As a small agency, trying to adopt capabilities that aren’t intrinsically there is counter-productive. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says “[It] is not a goal to be the best, a strategy to be the best, an intention to be the best, a plan to be the best. It is an understanding of what you can be the best at.”
So, how can an agency that has always been great at strategy and creative compete in a world where a new advertising discipline pops up every few months?
At Cartel, we are trying something new.
We’re gonna keep doing our thing. We are the gatekeepers of the brand strategy and creative identity…after all, that’s what we’re best at and that’s what’s most important. But, we will also give our clients the ability to get best-in-class work in any discipline by forming strategic alliances with other agencies that specialize in the tactical execution of various disciplines. We’re still the one point of contact that the client goes to for all their needs, without the need to be a “jack of all trades and a master of none”.
This benefits the client because they avoid paying large agency rates and have brand synergy at all touchpoints.
This benefits us because we can focus on what we’re good at, have access to best-in-class resources without having to employ an in-house staff of thousands, and deploy only those services that make the most sense for the brand.
Cartel’s agency model means clients don’t have to sacrifice quality for convenience. Makes sense to us.
:AL