Bold moves toward better collaboration
February 19, 2009 | Author: Tim Williams
The Association of National Advertisers recently conducted their annual "Hot Button" survey. This year, the top-ranked hot button issue among CMOs is "experimentation." Clients want their agencies to experiment with new solutions and new channels, because the old ones are quickly losing their effectiveness.
From linear to organic
Progressive marketers are challenging their agencies to push marketing in new directions, which in turn requires agencies to change how work is done in the firm. The traditional linear approach to campaign development that moves work from one department to the next must be replaced with an organic approach that allows the involvement of key agency functions all throughout the process.
And with the explosion of channels and virtually unlimited ways to communicate with consumers, the work of the agency is increasing in complexity with each passing day.
Disincentives for working collaboratively
Unfortunately, most agencies have a disincentive to work collaboratively because of their compensation structure. There are usually no "hours" in the fee for proactive thinking. Hours logged to jobs are tracked relentlessly, overages are policed ruthlessly, and managers constantly lament the number of agency people attending meetings. This isn't exactly the kind of climate that encourages experimentation and collaborative innovation.
The traditional agency hierarchy is also an inhibitor. Layers of review and approval not only slow down the process, but also create an environment more focused on control and consensus than innovation and collaboration.
Nimble teams
A few forward-thinking agencies have taken the step of forming small teams charged with the responsibility to nimbly move work through the system. Brunner, a talented independent agency with offices in Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Washington D.C., has what they call a "Momentum Team"℠ assigned to each major client. A Momentum Team℠ is composed of just four key people:
- Account Manager
- Brand Strategist
- Contact Strategist
- Creative Lead
The key to making this concept work is to endow the team with not only the responsibility but the authority. Is this risky? Perhaps. But evaluate the risk against doing things the way you always have, which isn't likely to deliver the kind of agility and originality clients are increasingly demanding.
Redefining "meetings"
Besides the number of people involved on assignments, another factor working against effective integration and collaboration is meetings. Meetings are a necessary evil, but some firms have established a new approach to getting key people together that doesn't involve reserving the conference room, checking Outlook calendars, waiting for meeting replies, and rescheduling due to lack of attendance. The Martin Agency has a practice they call "swirling." The rules of swirling are refreshingly different:
- A swirl is not the same thing as a meeting
- A swirl can be spontaneous
- A swirl doesn't have to be held in a conference room
- A swirl can be held standing up
- Not everyone on the team has to be present (they can catch up later)
The point is to create an environment where ideas can be discussed informally at many points throughout the development process instead of only during formal scheduled meeting. The result is more collaboration, more often.
Really embracing technology
Yet another way to make sure important information and insights are shared with the right people at the right time is to make much better use of technology. At The Phelps Group in Santa Monica, California, the discussion points, decisions, and action items resulting from a client-focused meeting are captured in real time using a keyboard and big-screen monitor in every meeting room. These meeting notes are posted for all team members to view and review – including the ones that missed the meeting.
With all of the incredible online collaboration tools available (like Basecamp, Workzone, Marketing Central, etc.), it's a little archaic to continue a work development system that largely resembles the way agencies did things 15 years ago.
A risk you can't afford not to take
These new approaches require some trade-offs and perhaps even some changes to the agency culture itself. But one thing is for certain: agencies can't meet client expectations in the areas of experimentation, innovation, collaboration, and nimbleness using the old hierarchical, linear, hourly-based, technology-less approach of the past.
