How agencies must adapt to survive. I propose a new model for developing communications which gives fans of the category and your brand an active role in the development of the brand and its communications.

1. AGENCIES MUST ADAPT OR DIE
Craig Harries
Head of Planning
July 2011

2. The process we use to develop
advertising has been the same for
over 50 years
1. Highly trained researchers
and planners unearth
consumer attitudes and
motivations
2. Planners create a brand
strategy that is founded on
a unique attribute or brand
personality
4. Creative then bring this
to life to engage a
passive audience
3. Consumers are used as a
sounding board, but are rarely
trusted to contribute
creatively

3. So why change?

4. Conventional ‘inside out’ approach has
limitations

5. 1. Knowledge is edited and selectively
passed on – things can get lost

6. 2. Ads are written by people
with no connection to the
people they’re trying to
influence

7. 3. Advertising is broadcast by
nature; impersonal and inefficient

8. The uncomfortable truth
“By the end of this decade, power and influence will shift
largely to those people with the best reputations and
trust networks, from people with money and nominal
power.
Everyone gets a chance to participate in large or small
ways, giving a voice to the silent majority”
Craig Newmark,
founder of Craigslist, April 2010

9. Remember this?

10. And this?

11. What’s the better way?

12. We need to get CLOSER
to our consumers and let
them be an integral part
of the brand

13. If we want people to love our brands,
we need to let them help create them
“People support that which they create”
Dr. Nick Georgiades, Birkbeck College

14. CO-CREATION
Brands using workshops and
social media as a means to give
their fans a voice

15. Co-creating with consumers from start to
finish
RECRUIT
Recruit consumers to participate in
communities and engage them over
weeks or months, rather than one-
off interventions
EXPLORE
The process of exploring
their relationship with the
category and brands
Constantly creates insights and
VALIDATE recycle, rework creative ideas
Consumer and rebuild ideas
communities then
validate and build
CREATE
Creative teams have
creative springboards
to explore

16. So why do we need agencies?
The real question is: how will the role of experts change?
The age of the solitary guru is over
We need experts that are more:
• Intuitive
• Responsive
• Observant
• Collaborative
• Open-minded
(And know how to harness the power of many)

17. Co-creation is a buzzword, but it’s not a fad

18. Being closer to the consumer speeds
things up
A far shorter planning window
Spot and pounce on opportunities as they arise
Demands client and agency embrace change
Which is challenging... and liberating

19. This requires a totally new approach

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21. Switches the focus from the
business to the consumer

22. There are many benefits of this approach
Increased chances
of commercial
Advocacy success
Clarity
Speed

23. Applications
We can use Collaborative Creativity to:
1. Generate consumer insights
2. Develop an existing brand idea
3. Establish fan bases for brands amongst key groups
4. Develop an effective social media strategy
5. Help develop new products and services
6. Establish the brand idea throughout the business and turn it
into an organising idea that defines and drives the actions of
the business

24. This will lead to different kinds of ideas
BIG BIG
CREATIVE SOCIAL
IDEAS
IDEAS
An idea with Social Currency
That people want to play with, share
and develop, so that it endures long
after the media budget runs out

25. Does this mean marketers and
agencies are losing control?
It’s about giving your consumers a greater say in the
solution – not putting your brand in the hands of novices
Making consumers feel part of the brand – and really
listening to them
Ensuring that the values and equity of your brand is
brought to life in a way that is highly relevant to
consumers

26. Drawing up a new contract
between brands and consumers
A break with the past
A spirit of openness
A new model that gives consumers
a stake in the brands they love

27. Doing things with
people, not at people

28. AGENCIES MUST ADAPT OR DIE
Craig Harries
Head of Planning
July 2011