How content will kill your agency (#1)
I suppose I better come clean and explain just what it is I would like to do. You see, when I wrote “content will kill your agency” I really did mean it. I wasn’t teasing or playing with you, I really did mean it. And I still do. So, I thought it would only be fair to come clean and give you a rough idea how all this would work.
So here we go.
My agency is called “The Ides of March”, you may call your agency anything you wish. It is full of people who know a thing or two about culture, communications, advertising and business. It’s full of people who know how people tick – yes, we even have a profiler in there too.
- We create content.
- We are never asked to create it.
- We don’t have a brief to create it.
- We can measure business results from the content we make and this is how we make our money.
- And nobody knows we’ve been doing this, until now*
A few years ago, we were doing some research into religion, belief structures, conspiracy theories and tourism. We thought we were on to something and started working on a project which was mainly a book but was later made into a film. Half way through the project we were pretty sure that the content of the book would have a positive financial impact for a number of potential clients and we approached them all, separately, with a very simple contract that outlined the expected increase in revenues and our potential salary percentage based on Key Performance Indicators that they could define. There was no initial fee. Only one potential client declined (thinking that they would benefit from it anyway) and a location in the book was changed from the South West of England to Scotland.
The book was called “The DaVinci Code”* and the impact this had on our clients has come to be known as “The DaVinci Code Effect”*.
So, for the rest of this week and based on this particular project I’ll be explaining how our business model works, how we make our money and how it is actually more interesting than what your agency is doing right now. Unless, of course, you’re Wieden & + Kennedy.
*This is of course a work of fiction, I’m just using it as an example for how something like this could work. Dan Brown wrote “The DaVinci Code” and not “The Ides of March”.
If you think that others might been interested in this would you be so kind as to Stumble it?
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Seb
It’s a + not a &.
Between Wieden and Kennedy.
Soviel Zeit muss sein.
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
My blog. I don’t care if it’s a + or a &.
Dec 17th, 2007
Seb
Okay you are right, Markus.
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
I’m sorry Seb. I seem to have upset you. I will, of course change all the “&”’s to “+”s - but I should point out that you (or another member of the W+K team) should have a wee word with Honda. They seem to have a problem with the “&” instead of the”+” too.
I will make the effort and change the & to + in order to ensure brand consistency for your agency on this blog.
Regards,
The Kaiser.
Dec 17th, 2007
Seb
My comment wasn’t supposed to be serious.
And my time at Wieden&Kennedy unfortunately ends at Friday.
After that I will return to kollerebbe, Kolle-Rebbe or Kolle Rebbe.
Not sure yet.
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
Could you please send me through the brand guidelines for Kolle Rebbe.
Dec 17th, 2007
Seb
Pretty easy: grey, bland, not worth mentioning.
Dec 17th, 2007
Seb
Though a friend of Elena, who used to be one of the lovely people there (I am using past because she quit), referred to them as “Colour Rebels”. What could have been a name for Colman’s shoes.
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
Excellent. I will observe these brand guidelines at all times to ensure that you always feel at home on this blog. A little “off-topic” but as the Germans say “Ordnung muss sein”.
Dec 17th, 2007
Seb
I’ve never felt not at home on your blog, hon.
See? I am sitting in my track suit and adiletten on your sofa.
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
Take your feet off the table.
Dec 17th, 2007
Seb
Okay.
Could you get me a coffee and sandwich from the kitchen, please?
PBJ,cheers.
Dec 17th, 2007
Seb
Oh, milk and sugar.
The coffee.
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
Don’t push it Seb.
Dec 17th, 2007
lauren
Kaiser, I know you’ve been discussing content and agencies for a while and i’ve been trying to get my head around it, but i’m still clueless as to what the hell you mean. Perhaps this is because i’m just an artist, from the anitpodeans no less, but by ‘content’ do you mean words and pictures without an underlying branded sales pitch? As in ‘literature’ and ‘art’? Or is ‘content’ something different again?
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
Content could be anything; a book, a song, a band, a tv-series, a film, a character, a blog, a video, a painting…. without an underlying branded sales pitch.
Dec 17th, 2007
lauren
ok, now i think i get it. no wonder you’re getting resistance… if your suggesting that advertising isn’t going to be about plastering the fuck out of the big chunky logo (the bigger the better) everywhere, then that means the people in ‘advertising’ wouldn’t just plaster the fuck out of the big chunky logo (the bigger the better) everywhere and be done with it. they may create things. meaningful things. am i on the right track here?
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
You took your time, but you got there in the end young lady.
Dec 17th, 2007
Rob Mortimer
Ah yes, the Ides of March… I did wonder what happened to that.
Dec 17th, 2007
The Kaiser
Rob M - never went away. Still quietly working in the background.
Dec 17th, 2007
Gavin Heaton
Did you ever get my pre-brief brief?
Dec 17th, 2007
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