A short summary of a talk given by Jonathan Kirk for Design Skillnet on 18.08.22.
Thirty years in the design business is quite a journey to look back on but the first thing I want to say is that this isn’t a ‘full of regrets’ talk. It’s been thirty years packed with interesting, congenial and talented people. I’ve worked in and with some fantastic agencies. I’ve been very lucky. And I’m still going strong!
From a practical point of view, though, there are some things I’d like to tell my younger self. I’m sure they’ll strike a chord with you, and I hope they’ll be useful when thinking about your own agencies and careers.
1. Keep it simple
It sometimes felt as if I was facing a sea of complexity and there were often some complex challenges to solve. However, I could be guilty of making things more complicated than they really were. So, my first piece of advice is to keep it simple. Here are some examples.
The one year new business plan that’s too ambitious and becomes an embarrassment in month two. It was too complex, unrealistic versus resources and quickly gets overtaken by events. My advice is to clearly define the fundamentals like your positioning, offer, who you are targeting and why, who you are not targeting and why, and then to deal in 30,60,90 day action plans. In other words, keep it simple and action orientated. Similarly, client development plans can often be too vague, lacking focus and, crucially, not sufficiently action orientated. Again, it’s about keeping it simple – 30,60,90 day action plans with clear responsibilities, clear actions, deliverables and deadlines.
I look back to cold new business approaches, whether an e-mail or an old fashioned letter, that contained too many messages, too many associated case studies and attachments. In fact, successful cold new business approaches are all about being rigorously clear and concise – what’s the one main point you’re making, what’s the one reason to meet? In the world of new business, the more points you make, the more attachments you include, the more complex you make it, then the more binnable it becomes. Defining an agency’s positioning and offer can certainly be complex but I think it’s about working hard to make the solution simple. If you have to explain your positioning in three paragraphs, then you haven’t got a positioning.
My memory of pitching in big agencies is that we were often leaving the client more confused, not less. There would be so many people involved, a certain amount of job justification going on, plenty of great thinking, pertinent questions raised and lots of slides. But, in a nutshell, what was our advice, what was our argument? We sometimes forgot that pitching is part of a new business process. As such, a pitch isn’t just about cracking the problem as you might do for a client, but about cutting through, being memorable and standing for something.
This need for simplicity extends to so many aspects of agency life but perhaps the prime example is the creative brief. I’ve certainly been guilty of making creative briefs too long and complicated which is the exact opposite of what’s required. After all, the clue is in the name. The purpose of a creative brief is to translate the client’s brief into something that can steer and inspire a creative team. Ultimately, that means being simple and direct.
2. It’s about the customer not us
My second piece of advice may seem obvious but I’ve worked at some wonderful creative agencies where, if I’m honest, there’s sometimes been a level of arrogance and a rather inward looking feeling that we’re designing for us and people like us, rather than truly addressing the target audience.
If you’re thinking that I’m being unfair, consider this. ‘Management Today’ has just reported that only 12% of people over the age of 50 are the lead characters in adverts at the moment. As Nicky Bullard, Chief Creative Officer at Mullen Lowe Group says, ‘They’re either on a stairlift, a cruise or on the phone to their neighbour about equity release.’ Research by Kantar shows that 80% of people over 50 are ‘unhappy’ about how they are represented in marketing and advertising and 66% felt ‘invisible’ or ‘ignored’. As someone who’s been kicking around in London agencies for the last 30 years, the reason is obvious. London agencies are packed with creatives in their 20s and 30s who tend to create communications for, and featuring, people like themselves. ‘It’s about the customer not us’ may seem straightforward but it’s more difficult in practice.
3. Just get on with it
Paul Arden words this better than me: ‘Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you’ve got, and fix it as you go.’
One of the classic areas of procrastination is the agency positioning. So often, the agency positioning becomes a search for the holy grail and precious time can go by as the internal debate goes round and round. Instead of searching for that elusive ‘unique’ point of difference, it’s more about defining what’s true to you and making sure that it’s evidenced in your approach.
There are so many things that are just waiting to get done, so why procrastinate? How about that ‘consistent’ newsletter you were meaning to do, the appraisal system which isn’t quite as good as it should be or those client quotes that you’ve been meaning to ask for? Maybe it’s that article you’ve been meaning to write or the proactive idea that could be turned into a client proposal. Don’t wait. Just get on with it!
4. Managing people means listening to them
I found myself in senior agency positions but was totally unprepared to manage people. Being good at your particular role or area does not qualify you to be a leader. Being a manager or director is about asking people the right questions, listening and being empathetic. It’s about inspiring and motivating people. These are learnt skills that take time to develop.
5. Work harder to cultivate contacts
It’s a cliché that this is a people business, but it’s true. It’s not that I didn’t cultivate contacts, but I could have been better at it. Agencies have three main assets. Firstly, the agency’s people. Secondly, the work. That’s like the crown jewels – proof of your competence. Thirdly, the people you know. Not to cherish those people you know, keep tabs on them and regularly keep in touch with them is a big mistake. A good keep in touch strategy is a must.