This picture [a sign pointing to reception] demonstrates what we feel is one of the core problems with the SONY brand.
In short, too many people and too much time has been spent looking sideways rather than forwards – resulting in certain left-field competitors [like Microsoft, Apple, LG and Samsung] not only catching up, but in some categories, taking over!
Don’t get me wrong, SONY are still one of the great, global brands … but the task we have been given is to help them stand up and be counted again.
This makes me very happy as I love SONY – but the reason for this post is that one of their key marketing people said something very interesting – something that explains the divide in riches between advertising and management consultants.
What they said was that our ‘single picture strategy’ was wonderful because it embodied all the issues they were facing and helped them understand what they had to do both internally and externally to get the brand energy back.
The problem was that it was almost too simple.
Because everything had been wrapped up into a single picture [rather than via a 1000 page PowerPoint presentation] their first impression was that it’s ‘corporate value’ was less than that of say, a Management Consultant report – featuring pages and pages and pages of financial, manufacturing and process models.
To be fair, SONY have got over their ‘issue’ and have been incredibly supportive. Sure, we’ve had to do a few ‘formal presentations’ explaining how we’re going to help them get their ‘mojo’ back, but overall, they have welcomed our ‘to the point’ approach … however what is interesting is that in the big business World, consultative value seems to be directly related to the ‘volume’ of work produced rather than the ‘quality’ – and when a planners job is ultimately about the ‘simplification of issues’ and the ‘motivation of people’, is it any wonder the money we command is dramatically less than that of our Management Consultant cousins?
Don’t get me wrong, the ad industry has a hell of a lot to sort out about itself … but I really believe big business has a duty to educate [and support] it’s people in appreciating, understanding and trusting the value of ‘insight’ – because if they don’t, everyone could ultimately lose out.