Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Business, Creative Development, Creativity, Management, Marketing
I’ve written a lot about clients who go to agencies and then tell them what they need.
Or – as the brilliant George once said – go to the doctors and prescribe their own medicine.
Well recently I saw a photo from the MD of 72 Amsterdam – the brilliant, beardy and cat-loving, Nicolas Owen – that I think deals with the issue in the best way I’ve seen …
Now I appreciate that in the ‘real World’, most companies who offered this sort of pricing structure would cave in to the pressure of a potential paying client but the thing is, the moment they do, they’re not just losing cash, they’re literally devaluing themselves.
That might sound dramatic, but it’s true.
As many of you know, I’m doing some work with a rather famous rock band.
During the conversations, I asked their managers how they made so much money from consulting for other bands.
They said, “They’re not paying us for our time, they’re paying us for our 30 years of experience and knowledge”.
OK, so they truly are pioneers in their field … but that confidence in their abilities and value made such a big impression on me.
It shouldn’t as I’ve written about this a ton of times [like here and here for example] but when you look at how we – in the communication industry – handle ‘negotiations’, it seems our starting point is fear rather than confidence, which puts us behind before we’ve even started.
Of course, part of that might be because we know another agency would sell their grandmother to make a dollar, but then the question is why would we want a client who so obviously devalues what we do?
Now to be fair, our industry is great at undermining ourselves.
From scam at Cannes to charging more for process than creativity … so much of what we do sends a signal to clients that we are a servants rather than experts, which is why I like the image from Nicolas so much, because at least they seem to understand that if they’re going to get dictated to, they’re going to make more money from it. At least in theory.
There’s a reason Wieden, Droga etc charge a higher premium than most agencies, because they value the work.
Maybe it’s time the whole industry did that too …
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Anniversary, Attitude & Aptitude, Dad, Daddyhood, Death
So today is the 19th anniversary of my Dad passing away.
Every year I write how this time between him passing and now blows my mind because while in some ways, it does feel long ago, in others it feels relatively recent.
I’ve been having a number of conversations with people about death recently.
People who have lost loved ones and are struggling to cope.
And to them all, I tell them it’s OK to feel that way.
It’s normal because the situation is terrible.
I tell them how it took me until the last week of my Dad’s life to come to terms with the fact he was dying and then a subsequent 10 years to come to terms that he had gone.
I don’t say this because I want them to think they will feel this way for years – because there’s a good chance they won’t – I say this to let them know they’re not weird, or wrong or bad for feeling and thinking these things.
And while I wish the reasons for me knowing this didn’t happen, they did and I feel grateful that I’m able to acknowledge my Dad has taught me as much in his death as he did in his life.
That’s quite a gift when you come to think of it.
It means he’s still with me even though he’s been gone for 19 years.
And while I would still do anything to see him and talk to him – especially as so much has happened in the time he has gone that I’d love to hear his perspective on – I’m so, so happy the memories I have of him are now the joyous ones rather than the hardship he went through in his last few years.
One of those memories is from 1984.
I know it was that year because it revolves around the launch of Queen’s ‘The Works’ album.
Oh I was so excited. It had been a couple of years since their last album – the much maligned ‘Hot Space’ – and the reviews said this was a return to form.
Paul – my best mate – and I had been debating what the songs would be like based on the titles we had read in the Fan Club magazine and all we wanted to do was get our hands on that piece of vinyl.
Then some good news … our local radio station, Trent FM, were going to give away the album to the 10th caller on the rock show that night.
I went home and laid out all the albums on the floor in front of me – sure they were going to ask a question relating to one of their songs.
As the time for the competition came, I got more and more excited.
I tuned the stereo to 96.2FM, ready to pounce.
The question was asked, “What year did Queen write Bohemian Rhapsody?”
I knew this. I KNEW THIS.
As the DJ started playing a Queen song, I dialed the number as quickly as I could.
Engaged.
Urged on by my watching parents, I pressed redial [my Dad LOVED telephones so we always had the latest, ha] …
Engaged again.
And then, as the Queen song faded out, I heard the fatal words from the DJ that they had a winner and it obviously wasn’t me.
Gutted. Absolutely gutted.
Zoom forward the next day and I came home from school.
I came into the lounge and was preparing to watch a bit of TV when my Dad asked if he could listen to a song of his.
[The stereo was in the lounge with the TV]
Of course I said yes, and while Dad was playing with the record player, I just faffed about doing something.
But then something strange happened.
Rather than the expected operatic tones coming out the speaker, there was a drum rhythm … a semi-recognizable drum rhythm … THE DRUM RHYTHM THAT FORMED THE START OF RADIO GAGA!!!
I’m guessing the look of confusion on my face forced my Dad to hold up the album cover of Queen, ‘The Works’.
OH. MY. GOD.
Dad – and Mum – had bought it for me.
An impromptu present because they knew I loved that band with all my heart and was sad I didn’t win the competition from the night before.
It might have honestly been the first time my Dad had ever bought a popular record, but I ran up to him and gave him a huge hug and a big kiss on the cheek.
“Enjoy it” he said … and with that, he walked out the room, leaving me to bathe in the music of my favorite band.
Now don’t get me wrong, my parents were very kind and generous to me … but we never really had much cash to splash, so while they did all they could to make sure I didn’t go without, the things I got most from them was love, support and encouragement.
But here I was with an album.
And it wasn’t even my birthday.
Talk about feeling like you’ve won the lottery.
I remember that day as if it was yesterday and even now, when I listen to that album, I feel a sense of warmth from it … a sense of togetherness and love.
And it’s for that reason I’ll be listening to the album today, because I want to have that feeling again because while my parents ensured I felt their love to last a lifetime, you can always do with more.
I miss you Dad.
I miss you so, so much.
I would give anything for one day to just talk to you.
Discuss all that has happened. Discuss all that is going on in my head. Introduce you to my family. Take you to your garden.
Hold you hand and kiss your head.
It might be 19 years, but I miss you like it was yesterday.
You were the best and I’m glad Mum is with you so you are no longer alone.
Love you.
Rx
Today is a national holiday.
It’s Martin Luther King day.
A day to celebrate the life and achievements of this great man.
And yet America seems to be heading back to those terrible times of prejudice and discrimination.
Not all America, but enough of America.
Which is why Donald Trump better not be taking today off, because it’s obvious by his actions and beliefs that he wants those times back. Then again, it’s hard to take a day off when you’re already playing golf everyday.
Everyone in America should re-watch Martin Luther King’s most famous speech …
Not just to remember and honour his brilliance, but to realize America is currently heading backwards not forwards.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Dad, Daddyhood, Jill, Mum, Mum & Dad, My Fatherhood, Otis
It’s the last day of the first week of blog posts for the new year.Congratulations, you’ve survived.
So I thought I’d end the week on a positive.
No, a real one.
You see there was recently read a Linkedin article asking people what piece of advice they would give to their children.
Obviously this is a big, big question because ultimately, there’s so many things you could say and want to say.
But then I realized the advice I got from my parents is still probably the best advice I could give.
Advice that not only prepares you for the life ahead, but prepares you to get the most out of what is there and who you are – which, when you come to think of it, is probably the best advice of all.
So with that, I pass onto Otis what my beloved parents passed on to me.
+ A life of fulfillment is more enjoyable than a life of contentment.
+ Be interested in what others are interested in.
+ Make your own mistakes not someone else’s.
I might not have managed to do them all, all the time, but those pieces of advice have helped me enjoy a life that – let’s face it – I don’t deserve to have, which might be the one thing I’ve done that my parents would be the happiest about.
So to Mum and Dad – thank you – you might not realize it, but you’ve given your grandson one of the most valuable bits of advice he’ll ever have.
Have a great weekend.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Creativity, Culture, Innocence, Insight, Management, Perspective, Standards, Talent
I’ve always found management an interesting concept or – more specifically – how people become managers.
Most of the time, it seems someone who is good at their job gets promoted and told “… there you go, manage the department”.
Little support. Little guidance. Masses of responsibility.
Now having done this for a long time, I realize the folly of this approach.
Sure, it’s nice to feel you’re being recognized, have a bit more responsibility and power and get more cash … but it also is the fast-track to bad habits, bad practices and bad career decisions.
You see management is complicated.
On one hand you have to lead your department … set a direction, instill standards and beliefs and develop a gang.
On the other, you have to put yourself second to enable your team – and the people within that team – to grow and develop and ultimately, take your job.
Few have the skills to work this out on their own – let alone execute it – which is why the older I get, the more grateful I am that I was given such great help from my amazing mentors and certain bosses.
You see in the early days, I saw career development as simply going from employee to boss to big boss.
In my mind, if you were a good employee you might get to be a boss and if you were a good boss, you might get to be a big boss.
That was it.
But my mentors – and some good bosses – made sure I understood that career progression wasn’t just about how good you were in your day-to-day job, but in your ability to develop additional skills.
Sure, some of these were operational skills – really important operational skills – but the advice that made the biggest difference to me was when they told me how I’d need to understand the difference between good management and good leadership.
To be honest, previous to this I never really saw a difference between the two but this quote by Peter Drucker sums up what they told me perfectly …
Now I appreciate anyone who has worked with me in the past might think I am terrible at what I do – and I accept my approach is often unorthodox and filled with dollop-loads of chaos – but understanding how the development of skills and outlook was better for your long-term career than consistency and capability made a real difference to me and that’s why I am such a big believer in feedback and goals.
I should point out this does not mean the ‘annual reviews’.
Sure, they have their use, but if you’re only having these conversations once a year, you’re really not helping anyone that much.
But constantly having conversations – where you discuss where people are and what they’re working towards – makes a difference.
It lets you know where everyone is.
It lets you know where everyone is heading.
It gives you the opportunity to offer the right advice at the right time.
Which enables them to develop the skills that will help them grow not drown.
Which lets them develop their own voice and approach to the challenges they face.
Which lets them work out where they are heading and want to head.
Which lets them get hired for who they are not just what they do.
Which means, ultimately, you’ve done what I believe a boss is supposed to do … which is help your people get opportunities they never thought they could have.
This all may seem so obvious to you all, but I still meet people who think being good at their job means being good enough for career progression and while many companies may agree with that, I am so grateful to my mentors and certain bosses for putting me straight.
May this year be your year.