Agile Adjusters | #4 Unlock

To help our clients target the right prospects for their services and experience, we categorise brand owning companies on our database by their apparent resilience through the COVID crisis. In June we have 27% as ‘unaffected’, 11% as thriving’, 43% ‘suffering’ and 19% ‘critical’.

As brands and their audiences cautiously creep back into the light of normality, momentum must be revived, harnessed, or rediscovered. And so marketing agencies have a window right now to create new relationships that will convert to fresh accounts. Each will rely on fearless torchbearers to lead them out of the caves!

We are now within the critical period for new business we outlined in Agile Adjusters #2. Brands with the means and ambition to join the thriving group are now looking to assemble their ‘A-team’ of trusted partners. Having paused key investments in NPD, media, research, branding, experiential, and big idea creative - they are itching to turn the tap back on. What then should agencies be doing to ensure they are in the room?

Unlocking your agency’s value

In a marketplace increasingly over-supplied with agencies and with procurement teams tightening the screws, there’s heightened risk of missing out on perfect fit accounts or taking on unprofitable, poorly-matched clients.

To counter this, place these points centrally in your new business process: -

1. Clear, consistent articulation of what makes your agency special and different. Some clients have this nailed. Most do not, which is ironic considering the industry they’re in. A commoditised offering that follows the herd in terms of personality will always find its value message dragged down by budget competitors.
2. Rolls of the dice. Maximise probability of success by increasing the numbers of high-value prospects you engage with. A bigger pipeline naturally strengthens your negotiating position.
3. Rigorous qualification. There will always be marketers happy to chat, and many appear to be in planning mode. But do they really control budgets and are these budgets actually approved. These distractions build hope but waste time. They need to be weeded out through smart qualification and accurate ‘solution selling’ – Zoom will do!

Unlocking hidden opportunities

“As brands face up to the immense challenges of the day, Rainmaker has been agile and proactive, keeping us in dialogue with the key individuals we want to work with.”

Simon Beddoe Head of Business Development, EMEA – Imagination

On the surface, brands may wish to give the impression that they’re returning to business as usual but dig a little deeper and of course much has changed. Key contacts have moved on or changed roles, PSLs shaken up, and c-suite strategy and priorities unrecognisable from pre-COVID times. As ever, accurate insights on your new business targets are invaluable. These may then be leveraged in conversation with the right people to map out the current challenges and uncover hidden opportunities.

Take retail. Consider the impact of four months of clicks but no bricks. The turf lost to Amazon, the unsold stock, the new consumer behaviours, the supply issues, mothballed initiatives and innovation, the big Christmas campaign... In the case of supermarkets, the tills never stopped ringing, but after a third of a year spent primarily focused on meeting demand, they now have a chance to refocus on shopper marketing and customer experience work that was previously a priority. Or luxury retailers that may be looking hopefully to their sister stores in China and crossing their fingers for some “revenge spending” over here.

Every brand in every major sector is wrestling with new challenges and priorities. The best way to connect with these agendas as they evolve is via proactive outreach with the key decision-makers.

30 Hot Sectors To Watch (category: Unaffected / Thriving)

We update this list to reflect the evolving opportunities for our clients to guide targeting.

1. Luxury retail - UK retailers will be hoping to follow global trends
2. Streaming services – Sky, Now TV, Disney+, Spotify, Prime all growing
3. E-Gaming - games publishers, accessories, event organisers and esports sponsors
4. ICT vendors & resellers - remained resilient as a 'key enabler' of the economy
5. Personal finance & accountancy – accountancy providers report strong demand combined with long term digital transformation.
6. D2C pharma & dental - products and services. Medication management was already set for 300% growth 2018-2026 but this now accelerated. Dentists reopening June 8th but without drills or high-pressure water!....demand for home resources predicted to continue.
7. D2C subscriptions – nappies, tea, beer, razors, plants.
8. Off-trade alcoholic beverages - up 63% in 2019 in May, pubs not set to open until July at least.
9. Home DIY & decorating - we covered in Agile Adjusters #3 and you can request the Pearlfinders briefing on Power Tools here
10. BNPL (buy now pay later) providers - Klarna, Clearpay, Laybuy, payl8r, openpay, Splitit - 16% of Generation Z consumers have bought items since lockdown
11. Mindfulness & mental health services - apps, consultancy and support resources.
12. Gardening – lawn mowers, planters, pots, tools, seeds, bulbs, online plants, cleaning and upkeep, compost
13. Legal Services – especially around corporate, medical, property and HR
14. Home motor mechanic accessories, auto parts & tools - pimp that COVID-secure ride!
15. Garden equipment & decorations - BBQs, Garden furniture, gazebos, pizza ovens, log burners and festoon lights
16. Home-based fitness – bodybuilders are going ape and gym bunnies are climbing the walls with their gyms closed - gym wear, exercise equipment, weights, fitness apps, mats, bands etc.
17. Household & office cleaning products - consumed in larger quantities and with greater brand visibility.
18. Personal care - request the Pearlfinders briefing here
19. Social media – Instagram, twitter, Facebook, tiktok, Zoom Video, Skype, Houseparty, webcams. 
20. Home office products - printers, laptops, screens, scanners, webcams etc. We all need an upgrade.
21. Supermarkets - have thrived through lockdown but are now in a position to revisit paused initiatives and take stock.
22. Office Equipment – technology for office-based people to stay connected with remote working colleagues – cameras, headsets etc. Additional cleaning and PPE.
23. Bicycles, electric scooters & accessories - retailers and manufacturers. Currently demand massively outstripping supply with popular brands like Specialised and Trek now sold out until Q4!
24. Consumer electronics – TVs, Bluetooth speakers, laptops. You can request the Pearlfinders briefing on Consumer Audio here.
25. Online education / e-learning 
26. Home Leisure – crafts, arts, design, engineering
27. Prepper equipment – for those worrying about a second lockdown and the pressure cooker exploding: water purification, bug-out bags, etc.  
28. Toy companies - Jigsaws, Puzzles, lego
29. Long-life FMCG – many continue to stockpile in preparation for Lockdown II The Sequel - Tinned foods, frozen foods.
30. Snack brands - increase in grazing for those WFH and packed lunches for those returning to work.

**We now also have full company and decision-maker contact lists embedded for our clients.

How are you adjusting?

As well as keeping a keen eye on which brands and sectors are likely to be in need of additional support, it's essential to be as objective as possible about your own offer. What do you provide that's essential to your markets? How does this out-play your competitors? Do you need to adjust how you position your services, or which ones to lead with?

As brands re-emerge, what can you credibly contribute? At Rainmaker we continuously adjust client messaging in response to real-time feedback and outbound success indicators. In practice, this has included helping experiential clients to refocus on their impressive design credentials and ensuring comms decision-makers are fully aware of the menu of strategic and tactical capabilities of PR clients.

Our approach to agile adjustment is: -

• Continuous - on a weekly basis in terms of nuance, sector focus, reaction to commercial environment and language.
• Frequent - monthly adjustments to offer and messaging as required.
• Comprehensive - annually, at a full-scale demand and supply review of messaging.

As you recalibrate your new business strategy and its resources, I would be happy to offer my perspective on very practical steps you can take. Feel free to connect with me on here or [email protected]