We're better together

I certainly think so, and in an age where clients want more for their money and the audience control gains even more momentum, we should all certainly be considering the notion.

Working with others, people and companies, and looking for 'thinking' opportunities with others has been a key tenet in our agency business strategy and my own life strategy for some time now. We like to seek out those who are keen to find a little headspace, rather than office space. Space to be thinking rather than space to be filling.

Two years ago our agency set out to connect with people, craft and businesses that left us with a gut feeling things could happen between us. As potential partners meeting for the first few times, we would have no idea where or why, but a relationship of sorts began to form. It had no immediate financial gain but certain individuals and companies would have a ‘something’ that fuelled mine, and the team’s thinking for some time to come.

It is this ‘shared’ commodity I find very exciting and engaging. It opens everyone’s minds to possibilities that collaborative ideas can bring not just the fresh thinking, but the revisiting of some 'old' ideas and crafts too. The fresh thinking isn’t radical. It thinking that spawns concepts that have clarity almost too obvious to have been noticed before, because we are so tainted/influenced by our own sectors of expertise. We can have such a singular vision and never stop to look at how working with others can produce far finer results.

A recent campaign we created for a well-known TV studio, was a very simple creative concept to promote their seasonal activity online. It had been inspired by exploring advertising with very clever sound technologists early last year on other projects. They opened our eyes to how cluttered the visual world really is, and how different platforms can influence behaviour, with or without sound. The resulting solution challenged the conventional creative format and by the way was silent. The results for the agency and the client were a resounding success. Simple has always been a key tenet in the industry but it’s still amazing how a fresher look allows an even clearer vision to come to the surface and it was the surrounding environment of mixed minds that directly influenced these thoughts and practices.

At first the process of meeting like-minded connections proved slow, given everyone has their own agenda and has a vested interest in protecting their work with clients. But today it’s either we’re better practiced at engaging others or the community in general is opening up to what we call ‘connected creativity’. To me personally, nothing is more exciting than discovering and meeting a new individual or team with ‘their’ way.

With SXSW and AdWeek both stating what’s new and what’s wrong, it’s interesting how much ‘connected’ working has proved a bonus for not just ideas but the craft of business too. What came out of both events was the constant flow of conversation about how good it is to be together, talking together, learning together and working together.

In our entertainment sector there’s been a shift of late to creating events not adverts, a wise move in today’s connected and competitive market. However, I feel the creation of these events is often discovered in fairly narrow channels. The current business models in the sector are keen to drive a profit, again rightfully so, but I often wonder that this is at a cost to ideas and the production of them. I find it surprising how many ‘events’ I come across some time after the event has happened through news or just coincidence. I try and keep up with the industry I work in, and I’m sure I miss just as many stories as I see, but it does shock me how little breakout some events create. Not because they’re a bad idea. But because the idea was diluted by the ‘approved’ or are disconnected. And that's a crime really.

The right combinations of clients, agencies and the pioneering extras, I firmly believe, will better the creative and process and ultimately offer our clients, and more importantly our audiences, genuine ‘things’ to talk about and engage with. I love a great film poster. As an illustrator it is the craft as much as the visual impact I admire. But, ultimately, it is the ‘events’ that are hot property today. They put it front of mind and ultimately set out to embed them into the memory bank. I believe encouraging companies and individuals to find the links that could bring them closer to each other and to the clients should be high on all our business priorities, as we all seek to find the better. We could all be partners if we just let our guards down. We will offer our clients a much better resourced solution; even if one of us takes home more of the credit than the other. What we will learn and create together, and inherently individually, is priceless and we should all start valuing the journey of what minds can do...as partners.

All of the above has and is being practiced by many and is not new, indeed I’m sure many will say it's old news. What is becoming clearer though is that agencies are traditionally very good at delivering creativity and then leaving the ‘next bit’ to someone else and some would say ‘the bit before’ too. The ‘next bit’ is what agencies now need to focus on – to bring the story together to the client, to the idea and to the audience. How can agencies do this?

By being open-minded, more open-sourced, and becoming a coordinator of creativity and production as well as contributor. Connected creativity expands the traditional. It’s exhilarating when it happens. We all need to reach out creatively for new ways of working, that a fast-moving connected world is craving. I believe those that practise and expand on the above will lay down the firm foundations for the future, possibly. But I’ll always be fascinated by the ivory tower too. Aren’t we all? I believe it looks best from distance…but up close, it can still be very impressive!

The difference is, I wonder, whether the latter blocks the full view?

I believe it does.

So how can we combine the sentiment above with what we have learnt about ‘connected creativity?'

It’s very hard staying in contact with others when they’re not a paying customer or supplier. I indeed am guilty of losing contact with a couple. I feel the loss. And regret the silence. But I can change that, as can you... I'll make the calls after writing this!

Profit and loss does matter. But don't let it dictate a relationship too early. There's value in odd places these days. You’re both in this for the bigger good. Being responsible for creating great communications that we all learn from and gain.

Transparency. Keep it open. Your wants, your bottom line, your thoughts on how the relationship could work or even will work.

Work together to create an 'ideas trust', an internal quality assessment of types. Nothing is off limits. A core team combination that's prepared to thoroughly test what's created or being created.

I’d love to here from others about their thoughts on this and your experiences.

Do collaborations really work and is the audience and client benefitting?

Do you practice and encourage this?

Or are you anti this and have good reason why?