Agencies have lost their #Mojo.

I couldn't find it here.

A funny thing happened a couple of weeks ago at TBG Digital,  well I say "funny", but I wasn't really laughing... I lost my job. I couldn't find it anywhere. One minute it was publicly announced that it was the "hub of the agency", and in the next minute, in a meeting of uncomfortable people, it was gone. I looked everywhere for it, but to no avail. [Note to self: My next job, should I find one, I must attach one of those whistling keyring things to it.]

As it turned out, there were a dozen people in the agency in a similar predicament. There were several reasons given, most of which were lacking any robust data based evidence, a few statements were a teeny bit contradictory, and the whole thing delivered in a rather nervous manner. Never an easy situation, having now been on both sides of the table.

Nor here.

So it's lost, and nowhere to be found. Bummer. Truth be told, I was interviewing anyway. In fact, a month previous, a very well known agency, and one I admire, who has an office in California got in touch, saying "Can we tempt you?". Sunny California, rainy London; what do you think? We had a number of late night Skype calls, positive dialogue, even started looking at houses and schools over there, sorting Visas etc.....my family were pretty excited, to say the least. But then a wall of silence, it all went quiet. No responses to emails and LinkedIn messages...."odd" I thought? Whereas my eldest said, "bit rude". No surprises then to find, through various sets of bongo drums, they have pursued a less complicated US alternative. I've told the girls they won't be wearing flowers in their hair, and in return received a set of sighs and unhappy glances. They'll survive.

No problem though, there are other irons in the fire. One of which, was a pretty sizeable agency based in Soho, not a bad reputation. The guy I met, who was nice enough, was trying to analyse and disect the way I think. Not really an interview, more like an appointment with a psychiatrist. I haven't a clue how I think. There is no manual, instruction book or documented process...I just do it. [Read Nigel Barlow's "Re-think.] What I do know, is this guy interviewing me, wasn't a cognitive scientist. I can't help how my synapses are wired, or how current passes along them.  Suffice to say, that was a non starter.

Which then leads me to the point of this post...finally! I've been put into a situation to start looking at other agencies, naturally I'd much prefer it was me that set the timescales to do this. However, I've started to look at many agencies, specifically the ones I admire and whom I would like to be associated with. Questions I asked myself: Who, out there, is doing great work? Who actually gets this transmedia story telling approach? Who understands the Internet of things? Who can see through media metrics and work with clients to deliver solutions that get their customers excited, engaged, create stuff that enriches their lives?

And when I did the analysis, I found myself looking at their work, their case studies. Some of which, were replicated across several agency sites. So, who actually did the work? I was doing my best to cut through the marketing sound-bytes and fluff, to conclude it is abundantly clear there is a big bell curve of mediocrity out there. Mediocrity reigns, which is insane. We are at one of the most exciting times in communications history. People are connected to everyone and everything, all the time. Whatever we want is at our fingertips, whenever and wherever we may be...we even have the ability to tweet and YouTube from space; we can print in 3D; we can do virtually anything the imagination can conjure up. So where's the mind blowing work? Where are the things that stand out and make you go "Wow! That's cool. How did they come up with that?" I can't find any, can you? Maybe I'm not looking hard enough? Any pointers would be greatly received.

She couldn't find it either

So, I've taken to LinkedIn, Twitter and good old email to contact a number of agencies, at CEO level, to inform them of this and highlight the reasons why they may have lost their mojo. I agree, it's not a very well thought through approach, and not the best career progression strategy...but at least it's honest. I know I'm not alone in thinking this. What's encouraging and refreshing, is those people who have come back to me, agree. And credit to one new CEO who was very candid. I wish her the very best of luck.

So why does mediocre work get approved? Here are some thoughts why, and they do touch on those unspoken, but well recognised behaviours, within the agency world. Which may make uncomfortable reading for some. I do hope people who work client side read this too.

• Most agencies won't propose or try to sell a client what is the best solution, as there is a perceived risk in doing so. Most agencies will sell the client what the client will buy. 
• Clients are just as smart, if not smarter than agencies today. They've grown up and evolved faster, than many of the more traditional agencies. Many good agency people are moving client side. Good work is done by themselves. 
• In this brave new world, the industry is full of fear. Fear of making mistakes; fear of missing badly constructed targets; fear from making a bit of an arse of themselves, fear from the finger of blame. Whose finger is that anyway?
• Mediocrity doesn't come from making mistakes.
• The Emporer's new clothes syndrome. Every agency develops its own language and soundbytes, which then finds its way into the agency vocabulary. Some of it is non sensical .  Very few are brave enough to call this out.
• No one knows what's happening! This is no fault of anyone, and is probably behind the fear factor. Technology and consumer behaviour is changing so fast, it's difficult to keep up, let alone predict what's going to happen in 6 months time.
• One thing that doesn't change however, is people. Emotionally, motivationally, sub-consciously, things remain the same. 

If we're truly honest with ourselves, I'd say it would be difficult to disagree with the bullets above. One character flaw I know I have, and one I'm reminded of regularly, is that I think I'm always right. I usually am....I'm doing it again. However, would anyone disagree?

I reckon about 10 miles of searching

Focussing back to mister jobless...me, probably confirms I can't be right all the time...I am actually humble enough to accept this.  

So what do I do? What are my options? Knowing full well you create your own avenues of opportunity. So far in my short quest, I've had the great pleasure to meet a number of pretty cool people. Some old friends, who genuinely want to help, some who don't, some pretty inspirational people (inside and outside of agency world) including a couple of meetings with a very charismatic KBE. It refreshing to get many different perspectives.

Having done this, I now see my options as:

• Another established agency....but I'm not sure really.
• Start my own agency again...very tempted, but need investment.
• Find a well funded start-up, with likeminded people, who want to smash through the mediocrity...I may have found one. Tbc.
• Go client side, focus on one thing as opposed to many brands....they'd need to be innovative and early adopters, and not get bogged down in dated metrics.
• Open up a tea shop and take on the awful bloody coffee shops that populate every street in every city....will do this one day, but again, need investment
• Go back to academia...would love to, but there's no money in it. 
• Join the army....done that already.

Selfie of Pen and me. [Bit dodgy]

When presented with life's big decisions, I always find it's best to consult an old friend. Someone completely removed and emotionally detached from the situation. So today, I did just that. I didn't know I was going to, I just woke up and decided to do it.
I went to see an old girlfriend. One who I originally met when I was 18 years old. She's solid as a rock, a great listener, resides in another country, and not bothered by all this Internet stuff. She's also broken the hearts and spirit of many men....some of whom I have known...I've seen them in tears! In fact, the last time I went to see her, it was raining heavily...it usually is, and I was wearing odd camouflage clothing and carrying all sorts of things, none of them presents though. Today however, it was sunny...a good omen?

Her name's Pen, Pen y Fan, from Brecon, you should look her up some time. It takes a while and a good few calories to get there, but well worth the trip. As usual, she listened very well, and stimulated a few more thoughts. And to the cognitive scientist, I'm still working through my them. I think this Venn diagram visualises my, and most probably everyone else's desires for a job.

My current leaning is the "Happy, but poor" petal. (That won't be popular at home.) But all will become clear in a few days....it always does.

#Velocity: The one book I'd encourage all marketers to read....right now!

If you're a marketer, strategist, planner, creative, whether in an agency or client side, this is a must read book.

In fact, I'd seriously recommend it to some of those senior marketers I've had the great pleasure of working with. The ones who maybe a little too obsessed with ROI models and risk aversion...you know who you are!

Velocity is a book written for today's fast evolving, multi-channel, marketing world; reminding everyone that it's all about people...and that is something that hasn't and won't change. By Ajaz Ahmed and Stefan Olander, it's written as a conversation between these two chaps, this was something I struggled with in the first few pages, but having stuck with it, it made it very easy to digest.

It's packed full of solid, real-life anecdotes, some really thought provoking quotes and is structured in seven chapters, around the seven new laws they have created. Each has it's own summary at the end, and the titles may not be immediately clear. So for clarity:

1. A Smith & Wesson beats four aces: Is about changing the game, being disruptive, be the first and be the best.
2. It's easier done than said: Do and learn, always be in beta, get going and get better.
3. The best advertising isn't advertising: Make meaningful relationships, create wonder, enrich lives, counting clicks isn't what counts.
4. Convenience is the enemy of right: Never have anything to apologise for, obsess in the detail, be disciplined and focus.
5. Respect human nature: Understand people, make things more fun for them, make their lives better, don't be blinded by technology and data.
6. No good joke survives a committee of six: "Have the balls to make the calls", avoid "groupthink, use simple filters, know when to take control.
7. Have a purpose larger than yourself: Always play from the heart, worry about wallets later, dream big and then get into the detail, do the right thing.

The final quote in the book, which is so true of today: "The most powerful force in the universe isn't technology, it's imagination" It you can imagine it happening, it can happen. People use technology and ROI as barriers, so they can play safe.

Seriously, if you haven't already, you should read Velocity. Or visit the Velocity website for a much better overview than this post.

So true. An image from Mary Meeker's latest Trends report

Showing my age, but having been to many gigs since the early eighties, many things have changed....including people wearing earplugs. What's the point of that?! Health and safety gone mad.

However, if I recall the best concerts I've been to, they're the ones where the band are able to get the crowd really absorbed in the moment, engage as many senses as possible, and stir the emotions. The ones which stick in my mind Motorhead, Bad Manners, Slipknot, Twisted Sister, and The Fun Lovin' Criminals. You may question my taste in music, and you'd be right to do so, but these gigs pre-dated high penetration of smartphone usage...there were no distractions; no desire to share moments with others not at the gig; or try to impress others that "they were there", just a complete absorption by everyone in the moment.

As an aside, another bi-product of smartphones...we are spend longer on the loo.

#BigData could mean #BigTrouble. A post from @econsultancy.

[Extract] "We're quite literally swimming in a sea of data. We have the ability to collect it from every consumer touch point we choose, whether it's website activity, cookies, socialgraph information, direct marketing database, in-store or using other third party tools.

There is no shortage of data, but what does your business do with it all? Is your brand using big data to enrich people's lives? Or is it just used for more "accuracte" ad targeting?

It probably depends on how your business is structured and where you sit, or how you employ your agencies. Do you consider the entire consumer journey, and understand how your product and services enhance the lives of existing customers? Or are you only concerned and targeted on achieving high advertising click-through rates and low cost per clicks?

There is a balance to be struck, and one of the biggest challenges facing brands and agencies today is to ensure they really do have the right intentions at heart. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of using all the insights derived from the various data sources to construct "relevent" marketing messages to interrupt people with the aim of persuding them to buy stuff. This interruption, even if deemed relevant by the business, maybe unwelcome to the consumer and could tarnish your brand.

Read on, if you feel you, as a marketer, may be falling into such a trap. "

Real Time #Social: Planning for the unplanned #InternetWorld2013

Real Time Social and ROI: Capture the moment #InternetWorld2013 from Karl Havard

The #Social Consumer Journey: from a brand perspective...The #Funneloop

There have been a number of consumer and customer journey models, all of which have been very confused and somewhat fudged, since the arrival of social media. McKinsey, GfK, Forrester (with Facebook) and a few others have been doing the rounds for the past few years. #Imho, none of them have actually really grasped an accurate and representative model that includes the social dynamic of people interacting with each other. So, please let me introduce to you the #Funneloop.

 For those of you familiar with previous models will see two subtle differences:

• It combines the funnel (the consumer attrition from awareness through conversion to loyalty) with the Loyalty Loop
• It adds the much missed consumer into the equation. Not a consumer on their own, but consumers in numbers, interacting with each other

The image may be likened to a limb challenged squid, or one of Ricky Gervais' Flanimals, but if you take the time to follow it, it does actually serve as a beneficial framework for marketing and social marketing purposes.

The key factors are:

• The people flowing through the funneloop. 
• Numbers are one thing...you need these of course. 
• But specific audience segments, based around their passions, influence and value is a major, and potentially more important consideration 
• Understanding how they interact with each other is also key
• The amount of attrition throughout the flow, the "leaky pipe", naturally, needs to be kept to a minimum. 
• There will be leaks, so it's worth knowing where these occur, understand the reasons why, and have a baseline measure. This will enable you to see if these become larger than normal at any given time. 
• Product, brand and fellow consumer experience post purchase, which will impact the decisions of those considering purchase. [ZMOT]. 
• The experience will also impact the number of customers (already purchased) who decide to turn right at the "Reconsideration point".
• Minimise the "left turners" and reduce churn rate. 
• Build up advocacy and trust to drive Momentum. 
• As well as the numbers and quality of consumers, enhancing the speed of flow will also increase conversion rates and repeat purchases. 
• Make it easy and a great experience at every touch point for them. Momentum will be stimulated by achieving high degrees of advocacy and trust.

It's important to realise that a brand's social behaviour plays a part at every stage of the funneloop and will also enhance the returns (ROI) from other marketing, when operated in a synchronised manner. 2nd screen with TV and Twitter are good examples of this. You may also see a #Funneloop in an aquarium.

Looks like #PaidSearch is a "goal hanger" and #SocialMedia is the play maker.

Courtesy of Harvard Business Review, the above chart is part of an article outlining how "swim lane" measurement i.e. measuring a channel in isolation, can provide misleading results and ROI. Quite clearly, from this analysis, Paid Search is that player that hangs around the 6 yard box, waiting for the easy tap in and taking all the glory. This makes sense, when you keep in mind that people searching are those with an intent, and towards the conversion end of the consumer journey. Where as, social media looks to be the chap crafting the build up play and making the assists. Full article here.